Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

A wonderful Wednesday crossword by Nancy Serrano-Wu, with some fascinating clues such as 1A, Composer of the piano piece played in the "Tom and Jerry" short "The Cat Concerto", LISZT (a hoot to watch); 4D, ________ suit, ZOOT (try saying that 3 times fast!); and 56A, Sports bar purchases?, TRIPLEDOUBLES (yes, that  is a thing!). A few highlights from today's episode: Origi...

A very effervescent Tuesday crossword by Aaron M. Rosenberg and the indefatigable Jeff Chen (he of xwordinfo.com fame). We don't want to spill the TEA, so to speak, but this was one fine crossword. We also have a winner in our Triplet Tuesday Contest (yay!), so to find out who walked away with the trophy, as well as hear our usual 4-dimensional-chess-like analysis of today's crossword, a...

The only thing MEH about today's crossword was the presence of MEH in the grid (20D, Passable, at best)  -- otherwise, it was filled with LEVITY (59A, Lack of seriousness about a serious situation) and worthy of at least one HURRAH (60A, "Yay!"), possibly more. All the DEETS (61A, Juicy bits of info) are inside, just as close as your download and play buttons! One last reminder, if...

Although the title of today's crossword was With Ease, that's not how your intrepid cohosts solved it: rather, the clue for 19A, My ________ ( You're never gonna get it ), 1992 hit by En Vogue, seemed a more accurate premonition as as they both (solving independently, as always) flailed around in the top-left corner. But fortunately, diving into their memory palace (Jean) and guessi...

A challenging Saturday crossword -- Jean had an epic struggle in the north central area of the grid, and Mike had an epic struggle ... everywhere! But along the way we were able to appreciate such fine vintage clues as 12D, Earring Magic ______ (1990s doll that developed a cult following), KEN; 52A, Web portal released the same day as Windows 95, MSN; and 20A, Transition effect famously used in &q...

A fine Friday crossword by Robert S. Greenfield, not  too difficult for a Friday, but still festooned with fun clues and answers (which we like to call cluans™️), such as 34A, Neologize, COINAPHRASE (for an example, c.f. cluans 😀); 29A, Organization with a strong track record?, NASCSAR (nice!); and 23D, Splashy display, ECLAT (sounds like a SAT word to us!) And as a delicious end to today's...

A deliciously devious Thursday crossword by Daniel Bodily, thanks to Friday and Saturday level cluing and a theme that may leave you AGASP (and if you solve today's puzzle, saying AAH). Definitely a full 5 squares on the JAMCR scale, and while it fills us with trepidation contemplating what lies ahead for the rest of the week, we will savor this puzzle until then. Remember our Triplet Tuesday...

A wonderful Wednesday crossword, and a debut for constructor Lindsay McBride (kudos and all that!). We especially enjoyed 67A, Like matryoshka dolls, NESTED (we just like to say matryoshka);  32D, Good, in Chinese HAO (now we know!); and 24D, "_________ Flux" (1990s animated sci-fi series), AEON  (because it was such a great show!).  There was (much) more, and deets are inside. Just a re...

A fine Tuesday crossword, with a bilingual theme -- the best kind -- as well as some amusing clues (9D, Phrase sung 36 times in a 1970 Beatles hit, LETITBE; 6D, Bovine:cow::corvine:__________, CROW; and Mike's favorite word of the day, 26A, "Aw, rats", DAGNABBIT. Also, it's Triplet Tuesday, and even better, our first ever Triplet Tuesday Contest! Get ready to participate -- lis...

A slightly more intense Monday crossword than usual, with several span-the-grid answers, but the cute theme (the constructor, Michael Paleos, definitely did not MAILITIN) made it all worthwhile. We've got all the deets inside, as well as the full set of rules for tomorrow's first ever Triplet Tuesday Contest, so you are cordially invited to -- in order -- subscribe, download, listen, lau...

If you like literature, you'll  love today's crossword, teeming with literary references, all in the cause of a fun theme. Even if you're not particularly well-versed in the classics, though, chances are you'll know the titles -- and if not, hopefully the crosses will come to your rescue. We have all the deets inside, waiting for you to enjoy. Also, a reminder that our first Tr...

A straightforward Saturday puzzle, but it pegged the Fun Quotient meter so we will  not complain. Au contraire, most of today's episode is spent singing its praises, for the clues are crisp, cute (but not TWEE!), and, oh, WHATCHAMACALLIT, compelling. Deets inside! Also, it's Saturday, time for our JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award). No spoilers, but if you're  luck...

Typically Friday crosswords do not have a theme, but since this was Friday the 13th, the editors (luckily) decided to take advantage of that day. Unlike some themes that only make sense after one has finished the puzzle, today's theme genuinely was useful (as well as fun). So, bypass that ladder, jump over that crack, don't trip on that black cat, but  do  have a listen to today's p...

A GEM of a Thursday crossword by Grant Thackray, who does some remarkable linguistic surgery, all for a good cause - a dizzying and dizzyingly good theme, in the middle of a grid-full of great clues. All the deets are inside, so rather than spill the TEA, we urge you to download and listen up ASAP! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpo...

A picture-perfect crossword, with an LOL theme, a geographically wide-ranging set of clues (from 35A, Manhattan neighborhood next to SoHo, NOLITA, to 36D,Hawaiian island shaped like an apostrophe, LANAI, to 42D, Setting for many van Gogh works, ARLES), and a few other goodies that we delve into in today's episode. Remember, the NYTimes crossword is a great way to stretch your vocabulary, keep...

A fine, feline-themed Tuesday crossword by Emily Rourke, with a few rarities in the grid, including 15A, Darling one, MOPPET (last seen in 2014!), and 1D, Shaggy Beatles hairdos, MOPTOPS (making its 4th appearance in the crossword, ever), and finally 24A, Cereal mascot who says "They're gr-r-eat!", TONYTHETIGER ( appearing for the second time, debuting in 1966). We liked this crossw...

It's not clear if the authors, Andrea Carla Michaels and Kevin Christian, were in the midst of a raging snowstorm when they constructed this crossword, but 9A, How revenge (or pizza) is best served, COLD , 21D, Frozen, GELID , 57A, Behaved in a laid back way, ACTEDCOOL , and 34D, "Rocks" that clink in a glass, ICE , really make us. think that that might've been the case. Regard...

A slightly GNARLY Sunday crossword: Jean, we have it on good authority, tore through this in no time flat, but Mike, due to his almost total lack of knowledge of pop culture (anything more recent than 1850), to say nothing of his woeful ignorance of Spanish, found the road a little less SEDATE. Deets inside, so download now and beat the rush. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We lo...

A sweet Saturday crossword by Adam Aaronson, not too difficult, but we are  not  complaining! Just the opposite in fact, and to hear us expand on that general assessment we cordially invite you to subscribe, download, listen up, and enjoy! 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 fre...

Today's crossword was just bursting at the seams with tricky clues: it seemed like the entire top of the grid was roped off with GIVEITUPYOUDONTHAVEACHANCE tape, but thanks to perseverance, grit, and in Jean's case a functional memory, in Mike's case a large dollop of good luck, both were able to persevere. In today's episode we also have a yummy fun fact for Fun Fact Friday™️,...

A highly educational Thursday crossword. Clues like 16A, Smallest South Pacific nation, NAURU; 1D, The flowers in Amy Lowell's "Your great puffs of flowers / Are everywhere in this my New England"; and 31D, Agricultural item that Nigeria produces more of than the rest of the world combined, YAM; were certainly eye-openers for your co-hosts. One of us found the puzzle tricky, the oth...

For those of you who remember where you were when the James Webb Space Telescope finally deployed, the NYTimes has you covered, with a great, astronomy-themed puzzle. But even if you're not a space-nerd, there was a galaxy of fabulous clues, such as 27A, Dispenser of drafts, TAP (cute!), 43A, "The lowest form of humor -- when you don't think of it first," per Oscar Levant, PUN...

A fine Tuesday puzzle by Margaret Seikel, with a straightforward theme and not too much pop culture. It helped slightly to be acquainted with The Princess Diaries, so, advantage Jean. Mike only had one gimme, 46D, Lex of "Superman", LUTHOR, counterbalanced by the curious 41D, "Should we bounce?", WANNAGO, and the overwhelming urge to spell 11D, Italian pressed sandwich, PANINI,...

A hilarious (and we use that term  very rarely) theme by Seth Bisen-Hersh in their debut NYTimes crossword  appearance, a great start. We won't spoil the joke by telling it here, but the entire crossword is a setup, and the payoff is exquisite. Details within, so you know the drill: subscribe (if you don't already), download, listen up and enjoy! We love feedback! Send us a text... Conta...

Something to sing about on this, the first day of 2023 - a great crossword by a trio of constructors - Adam Wagner, Michael Lieberman and Rafael Musa - with a brilliant theme. Specifically, it offers two clues for the themed answer, one in the usual place and t'other in a surprising location that will remain a secret until you've listened to this podcast, which we hope you do ... right n...