Friday, July 19, 2024 - BURPEE, the origin story!
An educational Friday crossword, with not too much razzle-dazzle, rather, just the right amount. Educationally, we had clues like 20A, River traveled by passenger boats known as dahabeahs, NILE; 17A, Setting of a date for Edward and Vivian in "Pretty Woman", OPERA; and 15A, Strait of ___, narrowest part of the English Channel, DOVER. Besides the crossword, we also have a terrific Fun Fact Fridayâ„¢ segment, so do check it out. Show note imagery: Royal BURPEE, inventor of, of course, the BURPE...
20 Jul 202417min
Thursday, July 18, 2024 - Space, the final frontier ... er, something like that
An astronomy-themed crossword popped up this Thursday, a theme so near and dear to Mike's heart that he spent ... an inordinate amount of time contemplating the clues. Jean, on the other hand, solved the puzzle at nearly the speed of light, which explains why she looked like a strand of spaghetti as she was finishing up. Besides the ingenious theme, there were quite a few clues worthy of note in the grid, including 17A, Actor Omar, EPPS (not, as our instincts suggested, SHARIF); 5D, An "e-",...
19 Jul 202412min
Wednesday, July 17, 2024 - Good news, Pablo NERUDA is in the grid!
A slightly crunchier than usual Wednesday crossword, unsurprising when Alex Eaton-Salners is at the helm (and editor Joel Fagliano's on the crows nest). We had some literary clues, such as 3D, _______ Gawande, author of the 2014 best seller "Being Mortal", ATUL; and 4D, Poet Pablo, NERUDA. We had product placement clues, such as 17A, Nail polish brand with colors like "Berry Fairy Fun", and "Aurora Berry-alis", OPI and 57A, Rival of Chanel, DIOR. Most impressively, however, we had t...
18 Jul 202421min
Tuesday, July 16, 2024 - Care for a cuppa?
A delicious Tuesday crossword by Kelly Richardson, notable for a suggestive and quite apropos grid, a lot of fun clues, and the unexpected appearance of LAYETTE in the grid (not a debut, but certainly new to us). A few clues caught our eye but didn't make it into the podcast, including 27A, Tenet, PRECEPT; 48A, Smart society, MENSA (admission to which requires you to be able to spell PRECEPT 😀); and Legendary, STORIED, which we think is a legendary answer! Show note imagery: A Smedstor...
17 Jul 202419min
Monday, July 15, 2024 - The Big Interview 😀
Today's crossword, by Tarun Krishnamurthy, was a perfect Monday offering, not too difficult, but with our favorite kind of theme, the LOL kind. This was Tarun's debut NYTimes Crossword, and he's also the first crossword constructor we've ever interviewed, so check it out, and, as always, let us know what you think. Show note imagery: A BOCABURGER, yum! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com. Also, we're on FaceBoo...
16 Jul 202415min
Sunday, July 14, 2024 - A Jeff Chen solo effort 😀
Jeff Chen is a master cruciverbalist, and he is in fine form today with an amazing theme. The theme idea is simple, but constructing it must've been a major challenge. Confused? Check out today's episode, and all will become clear! Show note imagery: Beware the REDTIDES, algal blooms that are, apparently, on the rise. 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 an...
15 Jul 202418min
Saturday, July 13, 2024 - From Tame IMPALA to Dua LIPA, this grid just sings!
A fine Saturday crossword by Eli Cotham, a relatively smooth solve but with a lot of fine verbal baubles to enjoy along the way. We have all the deets inside, as well as our JAMCOTWA -- Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award -- winner, so we humbly implore you to download, listen up and ... enjoy! Show note imagery: One of many WPAMURALS, this one in the Cohen Building, in Washington, D.C. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpo...
14 Jul 202412min
Friday, July 12, 2024 - There's never a need to atone, for a crossword starring POST MALONE
A nice Friday crossword by Malaika Handa, with some fun cluing, a few singers worth listening to, and a whopping 6 debut entries, including 17A, It has many twists and turns, CRAZYSTRAW, and the splendid 5D, "Get with the program, will you?", TRYTOKEEPUP. Definitely worth 5 squares on the JAMCR scale! Show note imagery: HELLOKITTY, Japan's tourism ambassador We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com. Also, we're on F...
13 Jul 202417min
