Saturday, November 23, 2024 - A ROBUST Saturday crossword
There were many fine clues in today's grid, courtesy of Ryan McCarty. We'd be hard pressed to limit ourselves to 3, but we're going to give it the ol' college try: 33A, Stories that can be read both backward and forward, SAGAS 😀 35A, Makes some calls, REF 🙄 31D, Zeus, Odin or the Dagda, PAGANGOD 🧐30D, Middling in rank, informally, BTIER (so much for the ol' college try!)Beyond today's crossword, we've awarded our JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award), so check out tod...
24 Nov 202413min
Friday, November 22, 2024 - Is ADO Annie in the grid? We can't say no 🙄
Today's crossword was, to borrow an answer from earlier in the week, absolutely fabulous, with an ocean of great clues. [A small ocean, to be sure: the grid was its normal 15x15 size, but somehow "large pond of great clues" doesn't have quite the stirring effect we are aiming for, so we are sticking with ocean.] For example, we have the terrific 5D, Toon whose last name is Nahasapeemapetilon, APU; the all too true 54A, Like the topic of politics in a job interview, TABOO; and the fascinating ...
23 Nov 202418min
Thursday, November 21, 2024 - A Saturday crossword so tricky it's disguised itself as a Thursday 😱😀
Today's crossword was (1A) ABFAB, definitely one of our (3D) FAVES this week, with such a sparkling grid that we had to wear shades and set the app to dark mode in order to work on it. We were dazzled by clues like 42A, One hanging out in the cold, ICICLE (a clue that just warms our hearts!); 22A, "Bam!", KAPOW (Boom!); and 35A, On ice longer than normal, say?, INOT (a clue that did not leave us cold). In short, a crossword definitely worth 5 squares on the JAMCR scale, and certainly a conten...
22 Nov 202417min
Wednesday, November 20, 2024 - This crossword is CRACRA good!
Writing spoiler-free show notes can be tricky, but we're willing to give it a shot for our listeners. In today's crossword, we see that the author has made clever use of ◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️, which is surprising, because we normally only see those on ◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️ or ◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️! However we are glad to see them, they definitely add a bit of zest to the grid. Intrigued? Want to know what's behind all those ◼️'s? Download today's episode to find out! Show note imagery: The original CRAYOLACRAYON...
21 Nov 202413min
Tuesday, November 19, 2024 - Look up there in the sky ... it's a bird, no, it's a plane, no, it's Supervocalic!
When you see the name Erik Agard in the byline, you know you're in for a good time, and the sage does not disappoint in his latest oeuvre, i.e., today's crossword, thanks to great clues like 51D, Supervocalic (we checked: it is a word) to 49D, Half a rhyming synonym of "haphazard", HELTER (😀); to the double cluing of 18A, and 35D, Head over heels, GAGA and INLOVE, respectively. We are INLOVE with this crossword, five squares on the JAMCR scale. In other news, it's Triplet Tuesday, and Jean t...
20 Nov 202414min
Monday, November 18, 2024 - A crossword to RAVE about
A recent JAMCOTWA winner, Rajeswari Rajamani is back with her second NYTimes crossword, and we are pleased to report that it's a delight, with a subtle and engaging theme, and some sparkling grid fill (which is hard to pull off, especially on a Monday). Kudos, we now eagerly await the arrival of crossword # 3! Show note imagery: ELCAPITAN 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 fre...
19 Nov 202413min
Sunday, November 17, 2024 - A cool crossword based on hot air 😀
After yesterday's epic struggle, today's crossword was a refreshing change of pace, with an uplifting theme (literally!), and great clues. The authors were Rebecca Goldstein and Ariela Perlman, the latter making her debut appearance in the NYTimes. Deets inside, so have a listen, and remember that feedback is always welcome. Just a reminder that it has been scientifically proven that solving crosswords can keep those little gray cells in top-notch condition, and a subscription to the NYTimes...
18 Nov 202417min
Saturday, November 16, 2024 - All rise for the TAIOSEACH
When it comes to tough crosswords, there are Saturdays, and there are Saturdays. Today's puzzle was most definitely one of the latter, with nearly impossible clues almost everywhere you look in the grid, trivia that if you're fortunate enough to know will make the crossword a breeze, if not, well, good luck! This was a quality crossword, though, make no mistake about it. How else can you describe a puzzle with clues such as 34A, Does a job for a summer?, ADDS (woah!); and 45D, Antepenultimate...
17 Nov 202420min
