Tuesday, December 10, 2024 - The answer might be UGLI, but the clue is beautiful 😀

A challenging debut (!) crossword by Jess Rucks. Our intrepid cohosts found said challenge in different areas of the grid, Jean in the mid east, Mike in the northwest. But, after exploring their respective mind palaces - Jean's approximately the size of Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Mike's approximately the size of a pup tent you can find for sale at the REI in Green Bay, Wisconsin - they were able to seal the deal. We have all the deets inside, as well as the big reveal - this week's JAMCOTWA (...

14 Huhti 202416min

A challenging Friday crossword by Evan Kalish, although not as difficult as some crosswords, it did take at least one of our cohosts a while to get any traction. But once they did, ..., well, it still took them a tranche of time to solve, and they enjoyed every minute of it! Although we covered most of the peg-the-awesomeness-meter clues in today's episode, another that deserves mention is 11D, Misidentification in the DC Universe, ITSAPLANE, very nice! Show note imagery: TIBET, roof of the ...

13 Huhti 202410min

A delightful Thursday crossword by reliably delightful crossword constructor Dan Caprera, today's puzzle has much to commend it. The theme is spot on, and while the rest of the puzzle is based on tougher than usual clues, it is all for a good cause -- as you will hear in today's exciting episode! Show note imagery: Some of the many OLIVETREES painted by Vincent Van Gogh We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com. Also...

12 Huhti 202421min

Today's crossword was Bill Thompson's 10th NYTimes publication, and based on this, we can't wait for his 11th. The theme was extremely clever, and there were OCEANS of great clues, including 55D, "Gee, I wish I was back in the _______" (song from "White Christmas"), ARMY; an APPLEBETTY alternative, perhaps, 30D, Linzer _________ (pastry); and 42D, 1965 film starring George Segal that was set in a P.O.W. camp, KINGRAT. So, even though this crossword was a tad crunchier than usual, we found it...

11 Huhti 202417min

Today's crossword had a fine theme -- discussed herein -- but the rest of the clues also did their part. We particularly enjoyed 4D, Lady Gaga hit included on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list, BADROMANCE (BADROMANCE, but great song!); 59A, Occam's _________, RAZOR (when you need to trim a conspiracy theory down to size); and the slightly perplexing 25D, Field for a voice major, maybe OPERA (🎶) Beyond the crossword, we also have a grand Triplet Tuesday segment, so do have...

10 Huhti 202414min

A fine and timely crossword by Peter Gordon (his 128th!!) , celebrating that rare celestial event, an incoming asteroid that only Bruce Willis can ... no, scratch that, the juxtaposition of the sun and moon causing much confusion among animals and consternation among newscasters. We are speaking, of course, of today's eclipse, and Peter Gordon, the author of today's fine crossword, also has something to say on the subject. To find out what that was, we cordially invite you to have a listen to...

9 Huhti 202411min

Depending on which cohost you ask, today's crossword was either a) a delicious piece o' cake, or b) the inspiration for Edvard Munch's The Scream. Both agreed that it was an intriguing crossword, thanks to a clever theme that exploited the observation that duplicate letters can form homonyms -- YYs (wise), EEs (ease), PPs (peas), etc., etc. Deets inside, so please have a listen, and feel free (no pressure!) to leave us a 5 star review from wherever you happen to get your podcasts. Show...

8 Huhti 202415min

Today's crossword was jaw-droppingly difficult, each clue handcrafted to be more devious than the one that preceded it. From 44A, Notably circular formations on Mars, DUNES (they have dunes on Mars? cool!), to 48A, Flowers that are a a source of the anti-inflammatory drug colchicine, CROCI (woah!), to even 45A, Cup alternative, PINT (gasp!), it is clear that the intent of this puzzle was to puzzle, and it does so in spades. We have all the deets inside, as well as our JAMCOTWA - Jean An...

7 Huhti 202420min