Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

Once again, the NYTimes crossword has delivered the perfect blend of joy and education in one neat bundle. The joy comes from, primarily, the theme -- which we will say no more about here, but we have plenty to say about it in the podcast. The education comes from clues like 69A, Yani ___, youngest pro golfer to win five major championships, TSENG), and our absolute favorite, something that sounds...

One of our favorite foods is SEITAN - healthy, delicious, and, up until now, never mentioned in the NYTimes crossword. Ah, but the times they are a changin', as evidenced by today's 50D, Wheat-based meat alternative, SEITAN.  There were many other clues worthy of admiration in today's grid. There was the somewhat sardonic 25A, "I had something come up," maybe, FIB; the (to...

This was a fine Tuesday crossword by Eric Rollfing, marking his fourth overall in the NYTimes, and his Tuesday debut. There were a bevy of TWL (Today We Learned) clues in today's puzzle. Most notably, we had 7D, Color whose name comes from the Greek word for "cuttlefish", SEPIA; the interestingly named 36A, Reptile that can reach up to 10 feet in length, MONITORLIZARD; and finally w...

Today's crossword was truly a labor of love for one of the greatest voice talents of all time. We speak, of course, of the immortal, indomitable, indefatigable Mel Blanc, pretty much the reason why the Golden Age of American Animation came into being. We'd like to say more, but we have an overwhelming urge to go take in some Looney Tunes shows! Show note imagery: The cast of The Jack Ben...

Sam Ezersky is known for making devilishly difficult crosswords, and he does not disappoint today . Jean found this to be a bit of a challenge; Mike has decided that ... the intersection of Sam's wheelhouse and his own is the empty set. We have all the deets inside, as well as our latest JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award) winners (yes, plural !) so please, download, listen u...

Byron Walden has had a whopping 109 crosswords published in the NYTimes, including an astonishing 70 Saturdays. Frankly, it shows, because today's was perfect : highly challenging, but sprinkled with just enough toeholds to move it out of the realm of the impossible. Bravo! Show note imagery: BOARDIES , when you need to look good on the beach! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info:...

Depending upon what you've squirreled away in your wheelhouse, you may have found today's crossword a) straightforward, or b) a Friday crossword wrapped around a zesty Saturday mini-crossword. In the case of our cohosts, Jean was the former, Mike, inevitably, the latter. While their puzzle solving journeys today did most definitely diverge, they were both agreed that this crossword, the...

A few Sundays ago we had a puzzle paying homage to Star Trek, and now we've moved on to another iconic show, Jeopardy! While we feel that the editors missed a fabulous opportunity to play the Jeopardy theme in lieu of the usual ditty upon solving the puzzle, we nonetheless had a great time with this crossword , for reasons that we outline in today's episode. Show note imagery: WHATSTHETE...

Just like the answer to 29D, "Too ___" (2024 #1 Hozier hit), this was a SWEET Wednesday crossword , and we're not just saying that because Jared Cappel took the time to introduce us to a magnificent book and movie (17A, Acclaimed 2004 science fiction work by David Mitchell made into a 2012 film, CLOUDATLAS). However, between that, and the appearance of our favorite 18th century Aust...

This was an Erik Agard puzzle , meaning the clues were fabulous; but it was a Tuesday Erik Agard puzzle, which means that the clues were not too difficult. We loved 45D, He or I, but not she, ELEMENT 😀; 6D, Like some R's and oats, ROLLED; and our favorite Australianism, the clue in 44D, "No worries", THATSOK.  In honor of Tuesday we have another Triplet Tuesday segment, so have a l...

Rebecca Goldstein has won awards for her crosswords, and today's is another fine example of why she has been so afforded. Jean, as is so often the case, made short work of today's puzzle, while Mike took more of a tai-chi-like meander through the grid. We have all the deets inside, so hit that download button post-haste, repeat with the like/subscribe/follow button, and then, of course,...

This was an elegantly crafted crossword by Adam Wagner and Chandi Deitmer. We were thrilled and delighted to welcome back the rebus, which we have not seen in several Sundays (or so it seems). Jean was able to solve the puzzle quite readily, whereas Mike had to dig (much) deeper to get to the happy music. We have the deets inside, as well as the announcement of our latest JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike C...

This was a splendid crossword by Ben Zimmer. There were no rebuses, but the ingenious theme was a surprise and a delight. We give it a 5 squares on the JAMCR scale, and for the reasons why, have a listen to today's episode. A logistical note: we are going to be taking Friday and Saturday off, due to anticipated connectivity issues. But we will, of course, be doing the crossword, and will be b...

The appearance of YEET in the grid is always cause for celebration, a reminder that the English language is not set in its ways, but evolving at a rate that would've made Noah Webster exclaim "YEET this language is ... hang on, let me check my dictionary for a good word here ... deucedly difficult to keep up with!".  For the record, we enjoyed this crossword for innumerable reasons;...

This was a picture-perfect Tuesday crossword by Gary Larson and Amy Ensz, marking their second collaboration. The theme was suitably surprising, and the rest of the puzzle equally excellent. Besides the crossword itself, we have another installment of our Triplet Tuesday segment, with Jean facing her inquisitor with that Princess Leia-like combination of aplomb and insouciance.  Show note imagery:...

This was a satisfyingly crunchy Monday crossword ; it took both cohosts, laboring independently as usual, a significantly longer time than usual to complete. They blame it on the AQI, which in NE Wisconsin is currently hovering somewhere between "hey, what happened to the houses across the street?" and "if you must go outside, don't forget your respirator!" levels. Fortuna...

Today's crossword was an homage to the iconic series STARTREK, which has been around since the 1960s and at this rate seems likely to continue to exist until its actual putative time, in the 2260's. While this likely gave an advantage to trekkies, we suspect that most readers will at least be familiar with the major characters -- and if not, that the crosses would come (as they often do)...

This was a superlative Saturday crossword, thanks to an ocean of uber-crisp clues, each forming a "mini-mystery" that you had to solve en route to the happy music.  Marvel at the handiwork of, for instance, 9D, Mountain range that spans 67º of latitude, ANDES; 6D, Key for getting rid of your work, in brief?, DEL; and 29D, They're all equal in a circle, RADII; The vast majority of th...

This was a fantabulous Friday crossword that will have you saying 49D, "Look what I did!", TADA , if you are able to solve it. On the way to that illustrious goal, you might have a hunch as to an answer, in which case your 22D, Intuitive ability in the Marvel Universe, SPIDERSENSE , might start tingling. And if you were both able to solve the puzzle and let your friends know about it, th...

Once again, the rebus rules, and indeed in today's crossword may even be said to teem , for it appears a whopping ten times in today's grid, in various amusing and unexpected places that are detailed in today's episode. Really, the whole puzzle is fANTastic! Deets inside. Show note imagery: If you're looking to book a shanty, why not book from Wisconsin's very own Northwoo...

Today's theme was sweet -- literally! You'll know why within 30 seconds of the start of today's episode, or, if you're in more of a hurry, within 30 milliseconds of glancing at the grid .  There were some fine clues in today's puzzle. We doff our hats in recognition of 25D, Land of llamas and Llosa, PERU; 62A, "Really?", HUH;  and finally, the wry 39A, Like poker...

This was an ab fab Tuesday crossword by Peter Gorman, with an admirably serpentine theme, as we explain in today's episode (and, as usual, you can see   by checking out the solution at xwordinfo.com). Beyond the theme, there were sone other unexpected answers - our favorite kind! Finally, icing on the cake, we have our fabled Triplet Tuesday™️ segment for your listening pleasure. Enjoy! Show...

Writing the c lues for today's c rossword must've been quite the c hore, but Brian C allahan has done himself proud. It took a bit of cultural archeology to make sense of 64A, C oneheads, e.g., for short, ETS (a reference to SNL characters); it took no effort at all to meander down the wrong path while contemplating 1A, "Catfish" channel: MTV (oh, that sort of catfish); and we...

This was an astonishingly good Sunday crossword by John Kugelman, thanks to a jaw-dropping display of anagrammatic magic. We've got all the deets inside, so be prepared, to be amazed! Show note imagery: THOMASEDISON, who in 1904 obtained a patent for an electric car, was only about 100 years or so ahead of his time. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop...

This was a relatively straightforward Saturday crossword , but the clues included 7 debuts (and 2 that have not been seen in donkey's years): that made for an intriguing grid, and we definitely enjoyed the solve. Of course, based on the Law of Conservation of Crossword Difficulty (which, as we recall, won Margaret Farrar a Nobel prize in Cruciverbalism in 1960), it means that tomorrow's...