Tuesday, December 3, 2024 - Don't tackle this crossword on an empty stomach!

A nice start to our crossword solving week courtesy of Kathy Lowden, with several answers definitely worth remembering because they might show up later in the week, but with several orders-of-magnitude more difficult cluing: we're looking at you, IAMB, PHO and BRASSY. Just a reminder, we're running a contest this week -- a year's subscription to the NYT Crossword. If you want to enter, just drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com, and you will be entered! Good luck! We love feedbac...

9 Aug 20229min

We are back after a week's hiatus, and welcoming us back is a superb crossword by Tina Labadie, her debut -- but you wouldn't know it from the finely crafted clues! We have all the deets inside plus ... a new contest! All emails (to crosswordpodcast@icloud.com) between now and next Sunday will be entered in a drawing for a year's subscription to the New York Times crossword! One entry per contestant per day, please, and good luck! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love list...

8 Aug 202215min

A middle-of-the-road Sunday crossword, appropriate considering all the road references lurking in today's grid -- 108D, Inits. on the road, MPH; 109D, Inits. on the road, (yes, again) AAA; 27D, Fwy. or expy., RTE; 64A, Flagship vehicle line for Mercedes-Benz, SCLASS -- and there might've been more, it's a big grid! Just a head's up, we are taking the week off to recoup and recharge, but we do have a vast collection of podcasts in the ol' archive that will hopefully tide you over until we are...

1 Aug 202211min

A tricky Saturday crossword (as one would expect!), with vast swathes of white squares and just a few oases of black to break up the monotony. The cluing was suitably obfuscatory -- 51D, Supervisory challenges, EGOS; 26D, Location designed to attract whales, HOTELCASINOS (!); and 56D, Suffix for a rank, DOM (!!!) are just 3 examples, we explore more in today's episode, as well as pick our JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award); and ... we have listener mail! We love fee...

31 Jul 202216min

A nice Friday crossword by a veteran constructor, Robyn Weintraub. Jean found the puzzle to be a piece of cake, Mike found it to be almost impossible, until the crossword deities smiled benevolently upon him, and reminded him that a better answer for 21A, Employment history, would be CAREER, rather than RESUME or CRVITA. Robyn is known for her great clues, and today's puzzle is exemplary. In other news, it's Fun Fact Friday, and today' we explore the mysterious life and times of ENOS, ...

30 Jul 202218min

A curious Thursday crossword by Bill Pipal and Jeff Chen (always a good OMEN to see M. Chen in the masthead), that asks you to do what we generally try and AVOID, i.e., CUT CORNERS. The result is a crossword about which we have no choice but to wax RHAPSODIC, for reasons that will become clear in today's installment. 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 ther...

29 Jul 202211min

Have you ever considered how many phrases involve articles of clothing? Fortunately Enrique Henestroza Anguiano has, and this witty Wednesday crossword is a result. Jean had no trouble with the grid. Mike didn't so much forget how to spell 48D, Traditional garment in West Africa, as discover that he never even knew how to spell it -- for the record, it's CAFTAN (as in today's grid) or alternatively KAFTAN, but never, ever CAFTEN -- Mike's guess being based on that famous Walt Whitman poe...

28 Jul 202213min

A fine Tuesday crossword by Lillian Simpson, with a debut entry for 25A, Certain spousal state (which we will not state right here, you'll either have to be a good guesser or listen to the podcast to find out), a jaw-dropper as far as Mike's concerned with 46D, Leaf (through) (and again, download / listen up to get the 411 on that); and finally 50A, More eye-roll inducing, maybe, CHEESIER (which these show notes seem to be degenerating into, so we are going to stop right ... here!)....

27 Jul 202214min