Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

A clever Tuesday crossword, with a theme that was a tad obscure by Tuesday standards (but fortunately was not essential, or really even helpful ) in the solving of today's puzzle. We liked it though, for all the reasons spelled out in today's episode. We also had another stirring Triplet Tuesday segment, so check it out, and as usual, let us know what you think! Today's show notes p...

Monday crosswords always seem to be crafted to put a smile on one's face, and today's puzzle is a case in point . We'e got the deets inside, great listener mail, and -- bonus! --  a hint of an inkling of an inchoate idea about a new contest, so, after you've hit the subscribe button (gently, but with enough force so that you'll never miss an episode), we cordially invite y...

Both cohosts found this to be a crunchier than usual Sunday crossword , and found it particularly (46A, Difficult), TRYING, in the vicinity of 32D, Rough fabric with a loose weave, RATINE (a word that, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, nobody has ever used, or even heard of 😉). But while the clues were tough, they were also uniformly excellent, as one would expect from the editor of Wor...

A seriously challenging Saturday crossword by Royce Ferguson, who pulls out all the stops, making solvers work for just about every clue in the grid. Still, it was a Saturday crossword, so we expect  no less. For all the deets, have a listen (and don't forget to subscribe, so you'll get every episode delivered milliseconds after it gets published!). We love feedback! Send us a text... Co...

Jem Burch has crafted a fine Friday crossword to welcome in the new month, and it had everything that one would want in a Friday crossword, from puzzlers like 53A, Feature of many a documentary, VOICEOVER; 48A, Youngest White House resident since John F. Kennedy Jr., SASHAOBAMA; 37A, "Long", in Hawaiian, LOA (oh, that's what that means!); and surely a coincidence from a crossword by...

Jeffrey Martinovic and Jeff Chen -- who if they were producers on a television show would almost surely be referred to as the "two Jeffs" -- have instead produced a fabulous Thursday crossword, with a delightful theme involving Mike's favorite sci-fi concept, TIMETRAVEL. We have all the deets inside, plus listener mail (woo-hoo!), so for all of that and so much more, please subscrib...

Are you tired of DECISIONFATIGUE? Then let us help you make a decision -- yes, you should definitely a) do this crossword (because it is awesome) and  b) listen to this podcast (because it is awesomer (except in the areas of grammar, spelling and humility)). Seriously, for all the deets on today's fine puzzle, do have a listen, and as usual, let us know what you think. We love feedback! Send...

A colorful and rhyme-rife Tuesday crosswor d by Gia Bosko, her 4th in the NYTimes and, more amazingly, her 4th of the year . The theme was excellent, and the cluing as crisp as a Wisconsinite in winter. Some of our favorites include: 23D, "Beam me up, ________!", ("Star Trek" misquotation), SCOTTY (huh!); 50D, Corn cake, PONE (make that two slices, please); and our favorite soc...

Ricky J. Sirois has produced a more challenging crossword than usual for a Monday -- with just a bit of bite coming from words like 24A, Vegetarian dish on a Mexican menu, BEANBURRITO; the bugaboo of spelling-bee enthusiasts everywhere, 39A, French meat stew for which Julia Child penned a popular recipe, BEEFBOURGUIGNON; and 10D, "No Exit" playwright, SARTRE. This is Ricky's first N...

A delightful and (compared to Friday and Saturday) relatively straightforward crossword , with a theme that is guaranteed to grow on you, and a magnificent array of clues that will leave you wanting more. Definitely 5 squares on the JAMCR scale! To hear more, include the deets on YEET (we've waited all year to write that!), subscribe, download, listen up and, as always, enjoy! We love feedbac...

A perfect way to wrap up our crossword -solving week, with a rousingly challenging (for one of us, at any rate) Saturday puzzle . Jean, aided and abetted by her eerily encyclopedic knowledge of 1972 hit singles, was able to make short order of the puzzle, whereas Mike, drawing on his uncanny ability to make up words that don't exist, with his forté being Spanish, had a much tougher time of it...

Today's crossword proved to be a snap for one of our cohorts, and almost a streak-snapper for the other. To keep up the suspense, we won't reveal who was who just yet, but we will tell you that there were a host of fabulous clues in today's grid, from 3-letter wonders -- 27A, Sydney's home, for short, NSW; to 4-letter pop-culture references -- 51A, _______ of Dogs, (hit 2018 an...

In honor of Thanksgiving, we have a crossword to be thankful for , a delightful brainteaser of a main course, with a dash of delectable clues as the sides. From 17D, Not play it by ear, PLAN, to 51A, What the Dutch call "klompeh", CLOGS, to 9D, Flick of a flicker, ASH (we're still working that one out 😀), the grid was a cruciverbal smorgasbord, and we're glad that we dropped i...

Today's crossword is a testimonial to MALBEC and grit; the MALBEC because it's in the grid, and grit because that's what Will Pfadenhauer needed plenty of in order to get this  published in such a prestigious location, i.e., the pages of the NYTimes. The crossword itself was superb, with a bit of an ODDBALL theme, and some nice clues scattered throughout: as usual we've highlig...

Kevin Christian and Andrea Carla Michaels were definitely using the old bean when constructing today's crossword , an observation that might at first seem just trite and anodye, but it will become uproariously funny, or at the very least wryly amusing, once you've listened to today's episode, so have at it! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Dro...

Both Jean and Mike took longer than usual to do today's crossword , Jean because she couldn't find a mistake, and Mike because he had a sudden attack of the well-known affliction, BSS (Bad Spelling Syndrome, or as it is sometimes referred to in the literature, Baaad Spellling Sindrome 🙄). Have a listen, but before you do, hit the subscribe / follow button to ensure that you get every ep...

An impressive Sunday crossword by veteran constructors Rebecca Goldstein and Rachel Fabi, who in preparation for Thanksgiving have cooked up a  puzzle to be thankful for,  stuffed with a delicious array of bad (i.e., good) puns and good (i.e., great) clues to chew on. Deets inside, so please subscribe / download / listen up / enjoy! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listene...

A scintillating Saturday crossword by Hoang-Kim Vu -- with a grid that is jam-packed with debut answers, including 36D, Photo of someone holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa, say, VISUALGAG; 37A, Writer with good taste?, FOODCOLUMNIST 😀; and one that pretty much stood up on a chair and shouted IAMADEBUTANSWER, 22A, Certain descriptor after a signature nowadays, HEHIM.  In other news, we managed t...

A fine Friday crossword by Hemant Mehta. What it lacked for in glitzy animation (we're looking at you, Thursday!), it made up for in flashy clues, such as 47A, What may be behind the curtain, TUB (😀); 53A, Major opening, URSA (😀 😀 ); and 55A, Canvas finish, TKO(😀 😀 😀). And that's just a few   choice examples - for more, have a listen to today's episode, hot off the presses!! T...

Today's crossword , by veteran cruciverbalist Paolo Pasco, had its ups and downs, but that was by design, and the payoff - which we discuss in today's episode but don't want to spoil by revealing here - was an absolute delight. The clues were on the trickier side, as befits a Thursday - 33D,  So called "African Unicorn", OKAPI, comes to mind (well, it does now ...), as doe...

If you found yourself nodding off while solving today's crossword , that's probably because of all the Z's in the grid - but that was the only boring bit. How could you DOZEOFF in the face of such dazzling clues as 1A, Half of an orange? RED (we're still working that one out 😀); 67A, Apt name for a sensei, DAN (ha!); 38A, Pioneering Dadaist, ARP (the name's ARP, Hans ARP)...

A nifty Tuesday crossword by Matthew Linzer, with a remarkable theme that we wish we could talk about here ... oh, wait, we just did 😀. Precisely why that last sentence is so LOL is precisely explained in today's episode, where you can also hear Jean's epic quest to win this week's Triplet Tuesday™️ Contest. Did she succeed?  Or did she go down in flames? Tune in to find out! We lo...

A pleasing Monday crossword , a debut by Benjamin Fink, that asks that burning question, CANYOUBELIEVEIT?. The answer is yes, this was a Monday crossword, it was   a debut by Benjamin Fink, and it was very pleasing indeed, for reasons that will become abundantly clear once you've checked out today's episode, which we hope you will do ASAP! On the cover: a sou, in particular a bouquet sou...

A scintillating Sunday crossword courtesy of Garrett Chalfin, with a gloriously serpentine theme, and an array of eye-opening clues. For example, 85A, Figure of speech in which words are reversed for effect, like "Never let a fool kiss you or a kiss fool you", CHIASMUS (definitely a debut); Chicken __________ (ancient Mayan city), ITZA (now we know!); and 75D, Give lip service?, SASS (😀...

Today's puzzle is a tautly constructed Saturday crossword, with just 58 words -- not quite few enough for the Guinness Book  of World Records, but getting close! The puzzle itself was not too difficult -- for a Saturday -- but it did have a bevy of fine clues that kept both co-hosts entertained (esp. this one) . Deets inside, as well as the winner of this week's JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike C...