Friday, June 26, 2020

This was a SERENE crossword -- and we say that not because of the presence of SERENE in the grid, but because of the, well, SERENE theme -- one that ought to bring a smile to your lips, or, if you're...

9 Jul 202514min

Today's crossword, the 39th (!) by Daniel Raymon, was replete with musical performers of various vintages, from composer Aaron Copland to a band that had its origins in the last century, but is contin...

8 Jul 20257min

Once again the NYTimes crossword has set a new high bar, thanks to the dynamic duo of Zhou Zhang and Kevin Curry. This magnificent opus featured a puzzle within a puzzle, surrounded by a sea of crisp ...

7 Jul 202518min

Tracy Bennet is the driving force behind both Wordle and Strands, and the appearance of this crossword therefore means that an impressively large percentage of today's NYTimes games are attributable t...

6 Jul 202513min

Although there were not any literal fireworks in today's crossword, it was filled with innumerable flashes of brilliance and crackles of wit. Among our favorites not covered in today's episode were 48...

5 Jul 202512min

Today's crossword was by Adam Wagner, which means that you know, without even looking at it, that it's going to be good. The good cruciverbalist does not disappoint, providing a crossword that must've...

4 Jul 20258min

Today's theme was great (as always), and there were oodles of appealing clues lurking in the grid today (see previous parenthetical remark 😉). A few of our favorites were 45A, Cabinet department sinc...

3 Jul 202511min

For those of you wondering about the episode title, it is explored and explained, along with a multitude of other topics riffing off of today's excellent puzzle, in our "Canada Day" special. In additi...

2 Jul 202516min