Sunday, February 16, 2025 - CHOCULA, SKORs, and DEEPFRIEDOREOS, so ... not the *healthiest* crossword ever 😉
This was a fun Sunday crossword by John Kugelman, even if 9 out of 10 cardiologists would recommend you eschew most of the foods in the grid. We've seen John's name in the marquee before, had a notion that good things were about to happen, and were not disappointed. Every themed answer made us smile if not lol, and the rest of the grid was filled with crisply-clued answers. Deets inside (as well as spoilers everywhere you look, so make sure you try the crossword first and then have a listen)....
17 Helmi 16min
Saturday, February 15, 2025 - CERTS - no longer at your grocer's, but at least they're still in the grid 😋
This was a challenging puzzle -- as Saturday crosswords are engineered to be the toughest of the week -- but it also presented some DIVINE clues, including 24D, Places for subs, BENCH (delightful!); 21D, They cover top stories, INSULATIONS (ok, that was unexpected!); 28A, Things put into decks, TAPES (what are those again? 😀); and many, many more. Most of those we cover in today's podcast, and we also have a rare twofer for the JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award), so have a l...
16 Helmi 19min
Friday, February 14, 2025 - ♫ Love is in the air ♬ ... and in the grid ❤️!
While Friday crosswords are traditionally themeless, today's grid was rife with subtle, almost ninja-like Valentine's Day references. That's not to detract from the rest of the grid. We were fans of 51D, One-eyed "Futurama" character, LEELA (oh, please reboot that series!); 53D, One sporting a sporran, maybe, SCOT (okay, maybe we do subscribe to Popular Sporran, what about it? 😀 😀); 61A, "Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat" poet, ELIOT (sporran and Skimbleshanks in one grid? Heart be still!)...
15 Helmi 11min
Thursday, February 13, 2025 - This crossword *rocks* -- must be all that heavy metal 😉
This is Jim Burch's seventh NYTimes crossword. He seems to have taken up residence on the tougher side of the week, with all of his crosswords appearing on Thursday (2), Friday (4) or Saturday (1). This was on the easier side of the spectrum, but still a challenge: as always, YMMV depending on what's in your wheelhouse. Deets inside, as well as the resolution of the Great BELLLAP mystery! Show note imagery: Federal land in NEVADA (shown here in pink), takes up 84% of the state by area! We lov...
14 Helmi 17min
Wednesday, February 12, 2025 - RAH, Sir Michael PALIN is in the grid!
One of our favorite comedians -- Sir Michael PALIN -- is in today's grid, and if you have not heard of him, don't walk, but run to your nearest video source and check out Monty Python, for some absolutely transcendent humor. Then, come back and check out today's podcast for some wry remarks, none of which involve breadstuffs of any kind 🙄 Show. note imagery: The castle of ARGOS, in, appropriately, the city of ARGOS, Greece. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener ma...
13 Helmi 18min
Tuesday, February 11, 2025 - There were REAMS of good clues in today's crossword (spoiler alert: and no bad ones 😍)!
Like all good Tuesday crosswords, today's had some clues that might make you pause, like 34A, Assignments, POSTS (ah, those sorts of assignments); 17A, Emoji that means "I'm crazy about you!", HEARTEYES (😍); and the fun to say 50A, Betting setting, RENO. Speaking of which, we'll bet that you'll enjoy today's Triplet Tuesday segment, so without further ado, we will write no further, and let you get on with listening! Show note imagery: The original MUSCLEHEAD! We love feedback! Send us a text....
12 Helmi 16min
Monday, February 10, 2025 - The name's ANN, ... RAGGEDYANN 😁
This was an admirable Monday crossword by Emily Rourke, thanks in no small part to an ingenious theme about ... which we will say no more here, as we loathe spoilers as much as you undoubtedly do, dear listeners. However, we do have much to say about the theme in the actual podcast, aka spoiler-central. Show note imagery: TOA Skylark, by Percy Bysshe Shelley (whose middle name is the bane of would-be spelling bee champions since ... forever) We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: W...
11 Helmi 13min
Sunday, February 9, 2025 - A REally Super Sunday (and, nope, that was *not* a typo)
Some sort of major sporting event was taking place today, but both cohosts (working independently, as is their wont) still found time to tackle this excellent crossword, and while each fumbled a few times along the way, they both eventually got to the "happy-music" zone, and performed the traditional "we finished the crossword" dance of celebration. Deets inside, and, we promise no more Super Bowl puns! Show note imagery: A CHURRO, a Mexican pastry We love feedback! Send us a text... Co...
10 Helmi 14min
