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

A delightfully wry Monday theme courtesy of Jack Scherban, and if that name doesn't ring a bell that's because this crossword marks his debut in the NYTimes, so congrats, Jack! There were a few answers in the grid that haven't been seen in a while - 11D, Comic actress Martha, RAYE; the revealer, 49A, Unfazed response to a threat from one of the themed answers, YOUANDWHATARMY; and speaking of which, one of the themed answers, 31A, Hotels.com mascot who must be a commanding officer, CAPTAINOBVI...

21 Touko 20248min

Somewhat akin to Robert Frost's "two roads diverged in a yellow wood", Jean & Mike's solves diverged, with Jean tearing through today's crossword, and Mike coming to a screeching halt (with him supplying most of the screeching). The reason for this is, as long time listeners will surmise, due to Jean's encyclopedic knowledge of Filipino dishes, and Mike's total ignorance of ... pretty much any foods / dishes / ingredients not sold at the local Jimmy Johns. We have all the deet...

20 Touko 202417min

Today's crossword looked daunting - a sea of white squares, and two 3-stack sets of grid-spanning answers. But while our first reaction was 36A, [Uh-oh], GULP, and our second reaction was 59A, "I'm speechless", THEREARENOWORDS", we used our 15D, Spots for berets, TETES, and were able to noodle a solution without too many 42AS, Official administrations, OATHS. In other news, we've identified today's JAMCOTWA. Have a listen, and let us know if you agree, disagree, or none-of-...

19 Touko 202416min

A relatively straightforward Friday crossword by Hermann Mehta, but an admirable addition to the pantheon nonetheless. Now, based on the Law of Conservation of Crossword Difficulty (first theorized by one A. Einstein, if memory serves), this means that Saturday's crossword should be ... just about impossible. Will that come to pass? Tune in tomorrow to find out! Show note imagery: A few sample TANGRAMS Here's a link to the Monty Hall Problem, it makes for fascinating reading. We love ...

18 Touko 202415min

Although today's' theme has nothing to do with actors, quite a few of them popped up in today's grid.There were some LOL clues / answers as well, and let us not gloss over some very nice pairings in the grid -- EDIE v. EDDY, LIEV v. ALEVE, those surely can't ONE, um, we mean ALL, be coincidental! TLDR, we loved this debut crossword from Sara Muchnick and can't wait for more, which is why we've awarded this fine puzzle 5 squares on the NIST-approved* JAMCR scale. *just kiddi...

17 Touko 202413min

A middle-of-the-road crossword for the middle of the week, MaryEllen Uthlaut has made a bbbbbedazzling puzzle -- and the reason for all those extra b's will bbbbbecome apparent as soon as you check out today's episode, so ... do it now!Show note imagery: A 10 BAHT coinWe 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!

16 Touko 202411min

Alex Eaton-Salners, a grizzled veteran with 67 (!) NYTimes crosswords to his credit, has produced a fine Tuesday crossword for our edification and entertainment. There was a fine theme and excellent surrounding cast of clues, including a few that we couldn't squeeze into the podcast: 58A, Wharton or Sloan, informally, BSCHOOL (only its 3rd appearance in the NYTimes); 47D, Floral subject for Van Gogh, IRISES (ah, we can smell them from here!) ; and last but not least, 40A, Idealogical split, S...

15 Touko 202416min

For those of you who can think of nothing better to do than spend a morning out on the links -- and if an image of giant sausages just sprung to mind, you are not the people we had in mind 😀 -- you are going to love today's puzzle, especially the theme (nudge, nudge, wink, wink). We explore that in depth in today's podcast, and we also have a great bit of listener mail, so do have a listen, and as always, please tell others about us on social media. Show note imagery: The MacDona...

14 Touko 202412min