Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

This was a delightful Monday crossword , thanks to the hardworking team of Dena R. Verkuil and Andrea Carla Michaels (abetted, no doubt, by the mighty mighty Will Shortz). The theme was funny, and the clues were "Festival Food fresh", as we like to say in Northeast Wisconsin. Deets inside, so have a listen,  and, as always, invite the crossword-philes in your life to have a listen as wel...

Once again an NYTimes contributor -- today, that would be Mike Hobin -- has created a theme that will make you want to cheer, doff your hat, and applaud (although not simultaneously, for obvious reasons): it deserves that much praise. The rest of the clues were of course also of a very high caliber, resulting in the delightful puzzle that we take a magnifying glass to in today's episode. Show...

This was Jesse Guzman's third NYTimes crossword , and with quality this good it's no surprise that the publication of his fourth NYTimes crossword is imminent. There was no theme, but the clues were uniformly brilliant and tricky, perfect for the "Hardest Crossword of the Week", aka, Saturday's. We approve, and bestow upon this puzzle the maximum number of squares -- that...

Today's crossword marks Carolyn Davies Lynch's third NYTimes crossword, and she just keeps getting better and better. This had some great clues, including 9D, It's not observed in Hawaii, DST (😀); 27A, Hypocorism for Harold, HAL (🧐); and 46D, Smart guy, ALEC (🤣). There were plenty more where those came from, so check out today's episode for the 411. Show note imagery: Syzygy...

Simeon Seigel is definitely on a tear, this marks his fourth NYTimes crossword this year, and his second in under a month. Quality isn't suffering at all, though, as today's puzzle is chockfull of sparkling clues and topped off with a head-scratching theme.  Show note imagery: Fancy a game of Centipede? We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a li...

This was a surprising crossword , in a number of ways that we will not enumerate here, but dive into in depth in today's episode. There were too many great clues to squeeze into the podcast, so we'll just mention the also-rans but also-great trio of 43D, Acquisition that may solve a mouse problem, PETCAT (meow!); 42A, Olympic blade, EPEE; and 44A, Olympic "blade", OAR (nice jux...

This was an impressive debut crossword by Ingrid Steffensen. The theme definitely and deservedly takes center stage, and the rest of the clues were at exactly the right level of difficulty for a Tuesday. We approve! In other news, Jean's in the very hot hot seat for our Triplet Tuesday™️ segment, so have a listen, and, as always, let us know what you think! Show note imagery: The world's...

For those of you pondering the title of today's episode, fear not: all, well, nearly all, will be revealed in today's podcast, covering Zhouqin Burnikel's 28th Monday crossword , among a very respectable 82 that she has had published in the NYTimes. Show note imagery: While this might seem like a high tech torpedo bay, it is in fact possibly a claustrophobic's worst nightmare,...

To paraphrase Yoda, the pun is strong in this one, a crossword by the mother and daughter team of Ruth B. Margolin and Hannah Margolin, the latter whose impending marriage inspired the aforementioned puns. So, congrats to the Margoli team for the publication and the nuptials! Show note imagery: A sockdolager, visualized We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop...

This was a quintessential NYTimes Saturday crossword - tough, fair, and fun. It was constructed by two veteran crossword constructors -- Christina Iverson and Doug Peterson -- who we have come to cherish for making crosswords ... just like this one! Deets inside. As is tradition on Saturday, we have identified our JAMCOTWA™️ -- Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award -- winner . Check out today&...

This was a pleasing Friday crossword - the grid looked daunting, and the clues were definitely on the hard side (Mike in particular wallowed in the bottom third of the grid), but it was overall a great end to the work week. We have deets inside, as well as a delectable Fun Fact Friday™️ segment, so check it out now!  Show note imagery: The stunning ROYALOPERAHOUSE, in Covent Garden, London. We lov...

The NYTimes crosswords are always good, but this one stands alone, definitely worth a chef's kiss and even possibly a hug -- it was that exceptional. The theme was stupendous, and absolutely essential to solving the puzzle, for reasons that we delve into, in detail, in today's episode. Show note imagery: TAIO Cruz, author of (among other great works), Dynamite. We love feedback! Send us...

Although this was a Wednesday crossword , some seriously Friday-level clueing did manage to make its way into the grid.  Jean had to exert considerable mental effort, and Mike had to  consume almost an entire bowl of Lucky Charms™️, before -- working independently, as is their custom -- they were able to get to the happy music. This was an awesome Wednesday/Friday, and represents Eli Cotham's...

This was Tarun Krishnamurthy's second NYTimes crossword . It was just as good as his first, and considering that he wrote it while still in high school, we can anticipate him constructing a long, long string of great puzzles.  A few clues (not mentioned in the podcast) of note include 26D, Get tangled up, RAVEL (oh, so that's what happens when you don't UN RAVEL); 36D, A sixth of th...

This was the second crossword and collaboration between Jill Rataloff and Michelle Sontarp. Both are lawyers, and while they might be, and it would be awesome if they were, partners in the firm Cross, Down and Diagonal, Attorneys at Law, that is only speculation on our part. The puzzle itself was great -- a gentle Monday with several surprising clues and answers that we hone in on in today's...

This was yet another highly challenging NYTimes crossword , but, since it was a Saturday, we were not surprised in the least. [Truthfully, we thought that maybe Will would give us a break after yesterday's mental marathon, but nooooo... 😀]. So, written at exactly the right level of difficulty, and with stellar cluing throughout, today's oeuvre by Barbara Lin definitely deserves 5 square...

Friday crosswords are supposed to be a challenge, and we can only imagine Evan Mulvihill cracking his knuckles while saying "I got this". And what we got out of the deal was this excellent, challenging Friday puzzle . Definitely worth a full 5 squares on the JAMCR scale, for reasons that we make clear in today's podcast. Show note imagery: Yes, beast mode is a thing! We love feedbac...

It took just one teensy-weensy act to shift this crossword from nigh-well impossible to fun and eminently doable. Unfortunately, that act was to figure out the theme. If you know , in your heart of hearts, that an answer is correct, yet won't fit, then one word should emblazon itself in your frontal lobe, and that word should be ... rebus!  Deets inside, so have a listen, subscribe, and then...

If crosswords were paintings, today's would be hanging in the Louvre, it is that good. The theme is a winner, but the rest of the clues are magnificent . We're not just speculating here, though, we have proof -- all of which can be found in today's episode. Show note imagery: The mighty MISSISSIPPI We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a li...

Today's grid had a few surprising entries. One that in particular caught our eye, because it has never caught our eye, was 30A, Altar constellation, ARA. It is located in the southern hemisphere, and, alas, never visible from Northeast Wisconsin (and when we've been in the southern hemisphere, we forgot to look). We also liked 44A, Flim-________, FLAM, mainly because of its origin story:...

Even if you do expect the unexpected, we predict that you'll still laugh when you figure out today's crossword , as the theme is delightful. Note that if you do not figure it out, fear not, we have the 411 for today's puzzle right here, and, if we may be permitted the indulgence of mixing 14th and 21st century English, cordially beseech thee to have a listen. Show note imagery: Rupe...

This was John Kugelman's twelfth NYTimes crossword in about 2 years, and today's puzzle makes it clear why he keeps getting published. The theme was fantastic, and there were enough challenging clues everywhere else to transform this into one of the tougher Sunday's we've seen in a while. We have the deets inside, so please, subscribe / download / listen / enjoy! Show note imag...

Today's crossword was Blake Slonecker's 9th in the NYTimes, and his 4th Saturday, so he definitely knows how to write challenging clues. The grid here was impressive, with 4 full-width and 4 full-height answers -- no easy feat. And the clues were engaging, amusing, and educational. Apart from the clues mentioned in today's podcast, we did appreciate learning about 52A, Colorful knit...

What, you may ask, makes for a perfect Friday crossword? We're not sure about the what , but we are about the who : Adrian Johnson, the author of today's and 5 prior NYTimes Friday crosswords, definitely knows how to make one. Both hosts found his latest to be exceptionally tricky, but, ultimately (with a little luck, a lot of experience solving past NYTimes crosswords, and a surfeit of...

This crossword had a most ingenious theme. Jean spotted it at once, enabling her to solve the puzzle in a goodly time; Mike, alas, solved it in a not-so-goodly time, meaning he had more time to savor all the ingenuity packed into Timothy Gaetz's debut crossword (bravo, Timothy!). All the themed clues were outstanding, but the non-themed ones weren't slackers, either: 56D, Down Under boun...