Wednesday, February 26, 2025 - We long for more crosswords by Dan Caprera 😁

This was a quintessential NYTimes Saturday crossword - tough, fair, and fun. It was constructed by two veteran crossword constructors -- Christina Iverson and Doug Peterson -- who we have come to cherish for making crosswords ... just like this one! Deets inside. As is tradition on Saturday, we have identified our JAMCOTWA™️ -- Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award -- winner. Check out today's episode for those deets as well, and then let us know if you agree, disagree, or are neutral on ...

22 Kesä 202517min

This was a pleasing Friday crossword - the grid looked daunting, and the clues were definitely on the hard side (Mike in particular wallowed in the bottom third of the grid), but it was overall a great end to the work week. We have deets inside, as well as a delectable Fun Fact Friday™️ segment, so check it out now! Show note imagery: The stunning ROYALOPERAHOUSE, in Covent Garden, London. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crossword...

21 Kesä 202515min

The NYTimes crosswords are always good, but this one stands alone, definitely worth a chef's kiss and even possibly a hug -- it was that exceptional. The theme was stupendous, and absolutely essential to solving the puzzle, for reasons that we delve into, in detail, in today's episode. Show note imagery: TAIO Cruz, author of (among other great works), Dynamite. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com. Also, we're ...

20 Kesä 202519min

Although this was a Wednesday crossword, some seriously Friday-level clueing did manage to make its way into the grid. Jean had to exert considerable mental effort, and Mike had to consume almost an entire bowl of Lucky Charms™️, before -- working independently, as is their custom -- they were able to get to the happy music. This was an awesome Wednesday/Friday, and represents Eli Cotham's third NYTimes crossword. We await, with eagerness and a tinge of trepidation, crossword numb...

19 Kesä 202513min

This was Tarun Krishnamurthy's second NYTimes crossword. It was just as good as his first, and considering that he wrote it while still in high school, we can anticipate him constructing a long, long string of great puzzles. A few clues (not mentioned in the podcast) of note include 26D, Get tangled up, RAVEL (oh, so that's what happens when you don't UNRAVEL); 36D, A sixth of the way through the hour, TENPAST (uh, oh, math 😀); and 61A, Reason for overtime, TIE (un, not PAY, gotcha!). T...

18 Kesä 202515min

This was the second crossword and collaboration between Jill Rataloff and Michelle Sontarp. Both are lawyers, and while they might be, and it would be awesome if they were, partners in the firm Cross, Down and Diagonal, Attorneys at Law, that is only speculation on our part. The puzzle itself was great -- a gentle Monday with several surprising clues and answers that we hone in on in today's episode. Show note imagery: A KITTENHEEL We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love lis...

17 Kesä 202513min

This was yet another highly challenging NYTimes crossword, but, since it was a Saturday, we were not surprised in the least. [Truthfully, we thought that maybe Will would give us a break after yesterday's mental marathon, but nooooo... 😀]. So, written at exactly the right level of difficulty, and with stellar cluing throughout, today's oeuvre by Barbara Lin definitely deserves 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. In unsurprising news (since it is Saturday, and we do this every Saturday) we have our ...

15 Kesä 202517min

Friday crosswords are supposed to be a challenge, and we can only imagine Evan Mulvihill cracking his knuckles while saying "I got this". And what we got out of the deal was this excellent, challenging Friday puzzle. Definitely worth a full 5 squares on the JAMCR scale, for reasons that we make clear in today's podcast. Show note imagery: Yes, beast mode is a thing! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com. Also, we'...

14 Kesä 202514min