Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

This was a classy Monday crossword , and the fact that Carolyn Davies Lynch and Christina Iverson are in the marquee has a lot to do with it. The clues just seemed to have a little more pizzaz. We covered most of them in the podcast, but there were others:  a puzzle within a puzzle: 44A, Man's name that's a citrus fruit spelled backward, EMIL;  a word that we just love to say: 46D, Sourc...

Hopefully you remember your Greek lessons, listeners, because they — or at least one of them, which we hope for comedy's sake took place on a PHIday — will come in particularly handy today . And now that we've got your curiosity piqued, don't PHIght it — download today's podcast to find out what all the PHIuss, er, fuss, is about. Show note imagery: The birthstones, from Garnet...

This was a fine Saturday crossword by Kamereon Austin Collins, his 25th for the NYTimes and his 17th Saturday opus. There were a slew of great clues in the grid, including 6D, "That dis was goo-ood!!", OHSNAP; 33D, Meemaw, NANA; 55A, Art form featuring performers in kishin (demon) and okina (old man) masks, NOHTHEATER; and a reminder of one of our absolute favorite football lines, 52D, &...

Greg Snitkin and Glenn Davis have collaborated on two crosswords, both Fridays, and both fantabulous. Today's had some novelties, including 3 superb debuts: 14A, Winning like crazy, ONAHEATER (woah!); the award-winning 34A, Stealthy flier, AIRMARSHAL (hey, what happened to the second L??); and the equally splendid 61A, He's great for the time being, MRRIGHTNOW (brilliant!). In addition t...

This was a delightful Thursday crossword by Mallory Montgomery and Zhou Zhang. Jean got through it at gazelle-like speeds, whereas Mike, who made the tyro's mistake of following his own advice, was less gazelle, more giraffe. Deets inside. Show note imagery: Rochester, Jane EYRE, and Adele (well before her breakout album, 19). We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener...

Our co-hosts had almost comically differing experiences solving today's crossword . Jean found it to be ... a breeze , whereas Mike found it to be a category 5 hurricane, which he will dub Hurricane Adrianne, after the creator of said hurricane, er, puzzle, Adrianne Baik. Apparently Adrianne was able to quickly and remotely rifle through Mike's memory palace (more like a memory shanty, b...

Today's crossword was terrific . A theme that pegged the pun-meter, a second theme that nobody other than your cohosts know about 😀, and a lot of other fine clues in the grid. We particularly enjoyed the duality of 42A, One-named supermodel, IMAN and 39D, Country in which men traditionally wear robes called dishdashas, OMAN; and we also appreciated the memory-lane moment induced by 50D, &quo...

This was a gentle Monday crossword , easing us into our crossword-solving week. It was still entertaining, though, thanks to a theme that will lift your spirits — literally.  In addition to the crossword, we also have chosen our latest JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award), and this week goes to ... [REDACTED, TO HEIGHTEN SUSPENSE AND BECAUSE WE GET PAID BY THE WORD😀]!  Show note...

Gene Louise De Vera's 5th NYTimes puzzle was one for the books . One of the sacrosanct rules of NYTimes crossword-dom is that an answer never appears twice in the grid. Well, rules are meant to be broken, so they say, and today this one was -- but all for a good cause, aka the theme.  We had some other great clues in the grid. Besides those mentioned in the podcast, we had the slick 94D, Pair...

The clues in today's crossword , Hannah Slovut's third for the NYTimes, were so dazzling that we felt we ought to wear shades while solving it. There were scads of clever clues everywhere you look in the grid, and nary a clunker anywhere: just way we like our Saturday crosswords! For the full 411 — as well as another episode of "Oh, That's How You Pronounce it!"™️, check o...

To explain the episode title: this was, indeed, an awesome crossword. And, as has happened for years upon years, Deb Amlen scrutinized the crossword in the accompanying NYTimes column, Wordplay. This was her last Wordplay column, however: she is now retiring to take up other pursuits. But her last column was as good as usual, and today's crossword was a great send off.  Besides the crossword...

It's a new year, so why not start it off with a new constructor? That may or may not be Will's reasoning, but today's crossword is indeed a debut for Topher Booth, and it is an auspicious beginning. We were keen on the theme (and yes, there's a trace of a pun there), and found the rest of the clues to be just right for a Thursday. Apart from those mentioned in the podcast, we&a...

In honor of the ultimate day of 2025, Jeffrey Martinovic has donned both his party hat and thinking cap, the end result of which is today's fine crossword . We have, as always, the deets inside, plus something a little extra to send out 2025 in style. Have a listen, and then — assuming you're on the Gregorian calendar — have a great New Year's Eve / New Year's Day!! Show note i...

After a week to recharge and reenergize, both cohosts are back and in peak fighting form -- or, to be more precise, crossword-solving form. And we had an excellent  crossword to welcome us back, the second collaboration between Geoffrey Schorkopf and Will Eisenberg (edited, as always, by the inimitable Will Shortz). We have all the deets inside, as well as another of our famous Triplet Tuesday seg...

Today's crossword was (as you can deduce from the episode title) a fun, Christmas-themed puzzle by famed magician David Kwong. Jean & Co. solved it expeditiously, whereas David almost made Mike's streak disappear thanks to some cruciverbial magic in the top-center of the grid. All turned out well, though, for both cohosts and their streaks. Deets inside. FYI, we will be taking a hiat...

This is Robert S. Gard's second Saturday crossword . It was not quite as difficult as his first, but the cluing was deliciously deceptive, and included five debuts. Jean got through it in her usual time; Mike found it to be a tad easier than usual, but an enjoyable solve nonetheless.  Remember that if you're still hunting around for the perfect holiday gift, there's still time to se...

This is a stellar Friday crossword , chockfull of effervescent clues that make it clear that an ace constructor -- in this case, Hemant Mehta --  is at the helm. There is no doubt that today's puzzle is entitled to a full 5 squares on the JAMCR scale, and we therefore gladly bestow it. Deets inside. Show note imagery: Yum, a delectable SMORE  We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info:...

The genius required to craft an NYTimes-worthy crossword is on full display today : Joseph Gangi has created a cuuute theme, and the hilarity of that last clause will become apparent upon listening to today's podcast and/or solving today's puzzle. Numerous other clues in the grid are also worth celebrating. We chortled at 62A, The time of one's life?, AGE (😀); puzzled over 27D, Abo...

This was a whimsical Wednesday crossword by the talented duo of Gary Larson and Doug Peterson. The theme was a triumph, buoyed up by a bevy of crisp clues, including: the clever 8D, Marchers in sidewalk cracks, ANTS;  the helpful reminder that was 50A, Easter Island's country, CHILE; and  the hilarious 41A, Welcome figure on Wall Street, unwelcome figure in a china shop, BULL.  In other news,...

This was a gentle Tuesday crossword , slightly more challenging than Monday, and prepping us for the even more rigorous crosswords sure to come this week. Difficulty level not withstanding, the grid featured some awesome clues, most notably the incredible 62A, The IBM Simon Personal Communicator is considered the world's first one, SMARTPHONE. We were also highly pleased to learn of the exist...

Today's puzzle checks all the Monday crossword boxes:  Clever and straightforward theme?  ✅ Built with the novice-solver in mind? ✅ Published on a Monday? 😉✅ Apparently it took multiple revisions before this crossword got accepted, but the end result was picture-perfect. Kudos to Jeff Jerome for his first crossword, and Andrea Carla Michaels, for her 92nd! Being Monday, we've chosen...

This was a jaw-dropping pick-me-up of a Sunday crossword by debut constructor Zachry Edward-Brown (a high-school student, no less!) and veteran John Kugelman.  The theme was spectacular, with a twist at the end that would have Agatha Christie nodding her approval. The rest of the grid was equally impressive, and if you want proof check out today's episode. Show note imagery: ELISHA Gray, inve...

Today's crossword , by Gene Louise De Vera, was one for the record books. Exactly what record was broken we are not going to reveal here, but rather keep you in suspense, dear listeners, for the approximately 15-30s it will take to download the podcast and get to the point where we "spill the beans", so to speak. It'll be worth the wait, trust us. 😀  Show note imagery: Alyssa...

This was a pitch-perfect Friday crossword , with a host of tricky clues designed to limber you up for the boss puzzle -- aka the Saturday NYTimes crossword -- about to drop and potentially wreak havoc upon the unsuspecting, unfortunate, unlimbered 🙄 Deets inside, so do have a listen; and after you've done so, take a moment to add the NYTimes Crossword to your holiday shopping list.  Show not...

Kevin Curry has done it again - crafted an elegant puzzle designed to challenge , educate , and entertain .  Challenge : 63A, Reunion group, CLAN;  Educate : 57D, Popular, stick-figure web comic, XKCD; and Entertain : 28D, Big wheels in the Vatican?, POPEMOBILE 😀  tldr: we found this crossword to be 28A, Utopia ... 10 ... Ideal , PICTUREPERFECT. Show note imagery: The POPEMOBILE through the ages...