Tuesday, June 24, 2025 - 🎵 You must remember this, a kiss is just a kiss, ASSAI is just ASSAI 🎶 🙄
This was an impressive debut crossword by Ingrid Steffensen. The theme definitely and deservedly takes center stage, and the rest of the clues were at exactly the right level of difficulty for a Tuesday. We approve! In other news, Jean's in the very hot hot seat for our Triplet Tuesday™️ segment, so have a listen, and, as always, let us know what you think! Show note imagery: The world's largest I LIKE IKE button, in Abilene, KS We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listen...
25 Jun 16min
Monday, June 23, 2025 - You! Will! Like! This! Crossword! 😀
For those of you pondering the title of today's episode, fear not: all, well, nearly all, will be revealed in today's podcast, covering Zhouqin Burnikel's 28th Monday crossword, among a very respectable 82 that she has had published in the NYTimes. Show note imagery: While this might seem like a high tech torpedo bay, it is in fact possibly a claustrophobic's worst nightmare, a good old fashioned MRI We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, cros...
24 Jun 4min
Sunday, June 22, 2025 - The only podcast crafted with the sockdolager in mind
To paraphrase Yoda, the pun is strong in this one, a crossword by the mother and daughter team of Ruth B. Margolin and Hannah Margolin, the latter whose impending marriage inspired the aforementioned puns. So, congrats to the Margoli team for the publication and the nuptials! Show note imagery: A sockdolager, visualized 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 a...
23 Jun 14min
Saturday, June 21, 2025 - Christina Iverson & Doug Peterson pull out *all* the stops!
This was a quintessential NYTimes Saturday crossword - tough, fair, and fun. It was constructed by two veteran crossword constructors -- Christina Iverson and Doug Peterson -- who we have come to cherish for making crosswords ... just like this one! Deets inside. As is tradition on Saturday, we have identified our JAMCOTWA™️ -- Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award -- winner. Check out today's episode for those deets as well, and then let us know if you agree, disagree, or are neutral on ...
22 Jun 17min
Friday, June 20, 2025 - Happy Solstice Day!
This was a pleasing Friday crossword - the grid looked daunting, and the clues were definitely on the hard side (Mike in particular wallowed in the bottom third of the grid), but it was overall a great end to the work week. We have deets inside, as well as a delectable Fun Fact Friday™️ segment, so check it out now! Show note imagery: The stunning ROYALOPERAHOUSE, in Covent Garden, London. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crossword...
21 Jun 15min
Thursday, June 19, 2025 - Happy Juneteenth!!
The NYTimes crosswords are always good, but this one stands alone, definitely worth a chef's kiss and even possibly a hug -- it was that exceptional. The theme was stupendous, and absolutely essential to solving the puzzle, for reasons that we delve into, in detail, in today's episode. Show note imagery: TAIO Cruz, author of (among other great works), Dynamite. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com. Also, we're ...
20 Jun 19min
Wednesday, June 18, 2025 - Eli Cotham cranks it up!
Although this was a Wednesday crossword, some seriously Friday-level clueing did manage to make its way into the grid. Jean had to exert considerable mental effort, and Mike had to consume almost an entire bowl of Lucky Charms™️, before -- working independently, as is their custom -- they were able to get to the happy music. This was an awesome Wednesday/Friday, and represents Eli Cotham's third NYTimes crossword. We await, with eagerness and a tinge of trepidation, crossword numb...
19 Jun 13min
Tuesday, June 17, 2025 - The only thing messy about today's crossword was... MESSY
This was Tarun Krishnamurthy's second NYTimes crossword. It was just as good as his first, and considering that he wrote it while still in high school, we can anticipate him constructing a long, long string of great puzzles. A few clues (not mentioned in the podcast) of note include 26D, Get tangled up, RAVEL (oh, so that's what happens when you don't UNRAVEL); 36D, A sixth of the way through the hour, TENPAST (uh, oh, math 😀); and 61A, Reason for overtime, TIE (un, not PAY, gotcha!). T...
18 Jun 15min
