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
Friday, January 31, 2025 - Hasta la vista, January
This is the last NYTimes crossword of the month, and we're going out on a high note, thanks to Adrian Johnson, who has crafted such an awesome crossword that if we had to pick the best clue we'd be sorely tempted to respond with "all of them". To hear why, check out today's podcast, where we go over some of our favorites. We also have a spot of equally awesome listener mail, so check that out as well. Show note imagery: a SMARTPILL, and the 3rd most likely cause for screaming at a doctor's of...
1 Helmi 12min
Thursday, January 30, 2025 - A review of Edward Gibbon's little known work, The Rise and Fall of the NYTimes Thursday Crossword 😀 😀
Today's crossword had another one of those patented "NYTimes Clever Themes" this one courtesy of Joe Marquez. Jean latched onto it straight off, Mike took an order of magnitude longer before the light, belatedly, dawned. Still, better latte than Nespresso, as they say at Starbucks 🙄 Show note imagery: A FATCAT We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com. Also, we're on FaceBook, so feel free to drop by there and strike...
1 Helmi 14min
Wednesday, January 29, 2025 - No BADEGGS in this crossword!
This was a tricky Wednesday, thanks mainly to its clever theme (created by Sophia Maymudes, adroitly edited by Will Shortz). We have nothing but good things to say about it, although we are now on tenterhooks wondering what Thursday will bring. Just a reminder that our show notes always include a link to the wonderful website xwordinfo.com, where you can find a completed version of the day's crossword (i.e., a massive spoiler, but also massively useful), look up clues and answers, etc. If yo...
30 Tammi 17min
Tuesday, January 28, 2025 - ALL RISE! because, um, ALL RISE is in the grid 🙄😉
This was an intriguing Tuesday crossword by Dan Margolis -- his 5th in the NYTimes. The theme was delicious (literally), and indeed the grid was rife with food for thought, including 3D, Cookie with its name on it, OREO; 52D, _______ ghanouj, BABA; and 58D, _______ slaw, COLE. Yum! Also, today being Tuesday, we have another Triplet Tuesday™ segment, and this time Mike's in the hotseat. To find out how he did, all you need to do is (gently) hit subscribe / download / play. Show note imagery:...
29 Tammi 15min
Monday, January 27, 2025 - TAPAS and SWISSROLLs and BRIE? Great in a grid, not so great on a plate 😀
This was a clever Monday crossword from a clever constructor, Alexander Liebeskind, who seems to excel at Mondays. Both cohosts found today's puzzle a bit crunchier (tougher) than usual, but the entertainment value was higher than usual, so it's a wash. Deets inside, including a fascinating attempt to decode SMH that was, TBH, waaaaay off. Show note imagery: a SWISSROLL -- the Little Debbie edition We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line,...
28 Tammi 14min
Sunday, January 26, 2025 - Hop on the re-bus 🙄
Today's crossword was a rarity -- its themed clues had pictures 🖼️ that had to be interpreted 🧐, as they were part of a rebus. By "rebus", we don't mean the "multiple letters scrunched in one square" variety, encountered frequently on Thursdays. Rather, we mean the more traditional definition: a puzzle in which pictures and typography are used to sound out an answer. This made for a challenging. but entertaining Sunday: as always, deets within! Show note imagery: Some TAICHI practitioners W...
27 Tammi 30min
Saturday, January 25, 2025 - Begone, you ARMRESTHOG, you!
Today's crossword, by Michael Lieberman, was a bear (not the growly kind, obviously, but one of the tougher-leaning Saturday NYTimes crosswords). It was an excellent mental workout, and the cluing really was deviously delicious, just the way we like it! For those of you just starting to solve NYTimes crosswords, just a reminder that the Saturday NYTimes puzzle is traditionally the most difficult crossword of the week, with difficulty ranging from "yikes" to "you have got to be kidding!". So i...
26 Tammi 18min
