Sunday, April 20, 2025 - ADVENTURE is out there (... and in the grid!)

In honor of the ultimate day of 2025, Jeffrey Martinovic has donned both his party hat and thinking cap, the end result of which is today's fine crossword. We have, as always, the deets inside, plus something a little extra to send out 2025 in style. Have a listen, and then — assuming you're on the Gregorian calendar — have a great New Year's Eve / New Year's Day!! Show note imagery: A BOXSOCIAL, without which the second act of Oklahoma! would be a lot shorter 🙄 We love feedback! Send us a te...

1 Tammi 14min

After a week to recharge and reenergize, both cohosts are back and in peak fighting form -- or, to be more precise, crossword-solving form. And we had an excellent crossword to welcome us back, the second collaboration between Geoffrey Schorkopf and Will Eisenberg (edited, as always, by the inimitable Will Shortz). We have all the deets inside, as well as another of our famous Triplet Tuesday segments, so tune in to enjoy all that goodness! Show note imagery: The beautiful ISOLA (island)...

31 Joulu 202517min

Today's crossword was (as you can deduce from the episode title) a fun, Christmas-themed puzzle by famed magician David Kwong. Jean & Co. solved it expeditiously, whereas David almost made Mike's streak disappear thanks to some cruciverbial magic in the top-center of the grid. All turned out well, though, for both cohosts and their streaks. Deets inside. FYI, we will be taking a hiatus this week (starting up again on the 29th). For those of you who want your daily fix, fear not -- we're p...

22 Joulu 202519min

This is Robert S. Gard's second Saturday crossword. It was not quite as difficult as his first, but the cluing was deliciously deceptive, and included five debuts. Jean got through it in her usual time; Mike found it to be a tad easier than usual, but an enjoyable solve nonetheless. Remember that if you're still hunting around for the perfect holiday gift, there's still time to send the gift that keeps on giving -- a subscription to the best crossword puzzle on the planet. Show no...

21 Joulu 202510min

This is a stellar Friday crossword, chockfull of effervescent clues that make it clear that an ace constructor -- in this case, Hemant Mehta -- is at the helm. There is no doubt that today's puzzle is entitled to a full 5 squares on the JAMCR scale, and we therefore gladly bestow it. Deets inside. Show note imagery: Yum, a delectable SMORE 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,...

20 Joulu 202513min

The genius required to craft an NYTimes-worthy crossword is on full display today: Joseph Gangi has created a cuuute theme, and the hilarity of that last clause will become apparent upon listening to today's podcast and/or solving today's puzzle. Numerous other clues in the grid are also worth celebrating. We chortled at 62A, The time of one's life?, AGE (😀); puzzled over 27D, About 35,000 for the Taj Mahal: Abbr., SQFT (🧐); and chortled once more at 52D, Fabrication expert, LIAR (😁). Show no...

19 Joulu 202511min

This was a whimsical Wednesday crossword by the talented duo of Gary Larson and Doug Peterson. The theme was a triumph, buoyed up by a bevy of crisp clues, including: the clever 8D, Marchers in sidewalk cracks, ANTS; the helpful reminder that was 50A, Easter Island's country, CHILE; and the hilarious 41A, Welcome figure on Wall Street, unwelcome figure in a china shop, BULL. In other news, we have some fascinating listener mail about the subtle distinctions between Bro, Bruh, B...

18 Joulu 202514min

This was a gentle Tuesday crossword, slightly more challenging than Monday, and prepping us for the even more rigorous crosswords sure to come this week. Difficulty level not withstanding, the grid featured some awesome clues, most notably the incredible 62A, The IBM Simon Personal Communicator is considered the world's first one, SMARTPHONE. We were also highly pleased to learn of the existence of 13D, Grammy-winning R&B artist whose stage name is said to have been inspired by "The Matri...

17 Joulu 20256min