Wednesday, February 26, 2025 - We long for more crosswords by Dan Caprera 😁

A fun Tuesday crossword: the theme was a bit hairy, but in a good way, and the rest of the clues felt crisp and novel. Beyond those delved into in the episode, 17A, One-act Strauss opera adapted from an Oscar Wilde play, SALOME; 33A, Famed 1990s TV psychic, MISSCLEO; and our favorite industrial designers, 38D, Chair designer Charles or Ray, EAMES, all caught our eye(s). Triplet Tuesday has returned (as it has a tendency to do every seven days), and this week Mike's in the hot-seat. Will he h...

28 Jun 202318min

A nicely done Monday crossword by Taylor Johnson and Christina Iverson, and we therefore raise a glass of 32D, Powdered orange drink, TANG, in their honor. There were 3 debut answers in today's grid, and our favorite was the slightly deceptive 42A, Certain bluegrass musician, BANJOPLAYER (as opposed to a certain bluegrass musician, which would've been even more challenging). We were also partial to 15A, _______ the Riveter (woman in an old wartime poster), ROSIE, and as always pleased to lear...

27 Jun 202311min

John Westwig shows how it's done, with a brilliant Sunday crossword (his 8th for the NYTimes) - terrific theme, sparkling clues that make you dig for the answers (sometimes with a trowel, a few that require something more along the lines of an oil rig), a perfect Sunday opus. We loved it, and to find out why, check out today's episode! 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 f...

26 Jun 202315min

A very sticky Saturday crossword, with more traps than a golf course, and calculated to lead you down the garden path (such as may be found in ZENGARDENS). Some of our favorites include 33A, "Elvis has left the building", EVERYBODYGOHOME; 32D, "I'm beat!", WHATADAY; and 28D, Overseas sailors, LIMEY (so named after what they ate to avoid scurvy). This being Saturday, we also have our JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award), and this one includes a mild surprise. Curiou...

24 Jun 202318min

A relatively straightforward Friday crossword, and a debut for its constructor, Kunal Nabar. There were some enlightening clues - 22A, Theme park originally conceived as a planned community, EPCOT; some vocabulary stretching clues - 57A, Overly slick, UNCTUOUS; and some amusing clues - Top present during the holiday season?, DREIDEL 😀. A great crossword, definitely worth 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. Also, it's Friday, so to learn about a huge British comedy (among other things), ...

24 Jun 202314min

A terrific Thursday crossword by Michael Baker and the indefatigable Jeff Chen, with an LOL theme and some fascinating clueing, including 22A, Co. that, in 1925, said of crosswords "The craze evidently is dying out fast"', NYT ;1D, "Honesty with the volume cranked up", per George Sanders, IRONY, and 26A, org. that might have a beef with beef, USDA 😀 All the deets are inside, so just subscribe, download, listen up and prepare to be educated and entertained. We love feedback! Send us a text.....

23 Jun 202317min

A delicious mid-week snack by Jimmy Peniston, with a unique theme that you can really sink your teeth into. And if that last sentence didn't clue you into the theme, then listening to today's podcast certainly will, so have at it! Remember that the NYTimes Crossword is a scientifically proven way to keep those little gray cells sharp, and they'd love to have you as a subscriber! So wander over to nytimes.com/crosswords, and tell 'em Jean & Mike sent you! We love feedback! Send us a text....

22 Jun 202316min

A perfectly crafted Tuesday crossword, with a theme that was inscrutable for precisely one of our intrepid cohosts (hint: not Jean), and a nicely balanced set of clues. We enjoyed 59A, Attention -grabbing shouts, HEYSs, juxtapositioned with 54D, Attention-grabbing whisper, PSST. In a similar vein we had 5D, Purplish fruit used in smoothies, ACAI, in close proximity to 16A, Purplish fruit used in gin, SLOE. Today was also Triplet Tuesday, and so to find out whether Jean's day off left h...

21 Jun 202315min