Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

A roaringly good Friday crossword to end the business week! There was no theme, but there were a host of awesome clues, including: 38A, Shade akin to peridot, LIME (peridot, what a word!); 33D, Where you might run into some real characters, THEMEPARK (brilliant!); 9D, Never again, ONCE (can't argue with that!); and 18D, Luxury brand, or non-luxury option, COACH (delightful!). Since it's...

Whether this was in honor of Leap Day or not (only Will knows, and he's not saying), today's crossword was extra special, most notably because of some of the clues weren't just text, but in fact  cute line drawings of assorted animals playing musical instruments. The line drawings were endearing, and we were enamored, for reasons that we expound upon, at length, in today's epis...

A debut crossword by Greg Snitkin, but you wouldn't know it based on the quality of today's puzzle. The theme was terrif, and was abetted by a passel  of captivating clues to round off the grid. While a lot of old friends showed up (looking at you, 15A, McFlurry flavor, OREO), and 61A," _________ you vera much!", (punny valentine), ALOE, there were two debuts, including 33A, So...

A lot of INK went into today's crossword, in such answers as SLINKYDOG, WINKYFACE and 5 (!) more of that ink, er, we mean ilk, 😀. Numerous clues got our attention and podcast time, but we would also like to celebrate 49D, Tatted, INKED (yay, more ink 😀); 9D, "It's Raining _______", MEN (meteorologically unlikely, but still...); and  10D, Like a dress with a diagonal hemline,...

This is Joe Marquez's second NYTimes crossword (congrats, Joe!) and a very nice piece of work it is. Several clues had a wry twist to them (and we are not just saying that because the theme involved alcohol 🙄).  The humor started early, with 1A, Little spheres in a pod, PEAS; continued with 15A, Out-spoken, ALOUD; and by definition the most humorous of all, the on the nose 26D, Ha-ha-ha, LAU...

Once again the puns come thick and fast , so if you like puns, well, step this way and download this episode, because it's teeming with them, seven at last count. They're not  that bad though, in fact several have groan, er grown on us (and now we're up to eight 😀) A reminder, the NYTimes Crossword is an excellent vehicle for helping you keep mentally agile and alert, and it costs...

A tough but fair Saturday crossword , and, coincidentally (since they always solve independently), both Jean and Mike ended up at the same spot, 20A, Pink-headed mushroom in Mario games, TOADETTE. There were at least two portmanteaus in the grid -- 8A, Hybrid fruit akin to an apium, PLUOT; and the aforementioned 30A, Feline hybrids, TIGONS.  There were many other admirable clues in the grid, such...

Jean and Mike had entirely different solving experiences tackling today's crossword, a fine effort by Larry Snyder . Jean made short work of it, but Mike started inventing words out of whole cloth, a fraught activity when solving a NYTimes Friday crossword. Yet, while their solving experiences might have differed, they both agree that this crossword most definitely deserved 5 squares on the J...

This is Dan Schoenholz's 29th NYTimes crossword, and it shows -- a nicely polished grid, with an exceptional theme. Since the preponderance of Dan's crosswords have appeared on Sunday, it might seem like he'd be a bit constrained, squeezed into a 15x15 grid, but, even without rebuses (spoiler alert! Oops, too late 😀), he managed to craft an elegantly enjoyable crossword. We've...

Jeffrey Martinovic has managed to work the word TAUTOLOGICAL into the grid, and for that alone he should receive some sort of commendation. But we can't also IGNORE some other great clues, such as 69A, Some downtown street liners, METERS; 11D, Is French?, EST (c'est bon!); and 62A, "Mud", JOE (😀). A fine crossword, definitely worth 5 squares on the JAM CR scale! Show note imag...

This is Robert S. Gard's second NYTimes crossword . We reviewed his first in season 8, episode 38 , and like that Saturday puzzle, this one was equally august, albeit much easier, as befits a Tuesday . We have all the deets inside, as well as Mike's valiant attempt to not make a fool of himself during the Triplet Tuesday contest, so have a listen, and let us know what you think! Show not...

This is Adam Wagner's 19th NYTimes crossword , but it is a debut, in a sense - his first Monday puzzle. It was a little crunchier than usual, but the theme made it all worthwhile. Deets inside, so have a listen, and as usual, tell others about us on social media. Shownote imagery: A thaw of ICEBOATS (and if "thaw" isn't the appropriate unit, it ought to be!) about to start raci...

Sid Sivakumar dials it back as he slips into his Sunday best, and this was indeed one of his best Sundays , his fourth for the NYTimes.  There were some fine clues in the grid, including 75A, Home to the Great Ziggurat of Ur, IRAQ (we just like the sound of "Great Ziggurat of Ur" 😀); 116A, What hits the ground running, SOLE (ha!); and 55D, So ... or a word following "so", TRUE...

Spencer Leach and Jem Burch have produced a splendiferous Saturday crossword that entertained, educated, and ... whatever the opposite of enervated is, ah, yes, energized. The highlight of the grid was undoubtedly 60A, Finished, colloquially, DONEZO, although 61A, Drinks are on me!, BARMENU, definitely gave it a run for its money. There was much more to this puzzle, though, and we have all the dee...

Colin Adams has turned in a fine (debut!) Friday crossword : no theme (as befits a Friday puzzle), but plenty of sharp cluing (as one would also expect). We cover a boatload of them in today's podcast, but even the "also-rans" were quite good. Consider 30A, European airline that was nationalized from 1944 to 2001, IBERIA; 62A, [Violin emoji], OHBOOHOO; and the fabulous 66A, Moving c...

Years from now, cruciverbalists will be able to say, I remember where I stood (or, more likely, sat) when I finally solved this crossword, it's that good. To find out why, we beseech thee, with all due haste, to downloadeth, listen upeth, and enjoyeth this fine work from Teddy and Rich Katz. Show note imagery: Karl the FOG We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mai...

Today is Valentine's Day, and the NYTimes Crossword team was ready, thanks to a fabulous opus by Ella Dershowitz. It was a crunchier than usual Wednesday crossword, but all for a good cause - a lovely Valentine's Day theme that we explore, in detail, in today's podcast.  Show note imagery: RAPANUI, aka Easter Island  We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener...

A lovely pre-Valentine's Day crossword, clearly a labor of love by Peter Gordon, his ninth in the NYTimes. There was a sizable ... what's the term for a collection of inspired crossword clues? Apparently there is no such word, so we therefore cheerfully seize the nettle and welcome the word clueclub™️ to the English language. Now where were we? Oh, yes, today's puzzle featured a siz...

A gentle Monday crossword to get our work week going, with a theme that involved nonverbal answers. For those of you unaware, a nonverbal answer, written in [ ], is meant to evoke a sound or an action, a nonverbal answer. There were plenty of opportunities to practice that today, as you will discover when you (we hope!!) check out today's episode! Show note imagery: Examen de danse, by EDGAR...

Depending on your upbringing and life experiences, you have found this crossword to be a breeze (Jean), or a quagmire of naticks (Mike). Both agree that it was a fine crossword, for reasons that are spelled out in today's Super Sunday podcast. Check it out! Show note imagery: Thomas Edison, on the cover of Time magazine, 1925 We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener...

An elegant Saturday crossword by Zhouquin Burnikel, her 79th! It was a perfectly timed reminder that today is the Chinese New Year, the YEAROFTHEDRAGON, so GONGXIFACAI, everyone! The crossword was relatively straightforward for a Saturday, although there were some great gotchas throughout the grid. For example, have a gander at 7A, "Ah, got it now", OKISEE (not, as both Jean and Mike, so...

A fine Friday crossword by Christina Iverson, who is, at least based on her NYTimes record, unable to write any other kind. Jean tore through this like nobody's business, Mike almost met his Waterloo in the southwest corner, but somehow managed to scrape by, ending in ALLSMILES rather than SOBS. All the deets are inside, as well as a Generally Excellent Comment about the NBC chimes, so please...

Samuel A. Donaldson, having completed  his 39th NYTimes crossword , demonstrates that practice makes perfect. Let's run through the list, shall we? Sly, wry, and occasionally totally deceptive  theme? ✅ Entertaining and educational clues? ✅ Pedestrian, phone-it-in clues ❌ So Sam checks all the right boxes, and you should definitely check out a) his crossword, and b) our take on it. Enjoy!...

Today's crossword was (mainly) a blast from the past, featuring a series of diverse musical hits with one common lyrical feature. Can you tell what LOLA, POKERFACE, MYGENERATION and CHANGES all have in common? If not (or even if you can), have a listen to today's podcast, where we answer that poser, and have our usual erudite,  witty , and chances-of-winning-the-lottery-enhancing analysi...

A terrific Tuesday crosswor d by Victor Barocas. We found the answer to 59D, Lacking clutter", NEAT, to be ... NEAT. We judged the answer to 44A, Perfect, IDEAL,  to be ... IDEAL. Finally we found the answer to 61A, Positive Instagram responses, LIKES to be worthy of a lot of ... ok, you know how this ends 😀 .   In addition to our hopefully cogent crossword analysis, we also have a nail-biti...