Sunday, December 27, 2020

A nice Wednesday crossword. Jean got through it lickety-split and tickety-boo. Mike got through the first top 2/3 fairly expeditiously but then went into tai-chi mode, due to his lack of knowledge of 37D, Native Caribbean plant whose fruit grows in clusters, the delicious SEAGRAPE, and his belief that 64A, A giant one rises in Citi Field after ever Mets homer. was somehow a reference to ADELE (as opposed to the correct answer, APPLE). Both Jean & Mike, although solving, as us...

8 Apr 202112min

HEAVENSTOBETSY it's been a long time since we've heard anyone say HEAVENSTOBETSY, but it popped up today, along with several other phrases from some bygone era, courtesy of Amanda Chung and Karl Ni. There were several loooong clues, long enough that the grid needed to be stretched to 14x16: so for those of you who calculate your subscription on a per square basis, the New York Times owes you exactly 1 square (14x16 = 224, 15x15 = 225). It's Tip Tuesday, and today Jean reminds us ...

7 Apr 202112min

A more difficult than usual Monday crossword, but filled with sparkling clues like 34A, Hairstyle popularized by Lucille Ball, POODLECUT, 40D, Nonsense, MALARKEY, 44A, Cheap neighborhood bar, LOCALDIVE, and 38A, For two, in music, ADUE. Today's episode covers all that and more, so download and be prepared to be uplifted! 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 dr...

6 Apr 20219min

Today's crossword was clearly a LABOROFGLOVE, and if you think that there's a typo in this sentence, listen to today's episode to be disabused of that notion. Jean got through today's crossword in her usual expeditious manner, while Mike-- puzzled by the fact that the answer to 31A, Emergency room concern, was TRAUMA rather than PROOFOFINSURANCE -- had to go EXTRAINNINGS before he could LASSO a victory. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us ...

5 Apr 202111min

A NEATO crossword from the pen of Peter A. Collins, rife with amusing clues (32A, "Squee!", IMSOEXCITED, 37D, Worn down apparel?, PARKAS (awesome!), and 20A, Part of a driver's manual, CLUTCH). There were a few clues that might make respectively, spelling-challenged and Anglophobes blanch -- 36A, Former name of Kazakhstan's largest city, ALMAATA, and 26A, Crown Jewels' quality, LUSTRE. The latter ties in nicely to Thursday's crossword, where the amazing Sam Ezersky challenged us with 48D, Str...

4 Apr 20219min

After yesterday's quagmire, today's crossword is (relatively) straightforward -- not easy by any stretch of the imagination, but there were enough toeholds in every area of the puzzle to give one hope. Jean, for instance, knew 27D, Figure skater Lipinski, TARA, in the center left of the crossword; 21D, Tony-winning musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda during his second year of college, INTHEHEIGHTS, on the right side; 11D, It may keep you on your toes, BALLET, in the northeast corner;, and 4...

3 Apr 20218min

An epically challenging Thursday opus from the fertile mind of Sam Ezersky, today's puzzle was ESSENTIALLY half cryptic crossword, half QUIZ. Jean took a shade longer than usual to figure things out, Mike was lucky to get out with his streak alive. Download and listen up for all the gory details. 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 up a conversat...

2 Apr 202112min

Happy Pre-April-Fool's Day!. And in honor of the occasion, Trenton Carlson has produced a crossword that fooled, well, one of us, with a virtual-natick at the corner of 48A, Dance move that went from trendy to cringe in the 2010s, DAB, and 50D, Mayim who played Amy Farrah Fowler on "the Big Bang Theory", BIALIK. Said cohost also had problems in the middle of the puzzle, briefly contemplating 59A, Key of Beethoven's ninth, to be NMINOR (a really, really low (high?) note). The other...

1 Apr 202115min