Thursday, December 18, 2025 - A SCARYGOOD Thursday crossword!

This crossword was brilliant -- primarily because of the astronomical phenomenon that formed the heart of today's theme, visually dominated the grid, and was echoed in several other clues. For instance: 28D, Astrophysicist ___ deGrasse Tyson, NEIL; 17A, Thoroughly enjoyed oneself, HADABLAST; and one of Mike's favorite movies, 46D, 2019 sci-fi film whose name means "to the stars", ADASTRA. All in all, an illuminating crossword, definitely worth 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. Show note imagery: ...

20 Mar 202519min

It was with great satisfaction that we welcome back to the grid Alan ALDA, who has not made too many appearances as of late, always glad to see a great ... whatever Alan ALDA is ... back in the saddle, so to speak. We also were glad to see SNL make an appearance, although since they were just mentioned yesterday, their appearance today is not nearly as momentous. Speaking of momentum (we weren't, but humor us), Jean tore through today's Triplet Tuesday segment, check out the deets herein, and...

19 Mar 202516min

There was no green in today's grid, as far as we could see, but there must've been a gleam in the eye of the cruciverbalist, Kathy Lowden, as she put this fine puzzle together. There was a lot of pop culture in the crossword, but that's because ... nope, no spoilers! Check out today's episode to find out why. Show note imagery: DOJA Cat, most definitely not in the St. Patrick's Day spirit We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast...

18 Mar 202512min

Today's crossword was by Ryan McCarty, who specializes in spectacular Saturday crosswords like this one. The clues were challenging, and there was a lot of pop-culture -- Mike's bane, Jean's forté -- but fortunately there were enough non-pop-culture references so that Mike could prosper, and Jean didn't need 'em. In addition to the crossword, we have listener mail, including some from a former JAMCOTWA winner that involved a discussion of this week's JAMCOTWA winner: or as Robin would have it...

16 Mar 202522min

Brandon Koppy has a knack for writing magnificently deceptive clues, and his gifts are on full display in today's puzzle -- a tough but highly satisfying bit of work. We have all the deets inside, so check it out, as well as a fine Fun Fact Friday™️ segment. Show note imagery: SUGARRAY, creators of some awesome music! 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, so feel free to drop by there and...

15 Mar 202524min

The consensus at JAMDTNYTC HQ is that this was a terrific Thursday crossword, and a limbering up, as it were, in preparation for the grueling Friday and Saturday crosswords yet to come. We were pleased to see OCCAM make an appearance in the grid, as well as a smattering of frqtly. sn. txt. msg. abbrs., including DMED, OTOH, IRL and IPAS (ok, we're not sure about that last one, but the rest most definitely are frequently seen text message abbreviations). Show note imagery: ATOMICDOG We l...

14 Mar 202519min

It takes just an askance glance at today's grid to know that something's up. Perhaps it's the suspicious symmetry, or the fact that several runs of gray squares seem to have been cut in half. That's because they were cut in half, an essential part of today's cutting edge theme. Now, not that we want to contribute to FOMO, but if you're wondering why that last sentence was absolutely riotous, you'll want to download, listen to, and bask in, today's equally riotous (well, ok, drolly amusing, es...

13 Mar 202518min

This was a debut crossword by Jared Cappel, and it was a fine one. The theme was sharp, and surrounded by a bevy of equally keen non-themed clues: the result was, as previously noted, fine. A few clues that didn't make into the podcast, but worthy of shoutouts, include: 62A, Compliment on the green, NICEPUTT (fore!); 6D, "I.e.," spelled out, IDEST (Mike's favorite phrase!); and 44A, Perplex, BEMUSE (Jean's favorite answer). In addition to the crosswords, we have a terrific Triplet Tuesday seg...

12 Mar 202521min