Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

There were several deities in today's grid — ARES, ZEUS, and the lesser known DOER, Lord of Bad Puns. None of them prevented our cohosts from having a grand time while solving this crossword, Kareem Ayas' second in under two months. While all the clues were fine,  they were particularly impressed by the Matrix mini-theme, consisting of 37A, Iconic repeated Keanu Reeves role, NEO, and 49D...

This was Kate Hawkins' eighteenth NYTimes crossword, and while mainly distinguished by its brilliant theme, gems could be found throughout the grid. We enjoyed the range of emotions conveyed by 32D, "By Jove, that's it!", AHA, and 45D, "How stupid of me!", DOH. We also were absolutely enthralled by, and are now seeking a t-shirt emblazoned with, 54A, "Education i...

Today's puzzle had a wry, perfect-for-a-Monday theme: if it was a hat, it would definitely be stylish and arranged at a rakish angle.  We were surprised, tickled, and put into full chortle mode by, respectively, 1D, Magic charms, MOJOS (assuredly not on our Monday crossword bingo card); 5D, The eyes may have it, MASCARA; and 24A, Run out of clothes?, STREAK. Besides the crossword, in honor of...

We treasure any excuse to break out into Lewis Carroll adjectives, and today's frabjous crossword provides just that opportunity. This is a debut, no less, by University of Wisconsin Madison professor Kate Jensen, who we imagine, based on the clues in today's grid, to be particularly beamish, and not at all manxome (except when dealing with irksome students). There were boatloads of grea...

Our cohosts had vastly different experiences tackling today's crossword. Jean found it to be quite challenging, whereas Mike was (for a change) definitely working , but not fighting tooth-and-nail to keep his streak alive.  Deets inside: we cordially invite you to download, listen up, and enjoy! Show note imagery: "A New English Dictionary", as the first edition of the OED was origi...

This was a challenging Friday crossword , the second by James McCarron since August, of the year: in short, he's on a roll. There were some simultaneously terrific (if you like a challenge) and terrifying (if you value your streak) clues. Among the best not mentioned in the podcast were 37D, Minimal coverage provider?, THONG (ha!); 27D, Silent sort, CLAM (not FILM or MIME); and 15D, Show stop...

Today's crossword , by Victor Barocas, had a fun and frothy theme that came from a galaxy far, far away. We loved it! We also enjoyed the very strong cast of supporting characters, including 49D, Cold call?, ACHOO (🤧); 43D, Golden-tan dog of multiple films, BENJI (wait, a tanning booth was involved? 🙄); and 42A, Animal in more than70 Bugs Bunny titles, HARE (natch! 🐰). Show note imagery: I...

Today's crossword was a debut for Jonathan Baude, kudos for that! The theme was uplifting (literally), and the rest of the puzzle was perfect Tuesday fare. We had some entertaining clues --  46A, Top of the hour?, XII (😀); some educational clues -- 62D, Communication syst. in which the letter Z is drawn with one's index finger, ASL; and some clues of the product placement variety -- 15D...

Today's crossword was perfectly timed, at least for those of us living in those northern regions currently besieged by winter storms. We were intrigued to learn of the existence of NAURU, the world's third smallest country (behind Vatican City and Monaco, for those of you keeping score). We were glad to see that Ms. Adler made a reappearance in the grid (66A, Woman who bests Sherlock in...

The easy-to-spell and fun-to-say LOUDOUTS has appeared a grand total of two times in the NYTimes crossword: today , and on June 15, 2013. We are on tenterhooks awaiting its next appearance, which according to our calculations should be in 2037, or thereabouts. For the record, the crossword also featured 9 debut answers, and our favorite, by far, had to be PUMPUPTHEJAM (ah, the classics 😀).  We ha...

Did an early version of Elton John's Saturday Night include the lyric "Saturday night's alright for fighting crosswords"? We don't know for certain, but we do know that today's crossword was an epic battle -- at least for Mike. Jean, as usual, found this to be a more of a minor skirmish.  As we have come to expect from Adrian Johnson, author of today's puzzle, th...

This was a fine crossword by constructor -- aka SETTER, depending on which side of the pond you live on -- Jacob McDermott, for whom we are thankful for this entire crossword, but especially the revelation about SETTERS. We found many noteworthy clues to sing about today. For instance, we had 44A, One-named rock idol who was born Paul David Hewson, BONO; the life-changing (trust us, it will, once...

On this dual US holiday -- Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday Eve -- we wish to say how thankful we are for our myriad faithful listeners, and for the geniuses who labor day in and day out to deliver the best crosswords in the world to our metaphorical doorstep. Speaking of best crosswords, we liked today's : it had, as usual, a theme that we did not see coming, it mentioned the Flintstones, a...

Today's crossword -- a debut by John McClung -- paid homage to one of the great movie critics of the last century, to wit, ROGEREBERT; and he was full of wit, heaping praise when deserved and throwing raspberries when not. Today's grid has just 4 examples, and they are a hoot. Deets inside. Show note imagery: The Khan el-Khalili bazaar, in CAIRO We love feedback! Send us a text... Contac...

This was a splendid Tuesday crossword , thanks to an ingenious theme surrounded by a bevy of bedazzling clues. We appreciated the aptness of seeing 3D, In an angry way, CROSSLY, in a CROSSWORD; were flabbergasted by 13D, Weight of every U.S. bank note, ONEGRAM; and were gobsmacked by 20A, U.K. : H.M.R.C. :: U.S.A. : ___, IRS. Today being Tuesday, we have a Triplet Tuesday™️ segment, with Jean bein...

We're just GAGA about today's crossword . It included some of our favorite words in the English language, such as 3D, Flabbergasted, GOBSMACKED; our favorite Shakespearean insult, 63A, Playing card better known as a Jack, KNAVE 😀; and our favorite equine, 44A, Horse with a spotted coat, DAPPLE. Besides this puzzle, we also have much to say in favor of our JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Cross...

The NYTimes has not shied away from publishing GOL (Groan Out Loud) Sunday crosswords, so we're delighted to report that today's is of the lesser known but always appreciated  LOL variety. We will spoil nothing here, but you'll find the full 411 in today's episode. Show note imagery: Wile E. Coyote, ever the optimist We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love lis...

Prior to today, only 3 NYTimes crosswords qualified as double pangrams -- ones where the grid includes the entire alphabet, A-Z, twice. Today's crossword marks the fourth. Writing any NYTimes-worthy crossword is a challenge, but writing a pangram really ups the difficulty. Blaker Slonecker was willing to accept the challenge, however, and we doff our hats in respect and awe of this great oeuv...

There were MANY GEMS in today's puzzle, and that's not even counting 3D, A host of, MANY, and 34A, Prized people, GEMS. We had 8D, Senescent, OLD; 48D, Real hoot, RIOT; and the colorful (?) 22D, Camel and fawn, TANS. Those were just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, though, because today's grid was chockfull of awesome clues. We dive into the deets in today's episode, so do ha...

This was a fine crossword to solve, but it must've been a bear to construct. Jeremy Newton was up to the task, though, serving up a perfect midweek puzzle. He had us at 16A, Times noted in Captain Kirk's logs, STARDATES; enthralled us at 11D, Finito or kaput, DUNZO; and endeared us with 13A, Establishment whose name means "lounge" in French, SALON. Show note imagery: IBIZA, reg...

Joe Deeney's crosswords always seem to include a little extra spice, a little extra pizzazz: we present today's puzzle as an exemplar, and that's not just because we've been itching to use exemplar in a sentence 😀.  As evidence, we have 59A, Timeless, to a poet,  ETERNE; our favorite E. C. Segar heroine, 58D, Toondom's Olive, OYL; and the rarely seen 39A, Gets back togeth...

This was a not-at-all-MID, nor, for that matter -MEH, Monday crossword: the theme was above average, the clues crisp and clever. We especially want to give a shoutout to 22D, Sch. with a T section, MIT; and the presence of both 10D, Nickname for Dorothy, DOT, and 59A, Play-_____, DOH, in the grid. Kudos to Rena Cohen for this, her 6th NYTimes crossword. We also are delighted to announce our JAMCOT...

If you like Shakespeare, and if you like puns, you will be in ecstasy by the time you've finished today's crossword . And even if you are not a huge fan, we predict that you'll find this crossword to be a hoot. What makes it so special, you ask? Check out today's podcast, where all will be revealed! Show note imagery: The logo of TCM, Turner Classic Movies We love feedback! Sen...

If this crossword were a drink, it would be a chamomile tea. However, it was even better than that: a bliss-inducing, soul-lifting crossword. We certainly feel happier for having solved it, and we hope you'll feel the same for having listened to this podcast! Show note imagery: PTOWN, aka Provincetown, Cape Cod We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a...

Several clues in today's crossword gave both cohosts reason to pause. Most notably we had a debut at 6D, Aesthetic associated with classical literature and vintage fashion, DARKACADEMIA; we also had the mysterious 1D, Cool, in streaming slang, POG; and we were intrigued to discover 62D, ID whose lowest possibility is 001-01-0001, SSN.  In addition to these fascinating clues, we have a fascina...