Friday, September 17, 2021 - WALLTOWALL Goodness!

This was Tarun Krishnamurthy's third NYTimes crossword: he now has two Mondays and a Tuesday under his belt. Today's opus had an endearing theme and provided us with an opportunity to dive into the FLIER v. FLYER debate. Based on extensive research, we can now conclude, unequivocally, that it should neither be spelled PHLIER (as that is a chemist who tells falsehoods about acidity) nor FLYYYYYYER (uttered by a pilot having an existential crisis). We have a few other (slightly less controversi...

28 Loka 12min

The last few crosswords have been rather on the challenging side and while Will and co. (co, in this case, being collaborators Gary Larson and Doug Peterson) definitely did ease up a bit today, it was still not a walk in the park -- more of a jog uphill. As far as the slope of that hill, Jean would rate it about 2%, Mike estimated it was more like 50%, possibly higher, thanks to several severe spelling challenges (and one or two naticks). Deets inside! Show note imagery: Meet the Parr-f...

27 Loka 17min

Byron Walden has had 110 crosswords published in the NYTimes, of which 71 were Saturdays. If you are wondering why, then take a gander at today's grid, and peek at the podcast; Byron has served up a master class in how to write delectable, diabolically deceptive clues. Deets inside. Show note imagery: PHILO Farnsworth, the "Father of Television" and an expert 31D, Improviser at a workbench, TINKERER We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, cross...

26 Loka 17min

It is hard to believe that today's crossword was a debut, but ... believe it! By turns elegant, hilarious, engaging and definitely taxing, both cohost were decidedly enamored with today's work. We have all the many reasons why inside, so have a listen, and let us know if you concur. In other news, in honor of the day, we have another Fun Fact Friday segment, and we guarantee that, like the fun fact itself, you will either love it or hate it. (We're hoping, of course, for the former!) Show not...

25 Loka 12min

This were a lot of jewels in today's grid, including, well, JOULES (56A, Units equal to roughly a quarter of a calorie). We also were glad to learn the last name of 60A, Lou ___, "Mambo No. 5" singer, BEGA; and the full name of 45A, Star of NBC's "The Blacklist", JAMESSPADER. We confess, we haven't see The Blacklist, and wanted to plead "lack of time" as an excuse; but it was on the air for ten years, and truth be told, we weren't busy the entire time.] Show note imagery: Just waiting for THU...

24 Loka 14min

This was a gem of a Wednesday crossword. The theme was, as you might expect, unexpected: the rest of the grid, as you might also expect, excellent. We covered most of our favorites in today's episode, but we would also like to direct your attention to 11D, Whirling visual effects in video games, PORTALS; 39A, Bubbly bar, SOAP; and 5D, Electroreception for sharks, SENSE. Show note imagery: Lisa Meitner (left) and OTTOHAHN (right), Austrian-Swedish and German chemists, respectively, who p...

23 Loka 13min

Spencer Leach's crosswords have appeared most frequently on Saturday*, meaning he likes to make 'em tough. Todays is his first Tuesday outing, and it is quite good. We'd say more, but since our footnote has mysteriously become almost as long as our usual show note, we'll wrap it up here and remind you to check out today's episode for the full 411 on the puzzle -- as well as an awesome Triplet Tuesday segment. Show note imagery: In the immortal words of Réne Magritte, Ceci n'est pas une ...

22 Loka 15min

This was a nice Monday crossword, the 17th by Adam Aaronson, who is more partial to Saturday but we're glad to see him wander over to this half of the week. Jean tore through the puzzle so quickly her iPad caught fire, whereas Mike's was never at risk. The clues were mainly Monday fare, but we did have the fabulous 2D, End of some sentences, PAROLE (walked right into that one!); the high-falutin' 39D, Aforementioned, VERYSAME; and an apt description of this VERYSAME podcast, 55D, Not interrup...

21 Loka 8min