Wednesday, January 8, 2024 - ARROYO, fun to say, fun to spell, *essential* to solving today's crossword!

Today's crossword, by Laura Dershewitz, was her third for the NYTimes, and it was grand. Both cohosts found it a little crunchier (i.e., tougher) than usual, Mike more so than Jean, stymied as he too often is by his arch nemeses -- pop culture references and Spanish. Jean was mainly temporarily at a loss at 64A, Papal vestment, ORALE. Both eventually got the puzzle solved, Jean reporting a decent time, Mike reporting ... a very large number. tldr: we liked the crossword, a lot -- check out t...