Friday,April 25, 2025 - Nothing BLAND in today's grid (except, inevitably, BLAND 😉)

For those of you unfamiliar with Canadian politics, JUSTINTRUDEAU ruled Canada from 2015-2025, when he stepped aside in favor of Mark Carney, the current PM. The entire political saga will probably be a hit on AppleTV+ in a few years; it certainly has all the plot elements! In other news, we've moved our JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award) to Monday, so that each winner will be the best-of-the-best from the previous Monday to Sunday. Check out our first Monday JAMCOTWA in t...

23 Syys 11min

A rebus -- for those of you new to the crossword-solving realm -- is a square containing more than one letter. Rebuses come in several varieties; in today's crossword we have two words per square, one intended to be read horizontally, the other vertically. Spotting rebuses is a bit of an art. Usually the tip-off is when the answer that you know, absolutely, positively, is correct ... but it won't fit. When that happens, it's time to fire up the ol' rebus key (if you're solving on the ap...

22 Syys 15min

This is Katie Hoody's fourth NYTimes Saturday crossword, and it is apparent that she has mastered the genre. The clues are devious, to be sure; and diabolical, also true; but you likely know the answers, if you can just maneuver through the maze to get to them. For example, 42D, Demand upon reaching an "enemy border", KINGME (ah, that kind of enemy border!); 27D, What's wrong?, ERROR (cute!); and 58A, Blow it!, SMOKERING. The entire puzzle has the same feel, making this an absolutely splendid...

21 Syys 14min

This was a tough Friday crossword, following a couple of crunchier than usual Wednesday and Thursday offerings. Extrapolating, we are therefore quaking in our metaphorical shoes awaiting Saturday's puzzle to drop. Will it be impossible? Or merely very, very nearly impossible? 😉 Only time will tell (but then we'll tell you, in tomorrow's episode). Also in today's show ... we have a Fun Fact Friday™️ segment, and some terrific listener mail! Show note imagery: FAILLE fabric never fails to impre...

20 Syys 18min

Adam Wagner has a reputation for making tough, high-quality crosswords, which explains ... today's, tough, high-quality crossword. Even after grokking the theme, the rest of the clues required no little effort to unravel. We have the whole story inside, so do have a listen and then let us know: how did you find today's puzzle? Show note imagery: The Earl and Countess of Wessex We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com....

19 Syys 18min

The remarkable xwordinfo.com has compiled a list of the maximum number of times each letter has appeared in a crossword. Up until today, K had appeared a total of 18 times, but now -- thanks to Jackson Matz -- that record stands at 24, all in the aid of a good cause, aka "the theme". Both cohosts found this to be a slightly crunchier than usual Wednesday, and Jean in particular had to put on her deerstalker hat for the win. Deets inside. Show note imagery: AKIRA Kurosawa's greatest epic...

18 Syys 17min

This was an excellent debut crossword by Jonathan Daly; we were dazzled by the theme, and found gems in the rest of the grid as well. We enjoyed 71A, Floppy part of a beagle, EAR; 49D, Owl's question?, WHO; and of course we are absolutely infatuated with 11D, A shopper, not a buyer, informally, LOOKIELOO. In addition, we have our traditional Triplet Tuesday™️ segment, and today Jean's in the hotseat. Show note imagery: Snoopy, who definitely has a floopy EAR (two, to be precise!) We lov...

17 Syys 14min

This was a fine Monday crossword courtesy of the very talented Matthew Stock and Michael Lieberman. The latter, based on both this puzzle and his xwordinfo.com photo, is apparently a baseball fan; so, using that metaphor, we'd definitely categorize this crossword as a home run. Show note imagery: Behold, the mighty PEGASUS (and they're accepting pre-orders now!) We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com. Also, we're o...

16 Syys 12min