Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword
1,437 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★★ - 24 ratingsA short, fun and occasionally not unintentionally educational podcast in which two fans of the New York Times crossword describe their puzzle-solving travails.
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Episodes
Friday, February 12, 2021
February 13, 2021 02:00 - 9 minutes - 6.6 MBSend us a Text Message. A RESPITE from some of the harder Friday crosswords we had lately, in both Jean and Mike's wheelhouses. Jean appreciated the XXX stack, 39D, Adult and then some, XXXRATED (crossed with 38A, Goes past, EXCEEDS, 41A, It may be added to the mix, CHEX (very nice!), and the slightly more obscure 45A, Beast vanquished by Oedipus, SPHINX. Mike appreciated not having to spell OCCAM's razor twice in two days, but was glad to see EDASNER (64A, Player of Warren Buffett in "Too ...
Thursday, February 11, 2021
February 12, 2021 02:00 - 12 minutes - 8.83 MBSend us a Text Message. A terrific Thursday effort by Alex Eaton-Salners, who uses the plural form of words to great COMEDIEDIEFFECT, creating a truly COFFOOTFOOTABLE-worthy crossword. And if that last sentence made no sense, today's podcast will make it all clear. Both Jean and Mike learned something in today's crossword -- Jean, for instance, learned about 20A, Communist party systems, APPARATS; Mike learned that he did not know how to spell the answer to 1D, Razor handle?, OCCAM, and t...
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
February 11, 2021 03:00 - 9 minutes - 6.23 MBSend us a Text Message. AND by for a UPENDOUS crossword by Kate Hawkins, and in case you haven't guessed by now, the theme involved STOUT, as in getting the ST OUT of various clues. Mike's favorite was 37A, The main characters of "Brokeback Mountain", e.g.?, RANGEBEDFELLOWS, while Jean was partial to 57A, Gross messages?, ICKYNOTES. Jean just had a small typo that slowed her down --RANGEBEDPELLOWS sounds like something you might buy at Bed, Bath and Beyond (not a sponsor, but here's hoping)...
Tuesday, February 9, 2021
February 10, 2021 02:00 - 9 minutes - 6.52 MBSend us a Text Message. There's a lot of clothing in today's crossword, and we are advised to hold onto it, with clues that, in a fairly straightforward manner (it is a Tuesday), resolve to KEEPYOURSHIRTON, HANGONTOYOURHAT, and TIGHTENYOURBELT. There were a few interesting juxtapositions - 13D, Understanding, KEN, was followed by 18D, What a "Y" with a pair of horizontal lines through it is the symbol of, YEN; and while this is a bit of a stretch, 58D, Clumsy boat, TUB, near 60D, Drinking g...
Monday, February 8, 2021
February 09, 2021 02:00 - 9 minutes - 6.38 MBSend us a Text Message. A stylish Monday crossword starts our puzzle-solving week. Jean got momentarily got hung up on 5A, The five weekdays, for short, writing MTWRF, rather than the NYTimes officially sanctioned MTWTF, begging the question, what day is T, and how would you interpret TGIT. Mike got hung up on culture -- 1A Actress / TV host _______- Pinkett Smith offered no help, so he turned to 1D, Liz's best friend on "30 Rock", and realized that he would have to let the crosses do the ...
Sunday, February 7, 2021
February 08, 2021 01:00 - 10 minutes - 7.33 MBSend us a Text Message. A weally gweat cwossword, with an intewesting theme -- Toddler Talk, to be precise. Jean made short order of this puzzle, as usual; Mike was surprised to discover the existence of SCHWAS, in 107A, Beginning and end of "America"; stunned to discover that KLEES was a real word; and disappointed that his bones didn't come with labels, so that he could've figured out 103D, Hip bone (ILIAC) more quickly. A nice Sunday crossword, we give it a 5 squares on the world-famous ...
Saturday, February 6, 2021
February 07, 2021 02:00 - 8 minutes - 6.04 MBSend us a Text Message. A fairly gentle crossword (for a Saturday): Jean tore through it so quickly her keyboard melted! Some of the clues were quite straightforward (14A, Princess of Monaco, STEPHANIE, and 21D, Give it some time, BEPATIENT). Others were humorous -- 41A, Government program?, THEWESTWING, and 24A, A real tour de force?, STARWARS. Still others required some very specific knowledge, e.g., 16A, ______ Hufflepuff, one of the co-founders of Hogwarts, HELGA, and the novel 50A, Mus...
Friday, February 5, 2021
February 06, 2021 02:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MBSend us a Text Message. Uh, oh, it's an Erik Agard Friday puzzle - red alert! Dictionaries and thesauri up! Jean was highly impressed with the look of the grid (and you can see it, as usual, at xwordinfo.com). Mike was more impressed with the difficulty: he had to scan so far down the list of clues to find one that he could answer that he inadvertently rolled into Thursday! There were a few outre clues - 38A, Product from Bevel or Oui the People, RAZOR; 31D, Language in which you might be g...
Thursday, February 4, 2021
February 05, 2021 02:00 - 9 minutes - 6.27 MBSend us a Text Message. A very colorful and melodic Thursday crossword, with rebuses containing Green, Yellow, Black, and White, all parts of song titles. There were oldies -- like 32A. 1966 hit by the Rolling Stones, PAINTITBLACK, 61A, 1966 hit by the Beatles, YELLOWSUBMARINE, and much more modern fare, like 38D, 2017 hit by Cardi B, BODAKYELLOW. Jean worked expeditiously through the puzzle, while Mike, despite momentarily confusing JOHNDEERE with JOHNDENVER, and KODAK with BODAK, manage...
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
February 04, 2021 04:00 - 7 minutes - 4.94 MBSend us a Text Message. A crossword in honor of 35A, Civil rights icon who led a historic march from Selma to Montgomery on 3/7/1965, JOHNLEWIS. Four clues celebrated the great man's life, including a truly iconic phrase, 58A, Oxymoronic coinage of 35-Across, GOODTROUBLE. There were some amusing non-theme related clues of note, including 14A, Unit of courage?, OUNCE, and the somewhat curiously clued 41D, Utters a sound, informally, SAYSBOO: to which we will not say BOOHOO, because this cros...
Tuesday, February 2, 2021
February 03, 2021 03:00 - 13 minutes - 9.09 MBSend us a Text Message. Jean tore through today's crossword so quickly her computer almost overheated, while Mike ... got through it, although he had some issues at the junction of 17D, Financial expert Suze, ORMAN, and 20A, Riddle-me-________, REE, which to him still sounds like a typo (although of course it is not: the New York Times crossword quality control is legendary). There were a few TIL (Today-I-Learned) moments, including 1A, ________ Garden, London district know for diamond tra...
Monday, February 1, 2021
February 02, 2021 03:00 - 8 minutes - 5.96 MBSend us a Text Message. A fine Monday crossword, and.a great start to Black History Month, with appearances by Malcom X, Wiz Khalifa, Marvin Gaye and the Black Eyed Peas. A few educational clues were scattered throughout, for instance, 47A, ________ Trench (deepest point on earth), MARIANAS, 27D, Fifth-most-common family name in China, CHEN, and the curious 36D, Circular windows, OCULI. We rate it a 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswo...
Sunday, January 31, 2021
February 01, 2021 01:00 - 11 minutes - 8.12 MBSend us a Text Message. A nice way to wrap up the week and the month, with a clever crossword by Jim Hilger -- all about product (mis)placement. Several common phrases had a noun replaced by a product -- for instance, 38A, Reason that the prestigious scientific journal refuses articles from President Herbert's relatives?, NATUREABHORSAHOOVER, and 97A Adding a historic ship as a deal sweetener, THROWINGINTHEBOUNTY. Very nice! Remember, if you want to subscribe to the New York Times crosswor...
Saturday, January 30, 2021
January 31, 2021 01:00 - 13 minutes - 9.19 MBSend us a Text Message. We weren't quite PASTED by Nam Jin Yoon's Saturday spectacular, but it definitely took a while for us to GETGOING on this one, as there were a lot of tricky (and fascinating) clues. The winner in that category was surely 32D, Amphibian that Ogden Nash once rhymed with "bottle", AXOLOTL, with honorable mention going to 19D, Holding up the line for?, CUING. There were quite a few new-to-us names -- 46D, Actress Rowlands, GENA, 19A, "Between the World and Me" author, 20...
Friday, January 29, 2021
January 30, 2021 02:00 - 11 minutes - 7.61 MBSend us a Text Message. The phrase, "a Robyn Weintraub crossword is a thing of beauty" has not made it into common speech yet, but it should, because her crosswords really are extraordinary. Consider just a few splendid examples -- 14A, Choice for those eager to retire and travel?, SLEEPERCAR, or 12A, Union deserters, EXES, or 51A, State in which you might get a tax deduction, PARENTHOOD. Brilliant, the lot of them! We give this an enthusiastic 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. Remember that y...
Thursday, January 28, 2021
January 29, 2021 03:00 - 13 minutes - 8.97 MBSend us a Text Message. You might have to TOIL to figure out today's theme, and we ENVY those who could readily SEE it -- the combination of a precisely placed comma and the addition of an ILY suffix. Apart from the decidedly quirky clues dictated by that theme, there were a few memorable ones -- 57A, Follower of pigs or cows, EIEIO, and 26A, 90s, say, AAVERAGE., ETC ANDSUCH. We give it a 4 on the JAMCR scale. Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, [email protected]...
Wednesday, January 27, 2021
January 28, 2021 02:00 - 10 minutes - 6.93 MBSend us a Text Message. If yesterday's crossword left you in a FUNK, then you can RELAX, because today's puzzle AMPS up the AHAS, and drops the number of Z's to practically zero. Jean's favorite clue was 61A, "I only got a seventh-grade education, but I have a doctorate in ________", James Brown, FUNK; Mike also loved that clue, but if forced to pick a different favorite, he'd go for 69A, Part of w.p.m., Abbr., WDS -- simply because of the meta-ness of an abbreviation of an acronym. We giv...
Tuesday, January 26, 2021
January 27, 2021 03:00 - 16 minutes - 11.4 MBSend us a Text Message. YAWN, there are certainly a lot of ZEES in this puzzle, it's making us SLEEPY ... Nope, jk, we're fully awake, in fact startled, perhaps, by the crunchiness of today's puzzle. Exhibit A is 17A, Having panache, PIZZAZZY, and 35A, State that many people want to get to on vacation?, STRESSLESSNESS, It was a very ZESTY puzzle indeed! For Tip Tuesday, Jean suggests committing to memory the names Ernie Els, Mel Ott, and Arthur Ashe, while Mike suggests app settings to exp...
Monday, January 25, 2021
January 26, 2021 03:00 - 7 minutes - 5.49 MBSend us a Text Message. EGAD there's a lot of firing going on in today's crossword -- the theme was YOUREFIRED, and 4 answers were two word phrases with the last word being a synonym for being fired -- CAN, AXE, SACK and BOOT. MERCY! In other news, EPEE got a rest today, in lieu of which we had 23A, Old weapon in hand-to-hand combat, BATTLEAXE. In lieu of UGG, we had a much rarer if not debut clue, 53A, Bit of fashionable footwear, ANKLEBOOT. Jean was temporarily misled at 52A, English ...
Sunday, January 24, 2021
January 25, 2021 03:00 - 13 minutes - 9.32 MBSend us a Text Message. Warning: if you are addicted to chocolate, you might want to avoid today's puzzle, because it's awash in cocoa-based-deliciousness. There are a number of punny clues, each of which is a combination of two candies, many of which involve chocolate. Jean did her usual tear through the crossword, Mike got naticked at the juncture of 48D, Got hip, with "up", WISED, and 60A, Links grp., USGA. It turns out that the UPGA, Upper Peninsula Golf Association, is a thing, and WIP...
Saturday, January 23, 2021
January 24, 2021 02:00 - 17 minutes - 12 MBSend us a Text Message. This was a glorious Saturday crossword, with Doug Peterson & Brad Wilbert pulling out all the stops! From 1A, Bands popular in the '70s, MOODRINGS, and 1D, Sight in a produce aisle, MIST, to 56A, Franchise with the "Dominating the Deep" DVD set, SHARKWEEK, and 30D, Things that generate a lot of cookie dough?, BAKESALES, they did not give an inch. Jean had trouble on the APORT side of the crossword, while Mike was done in by 43A, Nut chewed as a stimulant, KOLA, whic...
Friday, January 22, 2021
January 23, 2021 03:00 - 15 minutes - 10.4 MBSend us a Text Message. A nice Friday puzzle by Daniel Larsen, with some deliciously deceptive cluing -- e.g., 37D, When a poser might be presented?, PHOTOOP, 38D, Place for a stud, EARLOBE, 12D, Pot supporters, TRIVETS, and Mike's favorite, 33A, Two swings and a slide, maybe, PLAYSET. Jean finished the puzzle in 18 minutes. Mike also took 18 minutes, alas, 2.5 of them. Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, [email protected]. Also, we're on FaceBook, so feel free...
Thursday, January 21, 2021
January 22, 2021 02:00 - 14 minutes - 10.2 MBSend us a Text Message. It's a twisty, turny crossword, a technical tour de force by Daniel Mauer. Jean solved it, Mike tried to solve it STAT, but did not find it a SNAP, so his streak, once again, DIED, as did, apparently, MRPEANUT (according to 37D, Classic figure, killed off in a 2019 Super Bowl ad campaign). Our latest contest is now ongoing -- if you are the first person to send an email to [email protected] with the subject "Yes, please!" then you will win a one-year subs...
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
January 21, 2021 03:00 - 12 minutes - 8.65 MBSend us a Text Message. Today's crossword was written by Andy Kravis, Natan Last, and the J.A.S.A. Crossword Class, so the adage "too many cooks spoil the broth" does not apply here, since this was a very tasty morsel indeed. Jean tore through it, of course, while Mike panicked while answering 1A, "God is the perfect ______", Robert Browning, writing POEM, thereby leading him to conclude that the answer to 4D, One up, for example, was MIED. Fortunately, the ONEPERCENT of his neurons that w...
Tuesday, January 19, 2021
January 20, 2021 03:00 - 12 minutes - 8.66 MBSend us a Text Message. This ingenious crossword really takes the CAKE, and, no, we are not SORRY that we wrote that 😀 Besides the themed clues (two word phrases, both of which could take CAKE as a suffix, e.g., FRUITCUP = FRUITCAKE + CUPCAKE), it had other interesting clues: 62A, World's largest terrestrial arthropod, COCONUTCRAB, the witty 47D, Figure of speech?, ORATOR, and the curious 20A, Case for small toiletries, ETUI. Speaking of which, ETUI and AMAH were Jean's Tip Tuesday tips; M...
Monday, January 18, 2021
January 19, 2021 03:00 - 10 minutes - 7.36 MBSend us a Text Message. OHO, a themed Monday crossword, that's IDEAL. Although CAIROILLINOIS and HAVANAILLINOIS inexplicably didn't make the cut, DARN, we were glad to see ATHENSGEORGIA. PARISTEXAS, NAPLESFLORIDA and TOLEDOOHIO get their 15 minutes. Sometime this week we will be giving away a year's subscription to the New York Times Crossword, so be sure to keep listening, and be ready, at the drop of a hat, to drop us a line ([email protected]) in order to win. Contact Info: ...
Sunday, January 17, 2021
January 18, 2021 02:00 - 18 minutes - 12.9 MBSend us a Text Message. This was an AONE crossword, with an iinnteresting tthheme, and a rebus that crammed more letters into a square than there are MESONS in the dot at the end of this sentence. As usual, there were a few surprises for Mike -- 61A, Prominent women's rights lawyer, GLORIAALLRED, and 55D, Lesser Antilles native, CARIB -- that is to say, a human being, not to be confused with a non-human bean, aka CAROB. Sometime this week we'll be offering another chance to win a year's su...
Saturday, January 16, 2021
January 17, 2021 02:00 - 12 minutes - 8.94 MBSend us a Text Message. It's a Saturday Sam Ezersky puzzle, with 6 LETHALLY long answers, but lots of fun clues to keep you entertained. It starts off brilliantly with 1A, Be in charge ... as a doctor?, CALLTHESHOTS, and 13A, Remains to be seen, MUSEUMEXHIBIT:. The rest of the crossword does not disappoint, either. There are some educational clues -- 22A, Small hybrid instrument with 6 strings, GUITALELE, 43D, Historic town NW of London where some of the Harry Potter series was filmed, BUSH...
Friday, January 15, 2021
January 16, 2021 02:00 - 13 minutes - 9.57 MBSend us a Text Message. A great Friday crossword, with lots of punny clues and fun facts (appropriate, since it's Fun Fact Friday). Jean's favorite was 41D, Frost accumulation, POEMS. Mike was fond of 35A, Shower heads, perhaps, MAIDSOFHONOR. Apparently 48A, Complete loss of identity, EGODEATH, is a thing, as is 34D, Fashion designer's portfolio, LOOKBOOK (which Mike had temporarily had as LOOTBOOK, but that turns out to be a Thief's portfolio). This week's fun fact was the origin of UNCLE...
Thursday, January 14, 2021
January 15, 2021 02:00 - 12 minutes - 8.66 MBSend us a Text Message. We are INLOVE with this AONE crossword, ITSSAFE to say that it was one of the best puzzles out this year. The theme, SPINTHEBOTTLE, fed into a series of rebuses (rebusi?) that needs to be seen (as it can be, at xwordinfo.com) to be believed. The rest of the crossword was of the same awesome quality, with tight cluing and some interesting new words (we're looking at you, 23D, Relevance of text, in librarian's lingo, ABOUTNESS). All in all, a fabulous piece of work by...
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
January 14, 2021 02:00 - 9 minutes - 6.56 MBSend us a Text Message. What do you get when you cross a film title with a basketball player? Today's crossword, evidently. Now for those of you who might not be basketball fans, you might want to cry UNCLE, but JUST stick with it, put in a TEENIE bit of effort, and you'll succeed, we do not JEST! We give this a 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, [email protected]. Also, we're on FaceBook, so feel free to drop by there and strike ...
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
January 13, 2021 02:00 - 11 minutes - 7.87 MBSend us a Text Message. Ross Trudeau, creator of the New York Times mini-crosswords, scales it up to author today's puzzle. Jean did it effortlessly, Mike stumbled because 24A, They aren't what they appear to be, was not only a good clue, it also characterized his answer -- SCAMS -- as opposed to the correct answer, SHAMS. Still, he took comfort in knowing that THISTOOSHALLPASS. It was Tip Tuesday, and we had a plethora of them, so be sure and listen to get the skinny. Contact Info: We ...
Monday, January 11, 2021
January 12, 2021 02:00 - 8 minutes - 5.96 MBSend us a Text Message. A gentle Monday puzzle, perfect for the newer crossword solvers in the audience. It had a rather rye, um, no, make that wry, theme involving DELI food, but other than that the HQ (Humor Quotient) was relatively low, with just one real knee-slapper -- 5D, Without exception ... as in dry countries?, BARNONE. A few old favorites made a reappearance -- 23A, Olive ___ (Popeye's sweetie), OYL, and 67A, Popular vodka brand, for short, STOLI, safely positioned on the opposit...
Sunday, January 10, 2021
January 11, 2021 02:00 - 12 minutes - 8.47 MBSend us a Text Message. Yesterday we ran into ANUBIS, and today we have 40A, Supreme Egyptian deity, AMONRA -- so tomorrow's forecast is for OSIRIS, with a chance of ISIS later in the week. Speaking of AMONRA, apparently there are multiple spellings -- AMONRA, AMENRA and AMUNRA are all acceptable variants. That caused Mike no end of grief, as it naticked with 36D, Base of an arch, which he took to be an arcane architectural term, SELE, rather than, as Jean readily discovered, SOLE. There w...
Saturday, January 9, 2021
January 10, 2021 02:00 - 15 minutes - 10.6 MBSend us a Text Message. Today's crossword was a tad easier than yesterday's -- Jean did it somewhat more quickly, and Mike cleaved an astonishing 2h30m off of his Friday time 😎. While not as difficult as some Saturdays, the clues were still quite interesting -- 17A, Marked by stately beauty, JUNOESQUE, 19A, Accessory that might have a netsuke attached, OBI, and the possibly contractually-obligated Simpsons reference, 46D, __________ Hayden, actress who voices Milihouse on "The Simpsons", P...
Friday, January 8, 2021
January 09, 2021 03:00 - 13 minutes - 9.14 MBSend us a Text Message. We kickoff our second season -- well, to be precise, the second episode of our second season -- with a challenging (of course!) Friday crossword. Jean got through it relatively easily, aided and abetted by her encyclopedic knowledge of women's cosmetic products. It's fun-fact Friday, and in today's episode we take an in-depth look at the (un)official cookie of the New York Times crossword, the Oreo -- first sold (and presumably eaten) on March 6, 1912, in Hoboken,...
Thursday, January 7, 2021
January 08, 2021 02:00 - 9 minutes - 6.48 MBSend us a Text Message. This was a crossword WITHATWIST, or as the crossword constructors would have it, WIXXXXWIST, that made for a very exciting Thursday solve. Jean tore through it blazingly quickly, as usual, whereasMike took forever, no, STRIKETHAT, a tad longer. 1D seemed to be a bit of a stretch -- Sunburn cause, for short, UVWAVE -- but considering the virtuoso-performance everywhere else, we'll cut Matthew Stock and Sid Sivakumar a break. Definitely a 5 squares on the JAMCR scAle. ...
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
January 07, 2021 02:00 - 10 minutes - 7.13 MBSend us a Text Message. 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. Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, [email protected]. Also, we're on FaceBook, so feel free to drop by there and strike up a conversation!
Tuesday, January 5, 2021
January 06, 2021 01:00 - 13 minutes - 9.58 MBSend us a Text Message. 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 far as we're concerned. For Tip Tuesday, Jean suggests enjoying a beverage to ...
Monday, January 4, 2021
January 05, 2021 02:00 - 7 minutes - 4.92 MBSend us a Text Message. 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, if you wish to comment on anything you hear in this podcast, let us know at...
Sunday, January 3, 2021
January 04, 2021 02:00 - 9 minutes - 6.83 MBSend us a Text Message. 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 -- which, coincidentally, we could not find in this puzzle - it was perrfect! Contac...
Saturday, January 2, 2021
January 03, 2021 01:00 - 10 minutes - 7.53 MBSend us a Text Message. 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. Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, [email protected]. Also, we're on FaceBook, so feel ...
Friday, January 1, 2021
January 02, 2021 01:00 - 11 minutes - 7.82 MBSend us a Text Message. 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 21A, You might get a kick out of this at a restaurant, HOTSAUCE. Remember, you can a...
Thursday, December 31, 2020
January 01, 2021 02:00 - 12 minutes - 8.6 MBSend us a Text Message. 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 within", DURACELL; 38D, Woodchuck of the western U.S., MARMOT, and 23A, Quantity equal to about seve...
Wednesday, December 30, 2020
December 31, 2020 02:00 - 11 minutes - 7.74 MBSend us a Text Message. 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 just the thing to RESCUE you if you are in need of rescuing. We give it a p...
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
December 30, 2020 02:00 - 7 minutes - 5.19 MBSend us a Text Message. 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 up a lot in the New York Times crossword are OGRES and ORCS, while Mike remin...
Monday, December 28, 2020
December 29, 2020 03:00 - 9 minutes - 6.56 MBSend us a Text Message. 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 unsolved. Detectives are on the case! Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a...
Sunday, December 27, 2020
December 28, 2020 02:00 - 8 minutes - 6.03 MBSend us a Text Message. 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, HUGSANDKISSES to the creators, we give this a 5 squares on the JAMCR scal...
Saturday, December 26, 2020
December 27, 2020 02:00 - 11 minutes - 7.79 MBSend us a Text Message. 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. Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, [email protected]. Also, we're on FaceBook, so feel free to drop by the...
Friday, December 25, 2020
December 26, 2020 02:00 - 8 minutes - 6.14 MBSend us a Text Message. 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! Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, [email protected]. Also, we're on F...