Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

Let the trumpets sound, let the banners fly, it is time for celebration because this episode marks the start of the 4th season of Jean And Mike Do The New York Times Crossword! Thanks, loyal listeners, we are in your debt, and promise to have even *more* cutting edge analysis, maybe a new feature or two, and guarantee that we will never have any more advertisers than we have now (that would be ......

An extra crunchy Wednesday crossword, both Jean and Mike flailed about in the northeast corner waiting for their respective muses to chip in with an answer or two. Unfortunately muses are notoriously fickle, as likely to sit in their tents and sulk as join in the fray. Did they eventually wade in? Or did our dynamic duo suffer the ignominy of defeat? To find out, all you have to do is download and...

Any crossword that references Sponge Bob Square Pants is bound to be good -- and this one definitely falls in that category. It was a Tuesday, so the difficulty level was set to simmer, but there were enough crunchy clues to make it fun.  In other news, it's Triplet Tuesday, and on today's episode Mike attempts to make up for the shellacking he suffered last time. Did he succeed? Or did...

A robust Monday crossword, with a few clues -- 55A, Cocktail favored by Carrie Bradshaw on "Sex and the City", COSMO; Mike's favorite, 6D, Cask makers, COOPERS; and Jean's favorite, 23D, ______ walsy, (chummy), PALSY -- that were particularly SALIENT (if we may dip into Sunday's answers for a moment). We liked it, nay, this is Valentine's Day, we loved it! -- and give...

A lovely crossword from David Steinberg, and we don't use that word often or lightly: to find out  why  it's so appropriate here, you'll have to do what multitudes have done before you -- download and listen up. 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...

While the answer HAH! wasn't actually in today's crossword, it certainly was hovering nearby, because between the curious spellings of 30A, Russian dumpling, PIROGI, and 58A, Condiment made with peanuts, SATESAUCE, the presence of 29D, Noted spelling expert, MERLIN, was apt to trigger that reaction. For all the deets, as well as the winner of today's JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crosswor...

An interesting Friday crossword - 6 15-letter answers, 3 at top, 3 at the bottom, a sight that can inspire a SHUDDER or two, and for good reason. But if one remembers 36D, "Just try to be calm...", BREATHE, then a WIN is possible. Did it happen hear? Or did the dynamic duo go down in metaphoric flames? To find out, all you need to do is download and listen up. We love feedback! Send us a...

This has been a very good week for New York Times crosswords, and this great Thursday crossword by August Miller keeps the streak alive, with a very inventive theme that shows a real ... eye for detail. And once you've listened to today's podcast, you'll find that last sentence to be a real knee-slapper, trust us! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener ma...

There's something slightly ... well, actually, quite fishy about today's crossword, which is a fine example of what crosswords should do -- entertain, educate, and make you want to go undersea exploring. OK, that third point might not be quite right in the general case, but it certainly does apply in today's fine oeuvre by veteran crossword constructor Grant Thackeray. For all the d...

A NEAT Tuesday crossword by a TRIO of  constructors. There was a nice intersection -- 59A, Longtime Nabisco cookie [force], NEWTON, crossing 53D, Some members of the family Salamandridae, NEWTS; and some fun facts -- which we'd tell you here, but we'd rather have you hear -- so hit the ol' Enlightenment button (aka Download) and enjoy! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Inf...

An educational Monday crossword, with references to famous Spanish directors (1A, Director Almodóvar, PEDRO), the Spanish word for island, (34A, Ibiza, e.g., to a Spaniard, ISLA),  and a gadget that we had no idea needed inventing, but clearly did (17A, Good accessory for the owner of a shedding dog, LINTROLLER).  For all this and more we give it 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. We love feedback! Sen...

For sci-fi fans, today's crossword will surely rekindle the debate - which was the better franchise, STARWARS or STARTREK. Stephen McCarthy answers it brilliantly. How did he do it? Consider these show notes a cliffhanger, and to get resolution, download and listen up to today's fine installment. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, cro...

A tough, tough Saturday crossword by Kameron Austin Collins. Saturday's are traditionally the toughest crossword of the week, and Kameron barely holds back. For example ... 28D, Majors, say, BRASS,  50A, Gets tight, TENSES, and 31D, One way to put on a coat, PAINTGUN, are just a sampling of what's in store. For the complete blow-by-blow, along with the announcement of this week's JA...

Lots of interesting factoids in today's crossword - 38A, Nickname of 6'9" NFL great Ed Jones, TOOTALL; 14A, Ben & Jerry's sundae with an estimated 14,000 calories, VERMONSTER; and our favorite, 32D, "America's Missing: Broadcasting Emergency Response" vis-à-vis Amber Alert, e.g., BACKRONYM. In another news, it's Fun Fact Friday, and Jean lives up to the...

Oooh, a tough Thursday, or should we say lough lhursday? (That will make a whole lot more sense once you hear the episode). Curiously, language played a role in both of our dynamic puzzle-solving duos difficulties. Jean had a spot of bother due to her rusty Hindi skills, and Mike's non-existent Italian almost doomed him for a second time this week (see the ROME v. ROMA fiasco from Tuesday). S...

A terrific mid-week crossword by Meredith Colton Hazy, with a rebus that Jean actually enjoyed. How can that be? To find out, and to discover the origin story of Groundhog-Crossword Day, soon to be a motion picture by Joel and Ethan Coen, you know what to do ... download and listen up! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud....

A festive Tuesday crossword by Zhouqin Burnikel, who gives us a 5 country tour of New Year's names. Jean tore through the crossword in 9 minutes ... Mike managed to do it in over 4 times that, yes, it's a gift. In other news, Mike outdid himself (but not in a good way) in Triplet Tuesday. For all the deets, download and listen up. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love...

A crunchier than usual Monday offering, so if you found it a bit more of a challenge than usual you are not alone! We have a theory as to why that might be the case, and to see whether or not you agree with our conjecture, you'll have to download and osmose today's podcast: so ... get osmosing! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, cross...

PSST, today's crossword is filed with TRICKS designed to UNNERVE and generally RAISEHAVOC, courtesy of the BADDEST crossword constructor around, Ross Trudeau. So SWITCHON your favorite podcast app, and enjoy today's episode! Just a reminder that if you want to follow along and  haven't solved the puzzle, you can find the filled in grid, and clues, at xwordinfo.com -- highly recommen...

A great Saturday crossword, with scores of misdirection masterpieces, the likes of which have not been seen since ... well, last week, maybe the week before, let's just say in recent memory . For a quick précis of the best of the best, as well as to the unveiling of the JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword of The Week Award) winner, you know précisely, er, precisely what to do ... download and l...

Jean made short work of today's crossword, completing it so quickly that her iPad almost ignited. Mike's, meanwhile, was mainly at risk of becoming obsolete by the time he finished. Still both, veni, vedi, and veci'ed, and for all the deets (in the original Latin, no less!), download and listen up. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a li...

Today marks a once-in-a-blue-moon event, the New York Times, absolutely, definitely, made a mistake in the grid. Jean didn't notice, and so solved the puzzle with her usual swiftness, whereas Mike threw in rebuses to try and compensate, and it didn't end well. For all the details about this minor cruciverbial melee, check out this exciting episode! We love feedback! Send us a text... Con...

A fairly gentle Wednesday crossword, if you got it done ASAP, well, then, CONGRATULATIONS, but if not, well, CONGRATULATIONS anyway for giving it the ol' college CHAI, er, try! 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 conversation!

What happens when board games collide? You get a great excuse for a number of punny clues, and Ray and Ellen Brunsberg take full advantage of this in today's very nice - 5 squares on the JAMCR scale nice - puzzle. For all the deets (as well as the opportunity to hear how Jean fared this Triplet Tuesday), download and listen up. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listene...

The timing of this crossword - hot on the heels of The Most Exciting Football Game Of All Time - was impeccable, and the puzzle itself was nothing to sneeze at, either. There were some very nice crosses -- 5A, Top celebs, ALIST, intersected 8D, Breakout movie role, say, STARTURN; 31A, U.K. Award, OBE, crossed 17D, Obi-Wan _____ (Jedi master), KENOBI; and one more, which, because a certain amount o...