Tuesday, December 31, 2024 - Our New Year's Eve Spectacular (fireworks, champagne, this episode's got it all!)

This was a delightful Friday crossword courtesy of Matthew Stock and Christina Iverson (with Joel Fagliano ably editing). It had plenty of crunch, thanks to SCADS of challenging clues -- 43A, Porto-Novo's country, BENIN; 28D, Contend, HOLD; and 28A, Second hand, HELPER (😀) -- but they were reasonably fair (for a Friday!), and both cohosts concur that this crossword was worth 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. It's Friday, time for Fun Fact Friday! We won't tell you the fact right here, other than...

27 Apr 202416min

Just when you thought that the PHENOMs who construct NYTimes Crosswords couldn't possibly come up with one more theme, they ... come up with one more theme, and this one, by Hanh Huynh, is so novel that it deserves a standing ovation. Have a listen, and you'll see why! A reminder that the entire crossword, filled out and with clues, is available at xwordinfo.com. When listening to this podcast, if you haven't filled out the grid yourself, you'll probably find the convo a lot easier to ...

26 Apr 202416min

Jeffrey Martinovic has graced the pages of the NYTimes before, and one glance at this crossword will tell you why he was invited back - a splendid piece of work, a brilliant (and helpful) theme, with an ARMY (60A, Host) of educational and entertaining clues. Those included 5D, Sound of hesitation ERM, and its counterpart, 68A, Sounds of hesitation, UMS; 71A, Media inits. since 1851, NYT (yay, our favorite newspaper!!); and, of course, the unforgettable 70A, Bottomless pit, ABYSM, a clue into ...

25 Apr 202416min

Judy Bower's debut crossword has much to commend it, including 45D, Word with bad or blood, SPORT; 34D, Certain Scotsman, GAEL; 38D, "Ha, no surprise there!", IKNEWIT; and, of course, the awesome theme of which we have more to say inside, so to speak.Show note imagery: SCREENAGERS!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 strike up a conversation!

24 Apr 202414min

A celebration of Earth Day and a word ladder, who could ask for more? We love word ladders, so today's crossword, by David J. Kahn (his 189th!!), hit the sweet spot. There were also several Earth Day related clues not tied to the word ladder -- 18A, Sustainably produced electricity, GREENPOWER; 54A, Carbon-based energy source, FOSSILFUEL; and in between, 36A, One symptom of climate change, GLOBALWARMING. All in all, a timely and enjoyable Monday puzzler. Show note imagery: The San...

23 Apr 20244min

Michael Schlossberg has created a dazzling Sunday crossword with a doozie of a theme, definitely worth 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. We have all the deets inside, so we cordially invite you to have a listen (and don't forget to subscribe!) Show note imagery: TEDTtalks, which are apparently limited to 18 minutes in length 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...

22 Apr 202423min

Another challenging Saturday crossword - no surprise there, Saturdays are designed to be the toughest crossword of the week - but at least the trivia / pop culture references were mercifully few. Jean had a spot of bother in the middle of the crossword, while Apple aficionado Mike thrashed about trying to recollect 48A, Popular video editing software, IMOVIE. Deets inside, as usual, as well as the big reveal, this week's JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award) winner. Show...

21 Apr 202418min

An entertaining and educational Friday crossword by Kate Hawkins - just the way we like 'em! Jean knew pretty much every answer in the grid, although it took some time to connect each word/phrase to its clue! Mike, meanwhile, knew ... PHASERS and EDEN, although many of the rest of the answers looked vaguely familiar. Besides our analysis of the crossword proper, it's Fun Fact Friday, so check out that segment (including the US Fish & Wild Service web site mentioned there). Show no...

20 Apr 202418min