Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

A paean for techies, and a bit of a headache for the rest -- Jean had to dig for today's crossword, and Mike merely had to find the 4 places where, inexplicably -- although he suspects neutrinos might be involved -- letters inadvertently switched from one to the other. Elsewhere in the podcast, we delve into the mysterious spelling of the past tense of mimic, and Jean is in the hot seat for T...

A deftly constructed crossword with a cute theme --but not too difficult, as befitting a Monday:  both Jean and Mike were able to STICKTHELANDING (as well as talk about it).  If you're in a nostalgic mood then you'll especially appreciate today's puzzle, with DELLASTREET, ISAAC Asimov,  Buck ONEIL and RHEA Perlman all present and accounted for. We love feedback! Send us a text... Co...

A great Sunday crossword, with a theme that's absolutely perfect for its audience and particularly well executed. In today's episode, we also discuss the important question of the plural of octopus (hint: it's probably not what you think ), have no discussion whatsoever of whether the editors are being paid to slip SOBE into every 4th crossword (because they aren't) and general...

There was a difference of opinion regarding today's crossword - Jean found it relatively straightforward, Mike found it 75% straightforward and 25% nigh-well impossible, with Mt. Everest sized obstacles lined up between himself and success. Did he succeed? Did Jean laugh uproariously at his misfortune? To find out the answer to these burning questions -- as well as to the winner of this week&...

This fine Friday puzzle was Robyn Weintraub's 26th   (according to the New York Times' Wordplay column, and they ought to know). It was not particularly challenging - both Jean and Mike cruised through it without  too  much difficulty. There were some comical clues, some enlightening answers, and for all the deets (as well as a fascinating fact for Fun Fact Friday), you are heartily enco...

A novel Thursday theme - and Jean and Mike had diverging opinions as to its merits: was it ingenious? or merely sneaky? Listen to today's episode, (after, ideally, you've tackled the puzzle in question yourself) then  you  be the judge! 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 f...

There were some fabulous clues/answers in today's grid -- 30A, Scandinavian-inspired shoe brand, DANSKO, 51A, Full of noxious vapors, MIASMIC, and the always tasty 24D, Rice dish infused with saffron, PAELLA, to name 3, and those are the ones that  didn't  make the cut. The ones we discussed are even cooler, and to get the full 411, you know what to do - download, listen up, and enjoy! W...

A trickier Tuesday than usual, with a grid riddled with the likes of MALADROIT, the highly suspicious LINTY, and queen DIDO. Definitely not complaining, and the theme was particularly fabulous, definitely worth the price of admission. We have all the deets inside. Also, it's Triplet Tuesday: will Mike rise to the occasion, sink like a stone, or none of the above? Download now and all will be...

A delicious Monday crossword, not too difficult, but higher in calories than most puzzles -- witness the NOUGATBAR, BANANA, ORANGE, and NOODLEBOWLS that made it into today's grid. Nom, nom, nom! 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 conve...

The perfect memorial day weekend crossword, a salute to HONESTABE, aka Abraham Lincoln, as well as his memorial. This crossword was by Daniel Bodily and Jeff Chen, which accounts for it pegging the JAMCRmeter at 5 squares. Jean tore through this so quickly that her iPad melted, but -- speaking of melt -- Mike got natticked at the corner of 33D, Diner order, MELT (not MALT) and 41A, Actress Green o...

A trying Saturday crossword ... which you should definitely try! The clues were crisp and only occasionally obscure (with all due respect to the award winning mathematician whose name -- in order to preserve at least some some semblance of mystery and intrigue -- we will not reveal here).  Today's episode also features  Fun Fact Friday (two fun facts, in fact: the first being that we forgot t...

A gentler-than-usual Friday crossword, both Jean (as expected) and Mike (a complete and total surprise) got through it fairly expeditiously: a "smooth solve", in the argot of cruciverbalists. But gentle doesn't mean dull, on the contrary this crossword had plenty of fun clues to entertain and educate, and we have fun talking about them in today's podcast. We love feedback! Send...

A great Thursday crossword by, presumably, a fan of Kenny Rogers -- the singer, not necessarily the restaurant. The theme was fun, the cluing crisp (just like what you might get at Kenny Rogers, the restaurant), and our only regret is that we have only 5 squares to give it on the JAMCR (Jean And Mike Crossword Rating) scale -- it will have to do. We also have a fascinating discussion of clue ranki...

Variant spelling, the bane of crossword solvers everywhere, is lurking in today's grid, ready to lure the unobservant into a cunning trap. Will it ensnare our heroic cohosts? Or will AMENRA, AMUNRA OR AMONRA (aka the god of variant spelling) come to their rescue? Download now to find out! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast...

A run-of-the-mill Tuesday? Most definitely not, this is the NYTimes crossword we're talking about, after all! Rather, we have a splendid display of clever cruciverbial construction, involving furniture, musicals, and some high falutin words (excluding, unfortunately, high falutin, we're throwing that in at no extra charge) to keep you occupied and help expand your lexicon. All the deets...

A marvelous Monday workout by Simon Marotte, with several answers that have appeared only rarely, and at least one that is a debut! We have all the deets, including a deep-dive into the origins of 40A, Basic trick at a skatepark, and the 3 magic letters that increase your chances of getting a puzzle published by an astonishing 0%. it all makes for a  fascinating listen, if we do say so ourselves!...

A dazzling display of cruciverbial daring-do, today's crossword by the Steinberg family is one that will surely have you awed, amazed, astounded, and many other words that don't necessarily start with a. We have all the deets inside, so download and enjoy! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com. Also, we'r...

A  (19A, Chic) MODISH Saturday crossword - after all it did have (29D, Luxury attire for white-tie events) OPERACAPES, and the allegedly official snack of the NYTimes crossword, (15A, It's always black and white), OREOCOOKIE, yum! Beyond that, clues like 17A, Che Guevara, when he wrote "Motorcycle Diaries", MEDSTUDENT, and 1A, Rolls dough, perhaps?, CARPAYMENT, made for a fun solve....

A very nicely done Friday puzzle by Hal Moore, chockfull of fascinating clues and amusing misdirections. We've got most of those covered in today's episode -- as well as a fascinating fun fact for Fun Fact Friday™️, so we cordially invite you to download, play, and get ready to  be amazed . We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crossword...

A curious Thursday theme, Jean was somewhat taken aback by it, although it had absolutely no effect on her as usual blisteringly fast solve time. There's a fascinating story there, and so to be regaled with the whole epic saga, just subscribe/download/enjoy! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com. Also, we're o...

Jean was able to piece together today's puzzle with great alacrity, whereas Mike just went to pieces in the top-left corner, having jigged when he should have jagged, so to speak, before he was able to finally SEETHEBIGPICTURE. A great crossword, we give it 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. Just a reminder that the New York Times Crossword would  love  to count you among their subscribers - go to...

A spritely crossword by Richard Allen, Jean cruised through it in no-time flat, Mike was temporarily STYMIEd as he made a SUBTLE error (literally, answering 38A, So as not to stand out, as SUBTLE, rather than  SUBTLY). Still, it all worked out, eventually : and to hear all the deets, as well as to see how he fared on Triplet Tuesday - the 3 most exciting minutes in podcasting - we humbly beseech t...

A SIMILE-filled grid that's just right for a Monday, the best day of the week for novice crossword solvers to start honing their craft. We have all the deets inside, as well as an awesome bit of listener mail, so you know the drill: subscribe, play, 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...

A delightful Sunday puzzle by Daniel Mauer, a nostalgic trip along THEMOTHERROAD, (21A, Nickname for ROUTESIXTYSIX coined by John Steinbeck). While Mike had scarcely heard of the thing, Jean lived right *by* it, and so will be your expert tour guide in our exploration of today's theme. Subscribe, download, enjoy! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us...

A relatively easy Saturday crossword - Jean knows from personal experience, Mike knows because Jean told him. The fun factor -- heavily weighted in the complex computations that go into calculating the JAMCR score -- was particularly high, which is how this earned a stellar 5 squares on the JAMCR scale.  Also, it's Saturday, time for the awarding of the JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of Th...