Saturday, September 27, 2025 - A Saturday crossword so good we'll need a thesaurus to do it justice! 😍

Joseph Gangi has had 4 NYTimes crosswords published, all of them Wednesdays. He clearly has the difficulty level down pat, and his themes are always inventive: today's crossword being a case in point. Apart from the clues scrutinized in today's podcast, we'd like to draw your attention to 33A, "I don't mind ___ / Except as meals. / And the way they feels": Ogden Nash, EELS; 37D, Word aptly hidden in "turned yellow", DYE; and our favorite rapper, 61D, ______ Nas X, LIL. Show note imagery: The ...

24 Heinä 13min

In honor of the heatwave that some of you may be experiencing, Jeremy Newton has crafted a cool crossword to cool you down. ☃️ You are cordially invited to chill out with us as we frolic through the grid (and, of course, another great edition of Triplet Tuesday™️). Show note imagery: CICERO, who presumably was at a very bad party when he uttered his famous phrase, "Silence is one of the great arts of conversation". We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! ...

23 Heinä 16min

Alright, here's a challenge: what word has appeared in the NYTimes crossword grid a whopping 926 times, counting today? We'll let you ponder that, and wait until the end of these show notes for the "big reveal". There were a lot of very fine clues in today's puzzle. We were fans of 4A, What an angry customer may leave, NOTIP. We also liked the zing of 60D, Something to pick up at a beach, TAN; and finally we enjoyed trying to figure out how much our local walk-in clinic would charge for 54D, ...

22 Heinä 12min

This was a fun crossword by Michael Schlossberg. The theme gave us an opportunity to -- at last! -- use the word "idiom" in a sentence without sounding like an idiot 🙄, and the clues gave us a chance to exercise our little grey cells (as Mary Westmacott (or, to be precise, the writer whose ALIAS was Mary Westmacott) would have put it). Among our favorite clues not heretofore mentioned were 55D, More than wanna, GOTTA (three cheers for colloquial English!); 66D, Mast attachment above a gaff, T...

21 Heinä 8min

In the pantheon of great cruciverbalists, there clearly needs to be a pedestal with Erik Agard's name on it. Why? Just check out today's crossword (and podcast!), or any of Erik's 81 other crosswords that have appeared in the NYTimes. This one being a Saturday, it was tough -- and Mike found it almost streak-breakingly-so, whereas Jean, to whom people are apt to turn when Wikipedia doesn't deliver the goods, had a much easier time of it. Deets inside! Show note imagery: An AIREDALETERRIER (fr...

20 Heinä 19min

Kelly Morenus has crafted a superb Friday crossword, challenging but not overwhelming (although YMMV depending upon your life experiences, how many crosswords you have solved previously, and, at least a SKOSH of good luck). We've covered a hefty tranche of clues in today's episode, but we'd also like to give a shoutout to 4D, The Brickyard 400 or Southern 500, e.g., NASCARRACE; 32A, Between then and now, SINCE (good one!); and something that you should utter once you've solved a crossword thi...

19 Heinä 17min

Thesauri will have to be cracked open to do justice to today's crossword, it was that extraordinary/astonishing/engrossing/ingenious/delightful. It was, of course, the theme that made it so, one that took both cohosts, working independently as always, no little time to suss out; but that just made the eventual "aha!" moment that much sweeter. Deets inside! Show note imagery: From left to right, Alpha Centauri A, Alpha Centauri B, and Proxima Centauri, a triple star system! We love feedback! S...

18 Heinä 18min

This was a highly elegant Wednesday crossword, featuring that most elegant of drinks (and one of the most famous letters in the English alphabet 😉). If you haven't figured it out by now, then we'll keep this short so you won't have to wait tOOLONG to achieve enlightenment. Show note imagery: Bud Abbott (left) and Lou Costello, two legendary old-time radio comedians who definitely would've appreciated the tOOLONG pun. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Dro...

17 Heinä 14min