Thursday, February 20, 2025 - Oh, *so* close

There were some fabulous clues/answers in today's grid -- 30A, Scandinavian-inspired shoe brand, DANSKO, 51A, Full of noxious vapors, MIASMIC, and the always tasty 24D, Rice dish infused with saffron, PAELLA, to name 3, and those are the ones that didn't make the cut. The ones we discussed are even cooler, and to get the full 411, you know what to do - download, listen up, and enjoy! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpo...

2 Kesä 202211min

A trickier Tuesday than usual, with a grid riddled with the likes of MALADROIT, the highly suspicious LINTY, and queen DIDO. Definitely not complaining, and the theme was particularly fabulous, definitely worth the price of admission. We have all the deets inside. Also, it's Triplet Tuesday: will Mike rise to the occasion, sink like a stone, or none of the above? Download now and all will be revealed! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, cr...

1 Kesä 202216min

A delicious Monday crossword, not too difficult, but higher in calories than most puzzles -- witness the NOUGATBAR, BANANA, ORANGE, and NOODLEBOWLS that made it into today's grid. Nom, nom, nom!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!

31 Touko 202211min

The perfect memorial day weekend crossword, a salute to HONESTABE, aka Abraham Lincoln, as well as his memorial. This crossword was by Daniel Bodily and Jeff Chen, which accounts for it pegging the JAMCRmeter at 5 squares. Jean tore through this so quickly that her iPad melted, but -- speaking of melt -- Mike got natticked at the corner of 33D, Diner order, MELT (not MALT) and 41A, Actress Green of "Casino Royale", EVA (not AVA, as in AVA Duvernay). Natticks not withstanding, this was an extr...

30 Touko 202215min

A trying Saturday crossword ... which you should definitely try! The clues were crisp and only occasionally obscure (with all due respect to the award winning mathematician whose name -- in order to preserve at least some some semblance of mystery and intrigue -- we will not reveal here). Today's episode also features Fun Fact Friday (two fun facts, in fact: the first being that we forgot to do this yesterday!) and our awarding of the JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week ...

29 Touko 202216min

A gentler-than-usual Friday crossword, both Jean (as expected) and Mike (a complete and total surprise) got through it fairly expeditiously: a "smooth solve", in the argot of cruciverbalists. But gentle doesn't mean dull, on the contrary this crossword had plenty of fun clues to entertain and educate, and we have fun talking about them in today's podcast. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com. Also, we're on FaceB...

28 Touko 202211min

A great Thursday crossword by, presumably, a fan of Kenny Rogers -- the singer, not necessarily the restaurant. The theme was fun, the cluing crisp (just like what you might get at Kenny Rogers, the restaurant), and our only regret is that we have only 5 squares to give it on the JAMCR (Jean And Mike Crossword Rating) scale -- it will have to do. We also have a fascinating discussion of clue rankings, and one of the great ROSTRUM rhymes of the early 21st century, just waiting for you, right h...

27 Touko 202212min

Variant spelling, the bane of crossword solvers everywhere, is lurking in today's grid, ready to lure the unobservant into a cunning trap. Will it ensnare our heroic cohosts? Or will AMENRA, AMUNRA OR AMONRA (aka the god of variant spelling) come to their rescue? Download now to find out! 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!

26 Touko 20229min