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

A crunchier than usual Tuesday crossword, although it did start with a fan favorite in 1A, Alan of "Marriage Story", ALDA. For examples of said crunchiness, we need look no further than 19A, Movie co. with a presence at Sundance, IFC; 54A, Long ways to go?, LIMOS (cute!); and the subtle 42A, That's not true, LIE. A great puzzle, we give it a cheery 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. It's also Triplet Tuesday, during which Jean refuses to give partial credit. To hear why, just download...

13 Jul 202213min

A colorful Monday grid, with GREEN, WHITE and BLUE making an appearance, all in the aid of ... nope, no spoiler alerts here. Also, Jean set a PB (Personal Best) for a Monday crossword, but did she break the 5 minute barrier?? Again, no spoiler alerts - to get the full 411, you know what to do: download, listen up, and enjoy! 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 ...

12 Jul 20229min

A super Sunday crossword, with an ingenious theme, deft cluing, and while a challenge, about 1,000,000,000 times easier than yesterday's Mt. Everest of a puzzle. From clever clues like 120A, Tipsy trips, BARCRAWLS; to treats like 9A, Reward for sitting, say, TREAT; and TIL's such as 27D, New York resting place for Mark Twain, ELMIRA, and the artful 23A, Where some stable relationships form?, STUDFARMS, there was something in the grid for everyone to savor. As mentioned in today's ep...

11 Jul 202217min

A true test of cruciverbal mettle and stamina, with some awesomely difficult clues. They aren't hard to find, either: just point randomly anywhere on the grid and you'll be likely to find one. For instance, 33D, Mozart's "Voi, che sapete", and others, ARIETTAS (egads!); 39D, Pool side, SOLIDS (oh, that kind of pool 😀); and 16A, What a snake or dragon can represent, LUNARYEAR. And those weren't the hardest in the grid -- Jean and Mike are still trying to figure out how to spell...

10 Jul 202216min

A superb. Friday puzzle by Kyle Dolan: Jean found it straightforward, Mike had to dig deeply for clues like 4D, Representative, TOTEMIC (which definitely was not, as far as Friday clues go); 10D, Mission Santa ____ (National Historic Landmark in California), INES (now officially on our bucket lists); 14D, Question at a press conference, maybe, WHOSNEXT (no, WHOSONFIRST 😀). The topper was 22A, Point ____, ocean spot farthest from land, NEMO, which coincidentally and most deservedly is o...

9 Jul 202218min

If today's crossword makes you fear you are seeing double, do not adjust your, er, eyes, because you are -- thanks to Philip Wolfe's cleverly constructed theme. We have all the deets inside, as well as a slight addendum to a discussion of yesterday's theme, just waiting for you to download, subscribe, and enjoy! A friendly reminder: the New York Times Crossword would love to have you as a subscriber, and it makes a great gift for, well, you (as well as your friends and relations)! Just...

8 Jul 202212min

Sam Koperas and Jeff Chen provide a master class in crisp crossword clues, with numerous LOL examples. There are too many to list here, but trust us (better yet, download the podcast and listen to us!) -- the grid is bursting to the seams with 'em. It definitely pegs the scale on the JAMCRmeter (that's Jean And Mike Crossword Rating meter), kudos to both constructors (and Will Shortz, it goes without saying but we just did anyway). We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love lis...

7 Jul 202211min

Today's crossword is an homage to Taylor SWIFT, but even if you can't hum FEARLESS or SHAKEITOFF, fear not - the clues are straightforward (respectively 20A, Like daredevils, informally, and 41A, Get over a minor injury, say) and the crosses gentle. Beyond that, we have to pause in admiration of the inclusion of YOINK, which Mike originally took to be YOIK, as immortalized by Daffy Duck, but the crosses fortunately helped straighten him out. In other news, it's Triplet Tuesday, and thi...

6 Jul 202213min