Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

This was a fine Saturday crossword - tough but fair, as Saturday crosswords were meant to be. Our favorite clue had to be 29A, Some dragonflies, DARNERS (really: apparently people used to believe that dragonflies could sew your lips shut!). We were entranced with 38A, Mediterranean plant named for its brightly colored flowers, SUNROSE. And finally we just loved discovering  27A, George ___________...

This was a Friday crossword , and even a casual glance through the clues and grid makes it clear that co-constructors Willa Angel Chen Miller and Erik Agard are dialing up the difficulty. Clues like 33D, This too shall pass, PHASE; 26D, What one might subscribe to, ISM, and 30D, Seeking comment, READYORNOT (brilliant!) make it perfectly clear that this is not a Monday crossword, far from it. [Four...

It seems appropriate that MENSA was in the grid (well, 4/5 of it, anyway - see the podcast for deets), because this crossword was genius . It had a stunning theme, which made the puzzle much tougher than one might expect for a Thursday. In short, think of this less as a "walk in the park" and more of a "sprint through Disneyworld".  Show note imagery: Alain-René Lesage, simulta...

We have it on good authority that yesterday was Wordle Day - ironic, because one of the answers in today's  puzzle also solved today's wordle! That cannot possibly be a coincidence, in our humble opinion, because the odds are too low and Will Shortz is too smart. The rest of the crossword was a delight, as constructor Tom McCoy apparently does not know how to write any other kind. Deets...

This was a terrific Tuesday crossword by Enrique Henestroza Anguiano, featuring -- of course -- a terrific theme and a strong supporting cast of "other clues". As an example of the latter, we have 60A, Ocean, poetically, MAIN; 70A, They need a push to get started, PEDALS; and the indisputable 1D, Crossword construction, e.g., CRAFT. Wrapping it up, we have a great Triplet Tuesday™ segmen...

We try and be as impartial as possible while discussing the crossword, but when our favorite vehicle -- the DeLorean, of course -- appears in the grid, we find it very difficult to stay neutral, so, we won't! Instead we will sing the praises of Eric Rolling's third NYTimes publication . Well, done, Eric! Show note imagery: TAMARA de Lempicka and friend (Salvador Dali, to be precise), und...

Today's crossword must've surely been challenging to construct, but the end result is brilliant, thanks to constructor Brandon Koppy (under the keen supervision, no doubt, of editor Will Shortz). This puzzle was also very well timed, for reasons that will become clear as soon as you start listening (or have figured out the episode title, whichever comes fourth, er, first). Show note imag...

This was a very nice Saturday crossword by Michael Lieberman, his 29th for the NYTimes. It had a boatload of fine Saturday-level clues, perfectly positioned as far as difficulty is concerned: enough to make you sweat, but (if you've been solving these puzzles for a while) not enough to crush your spirit, either. There were no major Naticks* (except for the junction of 9D, Japanese energy-heal...

Robyn Weintraub is well known for writing awesomely good clues, and that talent is definitely on display today : it is not for nothing that she is known (eh, at least to us), as the Queen of the Friday crossword. We have proof inside, so do have a listen. Besides the crossword, it's Friday, and we have a fabulous Fun Fact Friday segment for your edification and enjoyment. Show note imagery: A...

If the theme of today's crossword leaves your head spinning, there is a perfectly natural and non-medically-related explanation. We'd like to tell you what that is here, but true to our motto of "as few spoilers as possible, whenever we remember", we will defer that discussion for the moment. Instead, we will celebrate a few other clues of note, such as 56D, Source of Andrew Ca...

This was a crisply clued Wednesday crossword, with lots of novel takes and perplexing posers in the puzzle. Right away we have, at 1D, Blade sheathed in a saya, KATANA. We have a debut at 30A, Alternative to a blur or pixelation, CENSORBAR. And even 52D, "Hey, I've got a secret to tell you", PSST, felt fresh. A very nice bit of work by Adam Vincent, we eagerly await his next oeuvre....

Today's crossword was a debut for Gene Louise De Vera, so a few lusty "huzzahs" would not be out of place. The grid had some interesting features: we liked the  the juxtaposition of 39D, Children's author Asquith, ROS, and 40D, "Hel-l-lp!",  SOS. We were pleased to see the presence of 19A, "The Gift of the Magi" writer, OHENRY, and had hoped to also see OHHE...

This was a gentle Monday crossword . Jean moved through it almost as fast as a MAKO (up to 46 mph, according to 29D). Mike took a tad longer, but was still able to MAKO good time 🙄. We have all the deets inside, so have a listen, and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss another episode. Show note imagery: A few bars from EINE Kleine Nachtmusik, by Mozart We love feedback! Send us a te...

In crossword circles, a debut answer is one that has never appeared in the grid before -- and they tend to bet quite interesting. Today , for instance, we had 33A, Food-centric broadcasts originating in South Korea, MUKBANGS (sounds intriguing); 65D, Periods of abstinence from TV, news, social platforms, etc., MEDIAFASTS (sounds like a focused Dandelion Break); and 111A, Some large structures for...

Today's crossword was a "relatively" straightforward Saturday crossword.  Saturdays are always tough, and this was by no means a walk in the park, but neither was it a rope-free climb of El Capitan . There were a few surprising clues in the grid -- most notably 27A, "That's so relatable," in modern slang, MOOD -- a very modern clue for an ancient answer, which made it...

This was a nice Friday crossword by Adrian Johnson, a bit of a palette cleanser after yesterday's definitely crunchier-than-usual epic. We found some great clues in the puzzle, such as 34A, Passage in a mystery novel?, HIDDENSTAIRCASE (😀); 12D, Light touch from a decorator?, ACCENTLAMP (brilliant, especially when it's turned on 😎); and the very best of the best, 23D, Styles of music, H...

This was a debut crossword by Kathleen Duncan -- congrats!! -- and it was a doozy . Jean managed to get through it in fairly good time, but Mike ran into the proverbial lexicographic abyss in the southwest corner, and managed to escape just in the NICK of time. To hear more about his harrowing escape, and Jean's easy sashay through the very same puzzle, have a listen to today's podcast,...

One of the most enjoyable moments in NYTimes-crossword-solving, is when one is completely floored by an answer, only to discover, with a bit of research, that it is apparently the 5th most popular word of the year, and that you are the only person in a 10 mile radius who has not heard of it. We had such an experience in today's puzzle -- a fine effort by Brandon Koppy -- and we leave it to yo...

We had a fine Tuesday crossword by a frequent contributor to the NYTimes, Alex Eaton-Salners. There are many perfectly good reasons why AE-S has had 73 puzzles published in the pantheon of crosswords, and they are all on display in today's work. So check it out, and, as always, let us know what you think. In other news, we have our latest Triplet Tuesday Contest winner, and very soon that win...

This was Thomas van Geel's second NYTimes crossword, and it is an awesome example of an LOL theme. Have a listen, and you'll see what we mean. A reminder, this is your last day to enter last week's Triplet Tuesday Contest, and potentially win some magnificent swag. Just check out last Tuesday's episode, and then send your entry our way. Show note imagery: Mount DENALI We love f...

Today's crossword was somewhat of a gently sloping foothill for Jean, and an Everest atop an Everest for Mike. The former made it through the crossword in a longer-than-usual-but-still-reasonable time frame, whereas for the latter it seemed that several civilizations rose, prospered, and fell, before he finally got the happy music.  We've covered the theme in today's episode, but so...

We are delighted to announce the purely coincidental arrival, on the same day that this fabulous crossword brought us BARBIECORE,  of crosswordcore™ -- the rules of which are quite straightforward, and we are very pleased to be able to set forth, for the first time AFAWCT, right here: Rule 1: wear and/or decorate with any color you want, as long as it's black or white 😀  Rule 2: Other than r...

Our cohosts took highly divergent paths towards victory on this crossword - Jean took the high road, and had a lovely time; Mike took the low road, and for his pains got repeatedly stuck in the mire. Still, there was a lot to ad mire in today's grid, and to find out what that was, check out today's episode. Show note imagery: The JETSONS! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info:...

This was a slightly crunchier than usual Wednesday *, for one very good reason. We're not going to tell you that reason just yet, but we cerealously believe you'll like it once you hear it 😀😉🙄. Besides the terrific theme, we had numerous intriguing and occasionally perplexing clues, such as 18A, Flying Cloud and Royale, for two, REOS; 60A, "Nelson's blood", RUM; and the...

In today's episode, we have a two-fer. First, an awesome crossword , a debut by Per Bykodorov that is just brimming with microtome-sharp clues, and an LOL theme. But wait, there's more 😀  We have our latest Triplet Tuesday Contest, your chance to go (asynchronously) head-to-head against Jean to see who can grab the TTC ring. The rules are straightforward and brilliantly (ok, adequately...