Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

If you like alliterations, you'll love today's crossword , as the grid is crawling with them. as well as some other fabulous answers. Who can resist the absolutely magnificent 104D, Singer Jon with the 1992 hit, " Just Another Day ", SECADA (seriously, if you haven't heard this song, you need to drop everything you're doing right now and listen!). And let's not f...

A supremely challenging Saturday crossword , but Jean once again demonstrated why she deserves the monicker "Queen of Crosswords", sailing through it without a care in the world. Mike's trip was a little bumpier ... less "sailing" and more "going over Niagara Falls in a barrel". A few samples: 11A, This might change your mind, LSD (uh-huh); 37D, See star?, PONTIF...

It is not clear if there is an English word that describes "a collection of stunningly good clues", but if there isn't, we would like to recommend the "Musa", after the author of today's crossword , Rafael Musa, as that's definitely what we have here. Deets inside, so please subscribe, download, listen up, and ... enjoy! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contac...

A joyously unique Thursday crossword, with an absolutely ingenious theme that has to be seen to be believed. Fortunately, you can do so right here , and of course read all about it right here ! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com. Also, we're on FaceBook , so feel free to drop by there and strike up a conversatio...

A delicious Wednesday crossword by Michael Lieberman, with a cool theme, clever clues (like 45A, End of a two-player Harlem Globetrotters play, OOP ; and 49D, Source of a scandalous comment, HOTMIC), and the irresistible opportunity to pose the question, if trucks bearing SALTINES and OREOS collided at a high rate of speed, would you end up with SQUAREOS™️? We aren't entirely sure, but one th...

A splendid Tuesday crossword , a debut for Jay Silverman, and if you find yourself breaking out in song while doing this crossword, you will be forgiven (um, unless you're a very bad singer 😀). In addition to the clues that we cover in the podcast, we'd like to give a shoutout to 29D, "Oh, dang!", AWSNAP (a debut!), and the very popular "Being _________: A Puppeteer'...

Hold the (homo)phone!, it's another  delightful Monday crossword by Jennifer Nutt (her 9th, in fact). There were some revelations in the grid, such as 2D, "Bear" in a eucalyptus forest, KOALA; 33D, It broke up on December 26, 1991, USSR; and Mike's favorite, 8D, Fur tycoon John Jacob, ASTOR (yay!). Deets inside, so download, listen up, and ... let us know what you think! P.S. T...

A great start to our crossword solving week, courtesy of Michael Schlossberg, who seems to be pathologically unable to construct anything less than a stellar crossword -- and we offer as evidence, exhibit A, in fact, today's puzzle . We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com. Also, we're on FaceBook , so feel free...

A nice Saturday crossword, and a debut by David P. Williams, so kudos not only for getting published, but for constructing such an  excellent puzzle, with such tremendously enjoyable phrases as the aforementioned GILDTHELILY, MOLLYCODDLE, and one of our favorite words, PROSAIC. Today's WYMSA (Words You Might See Again) entry is 33A, Asian appetizer, SATAY, so add that to your favorite crosswo...

Kameron Austin Collins is another reliably fabulous cruciverbalist, who specializes in Saturday puzzles but occasionally produces a Friday (such as the fine one we dive into in here).  In other news, it's Fun Fact Friday ™️, and today's star is none other than the lady we met for the first time in. yesterday's grid, Effa Manley . We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We...

They say that practice makes perfect, and this crossword is a perfect example, It's by Erik Agard (his 77th for the NYTimes), and is a master class in great cluing. For example, we were very chuffed to see ... 48A, Chuffed, GLAD; we were also thrilled to see an answer from yesterday make a reappearance, but in an entirely different clue: 59A, Part of the Hollywood monogram J.E.J., EARL; and h...

In honor of Indian Independence Day, we have  this visually stunning crossword (click on the link to see what we mean). It doesn't look  quite like the original , but considering the medium is crossword squares, it's pretty good. Deets inside, and, a first, we have some episode artwork! Remember, the NYTimes crossword is a great way to stay sharp and expand your horizons. They're al...

A trendy, Tuesday  crossword by Malaika Handa, with a smattering of rarer clues, such as 18D, Gun control activist David, HOGG; 11D, Payment after a split between unmarried partners, PALIMONY (amusing word for a decidedly unamusing subject);  and 12D, Italian sparkling wine, PROSECCO (not to be confused, as Mike was wont to do, with PROSCIUTTO). It's Triplet Tuesday, so see if you can beat Mi...

Today's crossword is a real deal - two puzzles for the price of one , and the second involves math (or at least arithmetic). Fear not, though, a calculator is not required, but a willingness to have fun is -- and if you're listening to this podcast, fun is  guaranteed . In other news, we have more on MOCHAS thanks to listener mail, and a reminder that tomorrow is Triplet Tuesday, so haul...

Good crossword puzzles, like those that grace the pages of the NYTimes, are a celebration of English - its history, present, and future. So, when we come across a word we haven't seen before (but, it usually transpires. everybody else  has ), we want to raise a toast in honor of a newly-found friend. Today's nouveau ami,  is INSPO , short for ... nope, we're going to end these notes...

A more than CROMULENT Saturday crossword by the dynamic duo of Rachel Fabi and Christina Iverson. Jean found it to be a bit of a slog, thanks to the double-whammy in the northwest of 1A, Perfectly acceptable, humorously, CROMULENT, and 15A, Serpentine symbol of rebirth, from the Greek for "tail-devouring", OUROBOROS. There were challenges in the rest of the grid as well, but the end resu...

A relatively straightforward Friday crossword, but a great mental workout nonetheless and with some terrific clues. As a tasty example we have 39D, Meal, REPAST; as a head scratcher we have 44D, Travel that doesn't require a hotel reservation (DAYTRIP, not, as Mike had originally surmised, LSDTRIP); and as an historical fun fact we have 66A, One of eight in a B-52, ENGINE. A fine crossword, d...

Is there anything cheerier than seeing Natan Last and the JASA Crossword Class in the byline for a Thursday crossword? Maybe, but  not much , and the class has outdone itself today, with a brilliant grid and clues that deserve a chef's kiss. For all the deets, and to see why this is definitely in the running for the JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award), download, listen up, an...

An adorable Wednesday crossword by Caryn Robbins and Matthew Stock, the latter a familiar name among NYTimes crossword aficionados, the former less so -- this being her second (congrats!). The theme was fun, and there were many educational clues in the grid. For example, did you know that both CHAD and LESOTHO are land-locked? That Jean ARP is a Dada artist? and that OTTO Porter Jr. is an NBA forw...

A fine Tuesday puzzle by Zachary David Levy, not too terribly difficult (as expected: Tuesdays are supposed to be on the easy-ish side), but still impressive, with a stately theme (that will seem hilarious once you've listened to today's episode) and a few answers that are just fun to say, such as 29A, Sticky stuff, GOOP; 1A, Bit of foolish mockery, JAPE; and 61A, Utopian locale in a Col...

A fun and frothy Monday crossword by Chloe Revery and Alissa Revness,  perfect for novice crossword solvers trying to learn the ropes . In today's episode we also have an impromptu and unnamed version of OTHYPI (Oh, That's How You Pronounce It!"), based on two of our favorite South Dakota place names. Enjoy! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Dr...

Lisa Senzel and Jeff Chen have teamed up to create a mind- (or at least answer-) bending crossword, which if you're familiar with DROPLEAFTABLES will be relatively straightforward, but if not ... be forewarned, it will be a slog! So, naturally, Jean tore through the crossword, and Mike, initially thinking IMTOAST, eluded the TRAP that Lisa and Jeff had SET through a series of lucky AHA moment...

An eminently and appropriately challenging Saturday crossword by veteran cruciverbalist John Guzzetta, this is his 39th NYTimes appearance, and practice makes perfect, which basically describes today's puzzle. And we will  elaborately describe today's puzzle in today's podcast, so have a listen, and as usual, let us know what you think, and tell others about us as well. We love feed...

A brilliant Friday crossword by Brandon Koppy, no theme (of course: Fridays are almost always themeless), but a grid that was chockfull of clever clues/answers, such as 58A, Asteroids system, ATARI; 23D, In shorthand, it's written with 2S's and 2T's, WEEK; and 8D, Charm, to King Charles, ENAMOUR. But, incredibly, there are  more , and even (arguably) better ones lurking in the grid:...

The perfect blend of entertaining, educational, and 'ead scratching, today's crossword has something for everyone. A theme that makes you reach for it (in both senses of the phrase!); some thought provoking clues/answers, including Jean's favorite, 44A, It is usually blue, DENIM, and Mike's fave, 6D, 1872 Utopian novel whose title is an anagram of NOWHERE, EREWHON. This is Sime...