Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

There is no doubt that Sam Ezersky is  very good at writing Saturday-level crosswords — he has had 23 of them published since 2012 (out of a total of 64). His talents are on full display today, as he has turned in an e ntertaining, eye-catching puzzle that impresses in every corner. Both cohosts were suitably awed, and you can hear the full 411 in today's episode. Show note imagery: ERES Mia,...

This was an unexpectedly crunchy Friday crossword , with lots of brilliantly concealed traps for the unwary solver. We loved every "there goes the ol' streak, it was good knowin' ya" moment, as we toiled, and toiled, and toiled away. We give it a full 5 squares on the JAMCR scale, and if we could, we'd give it more! Deets inside. Show note imagery: A very young John Travol...

This is Zhou Zhang and Kevin Curry's second collaboration , and it is an uber-awesome bit of cruciverbal magic. They started with a chef's kiss of a theme, puzzling with a powerful payoff; they ended with a slew of equally awesome clues. Consider: 42A, What the "Music City Miracle" and the "Immaculate Reception" took place in, NFLAMES (😀); 44A. Alternative to bow tie...

Today's crossword was an homage to Earth Day, and we loved it! One of the big no-no's in crossword construction was ignored in the making of today's puzzle, but it was for the sake of the theme, so the author, Hoang-Kim Vu, gets a pass. And we'd give this crossword more than just a passing grade ... we'd rate it as a full 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. Deets inside. Show no...

This was a nicely crafted Tuesday crossword. The theme was fun and straightforward, and the themed clues were in good company. For instance, the puzzle included our favorite snake — 51A, Reptiles on papyrus, ASPS; our favorite dwelling — 66A, Circular tent, YURT; and finally our favorite currency that is too often tragically mistaken for a fruit, 18D, Haitian currency unit, GOURDE. In addition to...

This was a perfect Sunday crossword by Michael Lieberman. Mike (cohost, not constructor 😀) needed to resort to pencil and paper (!) to help visualize the theme, and thoroughly enjoyed the sheer tactile-ness of it all. We have all the deets inside, so have a download and a listen, and let us know what you think! Show note imagery: Some delicious RASTA pasta We love feedback! Send us a text... Cont...

This was a very nice Saturday crossword by Jesse Cohn, almost exactly one year since he last published on a Saturday. The clues were interesting / challenging / suitably obscure, as one would hope. Several stood out, including 12D, Blitzed, SAUCED; 26A, Metros in the 1990s, GEOS; and 27D, Relatives of ottomans, HASSOCKS. All in all this was a fine addition to the Saturday pantheon; we give it a fu...

Friday crosswords have a lot of weight on their shoulders: they need to be entertaining (of course); themeless (by convention); and ramp up the difficulty to just the right level so that Saturday doesn't see like a quantum leap from Thursday. We are pleased to report that Rachel Fabi's latest crossword checks all the boxes.  To confirm that, be sure and check out today's episode, av...

This was a terrific crossword by Rafael Musa — who usually works the Friday side of the street — and Sala Wanetick. The theme was ingenious and, as we discuss in today's episode, almost impossible to miss.  Speaking of miss, we hope you won't miss this or any future episodes: click on follow / subscribe / whatever on your podcast-supplying app of choice to ensure that such a calamity doe...

We are definitely Adam Wagner fans, and our idol does not disappoint today . The theme is inspired, the clues perfect for a Wednesday, and the entire puzzle is suffused with a lively and cheery spirit that put a smile on our faces. We approve, and give it an often sought but rarely delivered 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. Show note imagery: Members of SKATEPUNK band Blink-182 We love feedback! Send...

Mark Diehl is certainly a veteran crossword constructor — his first NYTimes crossword was published in 1984! He hasn't lost his touch, though:  this was a terrific Tuesday with a boffo theme. Besides the crossword, it's Triplet Tuesday™️, and the spotlight's on Mike. Will he rise to the challenge or, tragically, go down in flames? Tune in to find out! Finally, we have an inspiration...

This was a splendid Monday crossword , arguably slightly crunchier than usual, but still definitely on the Monday side of the scale. A few of those crunchier clues included 46D, Afghan language, PASHTO (🤔); 28A, "There's ___ in 'team,' but there is one in 'win'", NOI (😀); and 53D, City NE of Manchester, LEEDS (🇬🇧). In addition to the crossword, we have also sel...

We did not know, until several hours ago, that PARADIDDLE was a word. But now that we do, we're going to try and work it into conversation whenever, and however, we can. That will not be easy, alas, because PARADIDDLE is the answer to 73D, Basic drumming pattern: the opportunities to deploy it will likely be few and far between. Speaking of musicians, we were also thrilled to learn of the exi...

Our intrepid cohosts, solving independently as usual, took very different crossword solving journeys in tackling this, Kareem Ayas' tenth NYTimes opus . Jean found it a walk in the park; Mike found it more of a free solo event, in which one false move could be fatal (to his streak 😀). Both cohosts did succeed. Jean's time was quite good; Mike's time was impressive, simply because o...

Dale Chihuly is an incredibly gifted artist, but AFAWCT he has never appeared in the grid of the NYTimes crossword. Consequently, it was most gratifying to at least see his name in a clue,  specifically 29A, Like the glass in many a Dale Chihuly sculpture, FUSED.  Today's episode includes a bit more about Dale, as well as, oh, yes, the rest of the crossword , and a terrific Fun Fact Friday se...

Today's grid is sweet — literally, thanks to all those delicious, disguised dessert items. Fortunately, they are the virtual kind, and therefore highly unlikely to wreck your diet.  In addition to the terrific themed clues, we LOLed at 67A, Oil bigwig?, ARTCURATOR (awesome!); were amazed by 42A, Amundsen who went to the South Pole 15 years before he flew over the North Pole, ROALD (who knew?)...

This was a fine debut crossword by Philippe Monfiston. It had oodles of interesting clues, a score of bad (by which we mean good 😀) musical puns, and was just the right degree of difficulty for a Wednesday. We approve, 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. Show note imagery: The Long Room of the Old Library at TRINITY College, erstwhile home of Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, Mary Robinson, Mar...

Kudos to Adryel W. Robles Ojeda for getting their very first crossword published in the NYTimes. We found it both fun and fast. We liked all the clues in today's puzzle, but among those that we did not already cover in today's episode, three stood out: 49A, Sharp or flat location on a piano, usually, BLACKKEY (makes sense); 37D, 3 to 1 are good ones, ODDS (cute); and 42A, Most common wor...

BATSIGNAL has appeared a total of 4 times in the NYTimes crossword — once in 2014, twice in 2020, and today . The real BATSIGNAL shows up much more frequently in DC Comics, and continues to this day to serve as a means of summoning the caped crusader, who we would argue really needs to slip a cellphone into the ol' utility belt. A quick check reveals that, in one paragraph, we have covered ex...

This was Samuel A. Donaldson's 42nd NYTimes crossword, and it is joyous, with effervescent clues and answers that richly reward the diligent solver. The themed answers were particularly fabulous, but we were also fans of 86D, Manage moguls, say, SKI; 74A, Place to store magazines, ARMORY; and 104A, Monopolist's portion, ALL (brilliant!). There were more (of course), check out today'...

This was Royce Ferguson's third Saturday NYTimes crossword, and it was highly enjoyable. It was not a walk in the park, but neither was it the "scale El Capitan by one's teeth" type of puzzle that it could have been — and for which we are grateful. There were terrific clues in the grid, such as 26D, Crystal and Rock, notably, OSCARHOSTS (😀); 42A, What isn't anyone's...

We are always partial to crosswords with KAZOO in the grid, but that is not the only reason why we are so enamored with today's puzzle. No, they had us at the theme — perfect for a Thursday — and kept us engaged with such great clues as 63A, School with a larger-than-life bronze statue of Henry VI, ETON (um, ok); 46A, One side in a "Holy War" rivalry in college football, UTES (vs???...

If you forgot that today was April 1st, fear not — the NYTimes Crossword is here just in the nick of time to remind you. They do it, unsurprisingly, in a surprising and highly amusing way. We'll say no more on the subject, but rather exhort you to download today's episode, where we haul out the ol' magnifying glass to give the puzzle a careful once-over. Show note imagery: A lovely...

This was a well-crafted Tuesday crossword (and not just because of 52A, Cloudy craft beer, HAZYIPA). No, there were many other clever clues that contributed to this assessment, including 10D, "Aaron Burr, ___" ("Hamilton" number), SIR (one of our faves!); 8D, Establishment where a D&D party might refuel and pick up new leads, TAVERN (cute!); and 28D, Potatoes, in Indian cui...

Gary Cee's crosswords have appeared 41 times in the NYTimes since 2009, mainly on Mondays and Tuesdays — he knows the territory well. This crossword had a "predictable" Monday theme — but predictable only in the sense that we knew it would be great. We found a few other nuggets in the grid, so join us for another glorious Cruciverbal Panning Session (CPS)™️. In addition to the cross...