Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

Today's crossword WASA SWEET one. Jean learned about FOMO - Fear Of Missing Out - while that ROGUE Mike was delighted that his last Tip Tuesday tip -- memorize television networks -- applied to 59A, "Impractical Jokers" channel, TRUTV. We give it a 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@...

Multiple celebs - singers, writers and actors - made it into today's crossword and thence this podcast. Two dogs (1A, Petite pooch, familiarly, POM, and 15A, Lassie, for one, COLLIE) also made an appearance in today's crossword, ironically in the same grid as 4D, Condo restriction, NODOGS. We appreciated 44D, Trial stages, BETAS, adjacent to 46D, Trial stages, TESTS, that was a BIGHIT as...

A surprisingly crunchy Monday crossword, it took both Jean & Mike a little while to find traction.  There were lots of DCCOMICS references, involving WONDERWOMAN / DIANAPRINCE (played in the movies by GALGADOT and on television by LYNDACARTER). There were two new-to-or-possibly-fogotten-by-us words -- 2D, Property recipient, in law, ALIENEE, and 39D, Some delivery people, ROUTEMEN.  Remember,...

ODDSARE you'll enjoy this crossword, we MEANIT. Jean SPED through it in near record time, while Mike ADEPTLY ... didn't, although he did eventually solve it as well. A series of dances, each cleaved by a letter in the phrase MAYICUTIN made for a very clever theme. A few other clues of distinction were 54A, Document that never lacks a title, DEED, and 61A, It's ground breaking, FAULT...

Today's crossword was a toughie. Jean valiantly struggled through it, as is her wont.  Mike, in contrast, is wearing a SASH of mourning  to honor his LATE streak. There were some terrific clues -- 42A, Artificial object in orbit?, GLASSEYE, 46A, Shade from the sun, TAN, and 12D, Fits in between?, HALFSIZED.  We give it a 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contac...

Happy New Year! And in case you've forgotten what year it is, today's crossword conveniently writes out 2021 in approximately the center of this oversized (16x16, versus the usual 15x15) grid. There were a few tough clues, Jean had trouble getting traction in the top-left corner and Mike spent most of his solve trying to spell SRIRACHA, before realizing that it wasn't the answer to...

The last New York Times crossword of 2020, and we are KEEN, even ANTSY, to get to 2021. We of course don't know what next year has in store -- SIRI isn't saying -- but hopefully SMALLBUSINESSES will recover, WAR will decrease, and everybody's NESTEGGS will be on the rise. Today's crossword had some interesting factoids -- 22A, Product with the slogan, "Trust the power with...

Today's crossword is a middle-of-the-road Wednesday, that is to say, a real TREASURE. It has a NICE theme involving a BILLYCLUB, a smattering of Spanish (ESO and ESTE), and a FEW other BAUBLES, like 5A, First courses, for short, APPS, 46A, Good name for someone with a sharp tongue?, BARB, and 41A, Do with a pick, maybe, FRO. So, according to our CRYSTALBALL, you will find this crossword to be...

Today's crossword had an oblique Bob and Ray reference and a FAIRYTALEENDING, who could ask for more? The reference was 27A, Largest lizard on earth (up to 10 feet long), KOMODODRAGON, the topic of a famous Bob and Ray routine . The FAIRYTALEENDING slyly united WARRIORPRINCESS, KOMODODRAGON, CNTOWER, and GLADYSKNIGHT.  Today is Tip Tuesday -- Jean noted that two fairytale villains that show u...

Today's crossword is a tad unusual for a Monday - four 15-square answers, all to down clues. They are not particularly difficult, but without gentle crosses would definitely pose a serious challenge. While solving this last Monday crossword for 2020  we learned what MBE stands for, how to pronounce DOGE, but the mystery of why R2-D2's nickname is ARTOO, as opposed to ARTWO, remains unsol...

FACTIS, this was an AWE-inspiring Sunday crossword, we are SHIRR, um, sure, of that! Jean cruised through it without too much difficulty, Mike got hung up in the neighborhood of 94D and 95D, having forgotten that 95D, Patchy in color, was PIED, and either forgotten or possibly never even learned that 101A, Money in coins rather than bills, was SPECIE, and 98A, Bake, as an egg, was SHIRR. Still, HU...

It's a Saturday, that should mean tough . and John Guzzetta does not disappoint, with a crossword that crackles with clever clues. Most of the crossword was just ... difficult, but John really cranked it up in the southeast corner. Our best advice: only try a John Guzzetta puzzle when well rested. We give it a 5 on the JAM CR scale. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love li...

Ho, ho, ho, it's a classy Christmas present from the New York Times,  a gentle Friday from Erik Agard and Wendy Brandes, i.e., NOTBADATALL. It had some nice juxtapositions - RIPOFF (1D, Con), and RIFFEDON (25D, Used as improv fodder, say), and some amusing clues -- 59A, Perfect score ... or half of one, TEN, and 21D, Labour leader?, DOULA. A great way to end the week! We love feedback! Send u...

Happy Christmas Eve, everyone! And to celebrate, the New York Times has provided a cheery Thursday crossword, by Billy Ouska, that could be done, NOLIE, in almost no ___________ at all. Note that the (attempted) humor in that last sentence will become apparent once you've listened to the podcast. Jean cruised through the crossword as usual, Mike confidently and incorrectly assumed that 23D, T...

Today's crossword, while perhaps not the greatest thing since SLICEDBREAD, is still, INALL, a  fun and challenging Wednesday (and that's no JIVE!). It had some clever clues, like  7D, Stands up for dustpans, say, abbr., ANAG (short for ANAGRAM),  20A, 10th and 11th, e.g., EXT[RAIN}NINGS, and the rather obscure 47A, Lawless figure with legendary fighting skills, XENA. All in all a fine pu...

Today's puzzle may put you on CLOUD9, or at least in a HAPPYPLACE, as you experience that SHEERBLISS that comes with solving a crossword (or at least giving it the old college try). Beyond the theme, there was a nod to PAPAHAYDN (41A, Affectionate nickname for the "Father of the Symphony"), and the definitely not serendipitous, because Amy Yanni and Jeff Chen are involved, placement...

Today's crossword was filled with GOBBLEDYGOOK, MUMBOJUMBO, and BALDERDASH, but we mean that in the best possible way: because today's crossword revolved around words/phrases that implied nonsense. There were a few names that might have proven difficult for newer and younger solvers, like 6D, Actress Saint of "North by Northwest", and 8D, 1957 title role for Frank Sinatra, PALJ...

If you are INTHEMOOD to reminisce, then this crossword is just what you need. It's a stroll down memory lane, if memory lane happened to run through a toy store, because all the major theme answers are famous, enduring and endearing toys, including CHATTYCATHY, SILLYPUTTY, TAMAGOTCHI and ETCHASKETCH, to name a few. Jean, as is her wont, breezed through today's crossword, while quite a fe...

A major challenge, because, well, Saturday crosswords just tend to, AHEM, BELIKETHAT. There were numerous classical allusions in today's crossword -- from 38D, Agamemnon's son, ORESTES, to 45D, Lyre holder in classical artwork, ERATO, but there were also some more "hep" clues, such as 24D, Excited, in modern slang, TURNT, and 6D, R&B artist with the Grammy-winning 2017 hit,...

Well, SHIVERMETIMBERS, it's a crossword, and we solved it ... BECAUSEITSTHERE. And, just like the SCENEOFTHECRIME, there were plenty of good. clues, including 47D, Center of a circle or square, maybe, STATUE, and a fun phrase, 17A, Using any means necessary, CATCHASCATCHCAN. We have a special offer ... be the first person to email us at crosswordpodcast@icloud.com with the subject "Yes,...

If those immortal opening notes, dum, dum, dum, duuuuuuum, don't get your heart racing, then the ANTIDOTE is to sit down and listen to those notes in situ, specifically in BEETHOVENSFIFTH. Today's crossword is an homage to LUDWIG, that most revered of composers. Jean got through the crossword with little difficulty, while Mike was stuck in IDLE for the longest time until he realized that...

This crossword was the TOPS, presenting just a SKOSH of trouble here and there. Jean, for instance, momentarily forgot how to spell KENOBI, whereas Mike likely never knew how to spell ROSEANNE, and had to deal with his old nemesis, ERSE (not to be confused, as he is wont to do, with EIRE, or ERIE, or ERIN) We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, cro...

Stop the presses! it's a crossword about ... the presses! Print journalism, to be precise, with a few cameos from NPR and PBS. In keeping with the spirit of education, there was an array of interesting clues, including 4D, Indian ox, ZEBU, 15A, Comic Fields on old Ed Sullivan shows, TOTIE, and Mike's favorite, 41D, Nickname for the 1967 N.F.L. Championship Game, famously played at about...

An ABLY constructed crossword, with a TROVE of accomplished women -- ELLEMACPHERSON, KAYHAGAN, SAMANTHABEE, and SANDRAOH -- all distinguished not only by their accomplishments but by having a homonym for a letter in their name. We appreciated the reappearance of PSY (11D, Gangam style rapper), who hasn't been alluded to in the crossword since ... yesterday; and were intrigued by 34D, Typical...

An AMIABLE Sunday crossword by Dan Margolis, not too OUTRE, with only a few troublesome areas to SPOIL your day. The theme involved  punnily-clued movies (e.g., 26A, Indy film? (1981), RAIDERSOFTHELOSTARK, and 103A, Dock-udrama? (1954), ONTHEWATERFRONT). There were some other gems as well, e.g., 99D, Bit of ranch dressing? STETSON, and right off the bat, 1D, Wear off?, DISROBE. A nice palette clea...