Thursday, January 30, 2025 - A review of Edward Gibbon's little known work, The Rise and Fall of the NYTimes Thursday Crossword 😀 😀

It's a tough but ultimately doable Saturday, with the clever cluing that you would expect on this day, and just a few real tricksters. Mike gets hung up at the corner of 16A, Categorized by district (ZONAL, not ZONED) and 5D, Hal's earthbound "twin" in Arthur C. Clark's "2010: Odyssey Two" (SAL, not SAD). Jean, meanwhile, quite reasonably goes for CORDUROY for 6A, Jacket material, as opposed to the quite clever actual answer, COVERART. Fun times! Remember that you can subscribe to and ...

25 Loka 202015min

Many of us needed to TAKEABREAK after Thursday's epic struggle, and this puzzle by Robyn Weintraub filled the bill nicely. It had some clever cluing, like 24A, One who might have a brush with fame?, ARTIST, and tricky word acrobatics, like 15A, What's before after, at the end?, EVER. Of course, based on the law of conservation of crossword difficulty (which we just made up), Saturday is going to be devastating. Or will it now? Tune in tomorrow to find out! We love feedback! Send us a t...

24 Loka 20208min

A fabulous Thursday challenge by Sid Sivakumar, with a gimmick that has to be seen to be believed ... except that you *can't* see it. Intrigued? Listen to the podcast to hear the whole story!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 up a conversation!

23 Loka 202012min

Today's crossword features SLEWS of PRETTY funny puns, like 17A, Ways to cross a river in Switzerland?, BERNBRIDGES, and 28A, First showing at a film festival in France?, CANNESOPENER (oof). Jean cruises through today's puzzle like it's a Monday, but while Mike was able to DOIT, he finds the top left corner ETRE (eh, to be) a pretty tough slog. 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, ...

22 Loka 202011min

In today's podcast, Jean revs up the Tip Tuesday apparatus with tips about cars, Mike extols the virtue of listening to musicians that appear in the crossword (e.g., Joe Satriani), and both agree that today's crossword deserves an EASYA -- because it was, easily, worth an A, the equivalent of 5 squares on the JAMCR scale 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 ...

21 Loka 202013min

A somewhat "crunchier" crossword than usual for a Monday, including words like 56A, Perfect example (EPITOME), 39D, Calm and impassive (STOLID) , and a reference to 48D, Portrait painter Rembrandt PEALE (aka, we hope, the "other" Rembrandt). Still, we do not EGRET for a moment having done this VINE crossword 🙄. 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 str...

20 Loka 20209min

Jean cruises through today's crossword, while Mike crashes his ASTIN, excuse us, *ASTON* in this light-hearted Sunday exercise in punnery. It earns a 4.25 on the JAMCR scale, and ... that's AWRAP!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 up a conversation!

19 Loka 202013min

A relatively straightforward Saturday crossword, with lots of new words thrown in to the mix, including 36D, French dessert of fruit encased in sweet batter, CLAFOUTI, 40D, Language from which "peyote" comes, NAHUATL, and a reprise of an oldie but goodie, 1A, Pattern of five shapes arranged like this puzzle's central black squares, QUINCUNX. All in all, a nice Saturday frolic by Victor Barocas and Brad Wilber, edited, as always, by Will Shortz. For those of you of a culinary persuasio...

17 Loka 202015min