July 26, 2023 - We are AMPED about today's crossword (and the discovery of the CLUAN 😀)

This crossword was the embodiment of what makes the NYTimes Crossword so outstanding: a fantabulous theme amid a sea of novel and some LOL supporting clues. Just check out today's podcast, and then ra...

23 Touko 202515min

There was art in today's grid -- specifically at 29A, "The most beautiful deception of all," per Debussy, ART, and more generally, everywhere else; because only the most artful of crosswords make thei...

22 Touko 202513min

This was Rena Cohen's first Tuesday crossword, and like the other three that she has constructed for the NYTimes, it was excellent: a brilliant theme and a constellation of ingenious clues made the wh...

21 Touko 202518min

This was a fun, fast, frothy Monday crossword. It would be a great crossword to solve with the young'uns, for reasons that will become evident as you listen to today's episode. Also, as presaged in ye...

20 Touko 20258min

Today's crossword seemed (to at least one of our cohosts) to be slightly crunchier than the usual Sunday, thanks to clues like 3D, "Ci vediamo in giro!" , CIAO; 70A, Pauperism, so to speak, RAGS (um, ...

19 Touko 202514min

This was an excellent Saturday crossword -- with some Ginsu-knife-sharp cluing, and just a light dusting of pop culture references -- which is precisely the reason why it is now the latest winner of o...

18 Touko 202515min

Today's puzzle was a trifle easier than your typical Friday, which means -- by the Law of Conservation of Crossword Difficulty™️ -- you can expect tomorrow's crossword to be a morsel harder (on averag...

17 Touko 202517min

This marks Simeon Siegel's 17th crossword since 2020, and while he might not be OVERPROUD, it is most certainly something to celebrate. The theme was particularly NOteworthy, and, YES, we meant to wri...

16 Touko 202513min