Monday, March 3, 2025 - Vroom, vroom!

It is hard to believe that today marks the 500th appearance of OREO in the NYTimes crossword, but that's the word according to xwordinfo.com, and they oughta know! Now that might sound like Nabisco has architected one of the greatest product placement campaigns in the history of advertising. Truth be told, though, from the beginning of the NYTimes crossword up until 1993, OREO was always clued as a prefix for mountain; but it's been cookies or bust ever since Will Shortz took over the reins. ...

13 Touko 7min

Brendan Emmett Quigley is famed for writing tough crosswords, and he has the pedal to the metal today. First, the grid: it is the standard 21x21 Sunday, but has only 54 black squares, a record. So, that means more to figure out, i.e., more fun! While clue difficulty is often a YMMV affair, we can say that, in general terms, some of these clues would've felt right at home in a Saturday crossword. In short, if you struggled working through this crossword, that is perfectly normal; and if you su...

12 Touko 13min

This was a fine Saturday crossword - tough but fair, as Saturday crosswords were meant to be. Our favorite clue had to be 29A, Some dragonflies, DARNERS (really: apparently people used to believe that dragonflies could sew your lips shut!). We were entranced with 38A, Mediterranean plant named for its brightly colored flowers, SUNROSE. And finally we just loved discovering 27A, George ______________, voted "Coach of the Century" by the International Swimming Hall of Fame, HAINES. ...

11 Touko 14min

This was a Friday crossword, and even a casual glance through the clues and grid makes it clear that co-constructors Willa Angel Chen Miller and Erik Agard are dialing up the difficulty. Clues like 33D, This too shall pass, PHASE; 26D, What one might subscribe to, ISM, and 30D, Seeking comment, READYORNOT (brilliant!) make it perfectly clear that this is not a Monday crossword, far from it. [Four days from it, to be precise 😀] Show note imagery: DRU Hill, an R&B group 18 Interesting Facts...

10 Touko 17min

It seems appropriate that MENSA was in the grid (well, 4/5 of it, anyway - see the podcast for deets), because this crossword was genius. It had a stunning theme, which made the puzzle much tougher than one might expect for a Thursday. In short, think of this less as a "walk in the park" and more of a "sprint through Disneyworld". Show note imagery: Alain-René Lesage, simultaneously sitting for a portrait and (probably) plotting out his next novel. We love feedback! Send us a text... Co...

9 Touko 19min

We have it on good authority that yesterday was Wordle Day - ironic, because one of the answers in today's puzzle also solved today's wordle! That cannot possibly be a coincidence, in our humble opinion, because the odds are too low and Will Shortz is too smart. The rest of the crossword was a delight, as constructor Tom McCoy apparently does not know how to write any other kind. Deets inside, so have a listen, and, as always, we welcome your feedback. Show note imagery: Pittsburg, PA, m...

8 Touko 14min

This was a terrific Tuesday crossword by Enrique Henestroza Anguiano, featuring -- of course -- a terrific theme and a strong supporting cast of "other clues". As an example of the latter, we have 60A, Ocean, poetically, MAIN; 70A, They need a push to get started, PEDALS; and the indisputable 1D, Crossword construction, e.g., CRAFT. Wrapping it up, we have a great Triplet Tuesday™ segment, in which Mike demonstrates that stalling, too, is a CRAFT 😀. Show note imagery: GIL SCOTT HERON, author ...

7 Touko 16min

We try and be as impartial as possible while discussing the crossword, but when our favorite vehicle -- the DeLorean, of course -- appears in the grid, we find it very difficult to stay neutral, so, we won't! Instead we will sing the praises of Eric Rolling's third NYTimes publication. Well, done, Eric! Show note imagery: TAMARA de Lempicka and friend (Salvador Dali, to be precise), undoubtedly pegging the "Great Artist Meter". We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listene...

6 Touko 8min