Saturday, February 15, 2025 - CERTS - no longer at your grocer's, but at least they're still in the grid 😋

Today's crossword had another one of those patented "NYTimes Clever Themes" this one courtesy of Joe Marquez. Jean latched onto it straight off, Mike took an order of magnitude longer before the light, belatedly, dawned. Still, better latte than Nespresso, as they say at Starbucks 🙄 Show note imagery: A FATCAT 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...

1 Feb 14min

This was a tricky Wednesday, thanks mainly to its clever theme (created by Sophia Maymudes, adroitly edited by Will Shortz). We have nothing but good things to say about it, although we are now on tenterhooks wondering what Thursday will bring. Just a reminder that our show notes always include a link to the wonderful website xwordinfo.com, where you can find a completed version of the day's crossword (i.e., a massive spoiler, but also massively useful), look up clues and answers, etc. If yo...

30 Jan 17min

This was an intriguing Tuesday crossword by Dan Margolis -- his 5th in the NYTimes. The theme was delicious (literally), and indeed the grid was rife with food for thought, including 3D, Cookie with its name on it, OREO; 52D, _______ ghanouj, BABA; and 58D, _______ slaw, COLE. Yum! Also, today being Tuesday, we have another Triplet Tuesday™ segment, and this time Mike's in the hotseat. To find out how he did, all you need to do is (gently) hit subscribe / download / play. Show note imagery:...

29 Jan 15min

This was a clever Monday crossword from a clever constructor, Alexander Liebeskind, who seems to excel at Mondays. Both cohosts found today's puzzle a bit crunchier (tougher) than usual, but the entertainment value was higher than usual, so it's a wash. Deets inside, including a fascinating attempt to decode SMH that was, TBH, waaaaay off. Show note imagery: a SWISSROLL -- the Little Debbie edition We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line,...

28 Jan 14min

Today's crossword was a rarity -- its themed clues had pictures 🖼️ that had to be interpreted 🧐, as they were part of a rebus. By "rebus", we don't mean the "multiple letters scrunched in one square" variety, encountered frequently on Thursdays. Rather, we mean the more traditional definition: a puzzle in which pictures and typography are used to sound out an answer. This made for a challenging. but entertaining Sunday: as always, deets within! Show note imagery: Some TAICHI practitioners W...

27 Jan 30min

Today's crossword, by Michael Lieberman, was a bear (not the growly kind, obviously, but one of the tougher-leaning Saturday NYTimes crosswords). It was an excellent mental workout, and the cluing really was deviously delicious, just the way we like it! For those of you just starting to solve NYTimes crosswords, just a reminder that the Saturday NYTimes puzzle is traditionally the most difficult crossword of the week, with difficulty ranging from "yikes" to "you have got to be kidding!". So i...

26 Jan 18min

This was a fine Friday crossword, and not just because the FLINTSTONES were in the grid ❤️. Jean tore through it, Mike spent an inordinate amount of time sorting out the difference between AMEND and EMEND. But both eventually got it solved, and had oodles of fun doing so, as you can tell from today's episode. In addition to the crossword, we are honoring the arrival of Friday with another Fun Fact Friday™ segment, this time, honoring the most famous "modern stone-age family" ever, aka the FL...

25 Jan 20min

It is always a treat to see Natan Last and the JASA Crossword Class in the marquee, because ... well, just take a look at today's crossword to see why: a theme guaranteed to put a smile on your face, and great cluing everywhere. For instance, 37D, Geologic formation from glacial melting, ICECAVE (OK, that's a thing); 28D, Canadian province where "Anne of Green Gables" is set: Abbr., PEI (one of our favorite provinces!); and a word that we long to work into casual conversation, 24D, Vulpine, S...

24 Jan 21min