Fill Me In

This week, Ryan and Brian learn more about the world's quietest room, explore the intricacies of clefs, and consider the realities of time.  If you get bored, write something for the  Fill Me In wiki . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our  Patreon . Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doesn't matter! Please consider leaving us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. This will help new lis...

This week, Ryan and Brian dream of winning the lottery, bemoan the realities of baseball and America, and invent a new kind of pastrami. Puzzle content shows up eventually, but if you like the other typical nonsense, we've got you covered. If you get bored, write something for the  Fill Me In wiki . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our  Patreon . Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it d...

This week, Ryan and Brian reminisce various random memories from the 1970s and 1980s, ponder the pros and cons of being forced to watch "Stayin' Alive" in perpetuity, and then declare (but later redact) that Will Nediger can do no wrong. If you get bored, write something for the  Fill Me In wiki . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our  Patreon . Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doe...

This week, Ryan and Brian welcome Shannon Rapp back to the program with a fantastic extended Thunder Round all about indie puzzles! It's quite spoiler-laden, so if you want to check out the puzzles first, here are links to the sources: girlbosswords : Themeless 20: Difficult Women (September 15, 2022 by Malaika Handa and Brooke Husic) Completing the Square : Puzzle 44: Quadz (October 16, 2022 by c...

This week, Ryan is sad and Brian is grumpy. What does that mean for Fill Me In? Another week of random banter about whatever happens to come up. Many questions about math, music, and "Stayin' Alive," if you're into that sort of thing. If you get bored, write something for the  Fill Me In wiki . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our  Patreon . Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doesn'...

This week, Ryan and Brian are delighted to welcome Kate Chin Park and Will Eisenberg to the studio for a conversation about woodworking, pie-baking, and even a bit on crosswords. (Will and Kate constructed our most recent contest puzzle, so there's a recap of that as well!). As always, the other babble includes baseball, musicals, and sandwiches. Are you surprised? Stuff to click: Kate Chin Park's...

This week, Ryan and Brian ARE IN THE SAME PHYSICAL SPACE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TEN YEARS AND THAT'S MORE OVERWHELMING THAN ANYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE! All that, plus a contest puzzle from Kate Chin Park and Will Eisenberg, which you can download at https://www.dropbox.com/s/jk3z1f2coh9pfzw/fmi363con.puz?dl=1 If you get bored, write something for the  Fill Me In wiki . And if you're feeling philanthr...

This week, Ryan and Brian welcomes the mastermind behind Daily Crossword Links (and reigning Lollapuzzoola Champion) Matt Gritzmacher! Anyone looking for new crosswords to try (especially if you thought the #nytxw was the only game in town) -- get thee to Daily Crossword Links . Also -- a new contest puzzle from Kate Chin Park and Will Eisenberg, which you can download at https://www.dropbox.com/s...

This week, Ryan and Brian consider the legacy of The Phantom of the Opera, the responsibility of Yu Darvish, and the squishability of something that is both wet and soft. All that plus a contest puzzle from Neville Fogarty and Rachel Fabi, which you can download at https://www.dropbox.com/s/7865fgb7qppsgvu/fmi361con.puz?dl=1 Other stuff to click: New FMI listener Evan's Crosshare puzzles The 70-ye...

Don't tell Ryan, but this week, Rachel Fabi and Neville Fogarty break into the studio and coerce Brian into the longest episode of Fill Me In ever! And to make it even stranger, it has more puzzle content than usual ... and a lot of it is about cryptic crosswords ! Neville gives a master class on cryptics at about the 44-minute mark, and the all-cryptic-crossword Thunder Round starts about 72 minu...

This week, Ryan and Brian conceive of a new crossword game show, discuss what foods may and may not survive the five-second rule, and take a deep dive into ass. You can still get the puzzles from Lollapuzzoola ! If you get bored, write something for the  Fill Me In wiki . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our  Patreon . Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doesn't matter! Please consid...

This week, Ryan and Brian conclude Season Seven without having achieved "the arc" (which was apparently to have made a movie?!) -- and Ben Zimmer shows up to talk us through the highlights of Lollapuzzoola from behind the scenes. It's a long show, and we considered cutting out the vegetable talk and the Thunder Round ... but Ben Zimmer makes everything better. He's like bacon that way. You can sti...

This week, Ryan and Brian race through the podcast in part because it's way later than when they normally record, and in part because Zoom put up a timer midway through the call and everyone got scared. Sign up for Lollapuzzoola . That's the show. If you get bored, write something for the  Fill Me In wiki . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our  Patreon . Do you enjoy our show? Actual...

This week, the Fill Me In studio is invaded by barnacles! Or actually, just one barnacle -- THE Barnacle, a.k.a. Ben Zimmer, linguist to the stars. There's still some baseball and sandwich talk, but it's word-related, so stick around for that. Also in the news: Lollapuzzoola , the greatest crossword puzzle tournament ever held annually on a Saturday in August! Hayley Gold & friends are doing a Twi...

This week, two randos wander into the studio and start talking like they're running a tournament or something. Oh wait, it's just Brooke and Sid here to talk about Lollapuzzoola , the greatest crossword puzzle tournament ever held annually on a Saturday in August! In today's show, we announce the tournament theme, the list of constructors, and share news about some of the bonus content. Keep up wi...

This week, Ryan records without a microphone, opens the Viewer Mail bag without snapping, and essentially ad libs the entire show without a script. All that plus a contest crossword, which you can download at https://www.dropbox.com/s/g4pvk5sqfsl9qoh/fmi354con.puz?dl=1 Also - sign up for Lollapuzzoola , the greatest crossword puzzle tournament ever held annually on a Saturday in August. If you get...

This week, Ryan and Brian seek value in Taylor Swift, Usain Bolt, Bojack Horseman, and the musical Wicked , and struggle pronouncing words like "restaurant" and "comfortable." All that plus a new contest crossword, which you can download at https://www.dropbox.com/s/g4pvk5sqfsl9qoh/fmi354con.puz?dl=1 Stuff to click: Lollapuzzoola ! Coming to NYC or your computer on August 27 Daily Crossword Links...

This week, Ryan and Brian read some Viewer Mail poetry, separate the good (puzzle) from the bad (website) with the #NYTXW, and SEE what they can SEE. All that plus a contest crossword, which you can download at https://www.dropbox.com/s/as5w921fkvdhfxx/fmi352con.puz?dl=1 Stuff to click: Lollapuzzoola ! Coming to NYC or your computer on August 27 These Puzzles Fund Abortion (always a worthy donatio...

This week, Ryan and Brian go APE, marvel at a thrilling Saturday puzzle, and duplicate each other's brilliance in under three minutes. All that plus a new contest crossword, which you can download at https://www.dropbox.com/s/as5w921fkvdhfxx/fmi352con.puz?dl=1 Stuff to click: These Puzzles Fund Abortion (always a worthy donation) Daily Crossword Links (because it's waaay better than a repository)...

This week, Ryan and Brian get lost in musicals and movies (though not musical movies), and finally interrupt the uselessness with a Thunder Round on the past week of AVCX puzzles! Included are works by Rachel Fabi, Soleil Saint-Cyr, Billy Bratton, Erich Bratton, Jenna LaFleur, and Ada Nicolle. All that plus a new contest crossword, which you can download at https://www.dropbox.com/s/vnfa2lz1gjxh27...

We are utterly ecstatic to welcome a special guest interview this week with the one and only Shannon Rapp (a.k.a Norah Sharpe)! Shannon brings news of the St. Louis Crossword Tournament (#stlxwt), a look at her work with the #avcx universe, and it only takes Brian about ten tries to get the name of her website right (correct link below). Standard conversations about musical theater have been repla...

After a week of vacation and a week of illness, Ryan Hecht is back in the studio, and to celebrate his return, he and Brian talk about musical theater way too much. Not sure why. There's also broken headphones, too much dancing, and a semi-rapid-fire thunder round, especially as the clock winds down. All that plus a brand new contest, which you can download at https://www.dropbox.com/s/06lgyxcyz0b...

This week, it's a double dose of Syracuse hosts as Rachel Fabi joins Brian on the show. They explore XW Stats , a fantastic new site all about individual statistics on the #NYTXW, ponder the difference between a die hard fan and a "Die Hard" fan, and dig into a Thunder Round from this past week of puzzles. All that plus a brand new contest, which you can download at https://www.dropbox.com/s/l8zcp...

This week, Ryan and Brian talk sandwiches, clubs, a handful of famous people no one talks about anymore, Scott Weiss's latest Anti-Match Quiz , and a strong week of puzzles. All that plus a contest crossword at https://www.dropbox.com/s/vqrhm56ysn1qoab/fmi346con.puz?dl=1 If you get bored, write something for the  Fill Me In wiki . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our  Patreon . Do yo...

This week, Ryan and Brian are thrilled to welcome author A.J. Jacobs ( website , Twitter ) and puzzlemaker Greg Pliska ( website , Twitter ), who discuss their new book "The Puzzler." Also, a hardcore quiz on Sondheim lyrics, some time traveling, and a false start to what was supposed to be a quick Thunder Round. All that plus a new contest crossword at https://www.dropbox.com/s/vqrhm56ysn1qoab/fm...