Saturday, February 8, 2025 - A *perfect* Saturday crossword!
Alina Abidi has crafted a delightful Saturday crossword - tough but fair, with more terrific clues than you can shake a stick at (your mileage may vary depending on your physical prowess and the dimensions of said stick 😀🙄). Among the clues that we were particularly enthralled with were 1A, What may precede a blessing?, ACHOO (nice!); 6A, School whose mascot is Big Al the elephant, informally, BAMA (awesome!!); and 5D, Snap, crackle or pop, ONOMATOPOEIA (even more fun to say than it is to spe...
9 Helmi 16min
Friday, February 7, 2025 - Have a sip of TEXASTEA 🫖
FORMULAIC might've been in the grid, but this Friday crossword was anything but, with 6 debut answers and a lot of decidedly non-conventional cluing throughout the puzzle. Besides those mentioned in the podcast, we enjoyed 16A, Material that goes on a foundation, POWDER, and the delicious 17A, What's holding up dessert?, CONE. In honor of Fun Fact Friday, we have a segment on a cartoon character who won an Academy Award twice, and was partially based on W.C. Fields. Find out who that is, and ...
8 Helmi 14min
Thursday, February 6, 2025 - This crossword's really making a STATEment 😀
This was a fine Thursday crossword by Aidan Deshong and Jacob Reed, most notable for its novel theme. In most Thursday crosswords, something unexpected happens in the grid -- maybe letters are doubled up, displaced, hidden in black squares, etc. But today it is the clues that are camouflaged: the answer is straightforward once you've decoded said clue. We have all the deets inside, so have a listen, and please tell others about us on social media. Show note imagery: It's ALPACA v. LLAMA, who ...
7 Helmi 15min
Wednesday, February 5, 2025 - Today's forecast? 100% chance of a great (and wet 😀) crossword
Jean found today's crossword to be a bit on the crunchy side for a Wednesday, but Mike was able to tap into a vein of esoterica that made his solve much smoother. Both agreed that the theme was unique and witty, and there were no duds in the surrounding fill. In short, this crossword is definitely worth 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. Show note imagery: All hail the WAFFLEFRY, yum! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.c...
6 Helmi 16min
Tuesday, February 4, 2025 - GEORGIA -- on our mind and in the grid!
This was a fun, fun crossword, due in large part to a theme that just radiates joy -- not enough that the EPA had to get involved, but enough that you'll definitely want to tackle the crossword, and then check out this podcast -- in that order! Show note imagery: Me and My Gal, a movie in which JAKE gets used a surprising number of times to denote the concept of something that's OK/fine/satisfactory. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, cros...
5 Helmi 15min
Monday, February 3, 2025 - KENDO? Can do! 😀
This was a fine Monday crossword by Jack Scherban, and we're not just saying that because it referenced our phonetically favorite pirate, 60A, Captain Hook's right-hand man, SMEE, nor our favorite dessert, 37D, Black-and-white dessert that's sliced, OREOPIE. Rather, it was the theme, which brought back nostalgic memories (as well as a short-lived and, come to think of it, largely imaginary coughing spell 😉). Show note imagery: Thomas Stearns ELIOT, or, as he was known to his friends, T.S. ELI...
4 Helmi 10min
Sunday, February 2, 2025 - MRMACGOO, meet MRSDASH 😀
This was an extraordinary Sunday crossword, thanks to one of those "oh, I can't believe they did that!" themes that makes crossword solving such an utter delight. This delight came to us courtesy of Derrick Niederman (edited, as always, by Will Shortz), and we will be savoring it for a loooong time to come. To find out exactly why, and possibly how long is loooong, download today's episode (and don't forget to hit subscribe, so you never miss any future installments!). Show note imagery: The ...
3 Helmi 25min
Saturday, February 1, 2025 - Yup, thar be DIAMONDS in that thar grid! 🙄
This was a relatively straightforward Saturday: Jean got through it in record time, and posited that it was too straightforward. Mike knew better than to tempt fate, and so just nodded, noncommittally, on the diagonal -- neither yes, nor no. Besides the crossword, we are pleased to announce our latest JAMCOTWA -- Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award -- winner, and that would be ... easily discoverable, if you download today's episode, which we hope you will do posthaste! Show note ...
2 Helmi 11min
