Saturday, September 27, 2024 - Tarnation this was a tough crossword!
You know when a grid has words like HORCHATA and AORTAE lurking inside that the puzzle is going to be tough, and that is most definitely the case today, in this epic Saturday crossword by Margaret Seikel, her 9th for the NYTimes, and her first Saturday entry. Jean got through it much faster than Mike, but both were able to persevere and had a grand time, as today's podcast makes abundantly clear. It's Saturday, and we've picked our JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award), which ...
29 Sep 202422min
Friday, September 27, 2024 - A LYRICAL Friday crossword
Today's crossword, Jake Bunch's second for the NYTimes, and his second Friday, was splendid: even though Friday crosswords are typically themeless, this did have a meta-theme, really, really intriguing clues. Beyond those mentioned in the podcast, we had 59A, Composer for whom Poland's largest airport is named, CHOPIN; 26D, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.: Abbr, STS (oh, of course!); and an answer that only shows up rarely in the grid, but we are happy whenever it deigns to drop by, 11D, Simply delectabl...
28 Sep 202417min
Thursday, September 26, 2024 - TARNATION this was a good crossword!
This is Jesse Guzman's first ever NYTimes crossword, and they've started off with a bang, with a theme that took both cohosts (working independently, as they are wont to do) quite some time to suss out, but that AHA! moment was assuredly worth the wait. There were some other great clues in the grid, including 61A, They take off marks at school, ERASERS (😀); 58A, Final circuit in a track race, BELLLAP (🧐); and we have the delightful juxtaposition of 56A, Unit of explosive power, KILOTON, and 4...
27 Sep 202418min
Wednesday, September 25, 2024 - 🎹 DO, RE, MI, etc., etc., ♫
This is Peter Gordon's 129th NYTimes crossword, and a perfect example of why the NYTimes keeps publishing his work. The theme is brilliant, the clues sharp and, pardon the pun, upbeat -- quite a lot to like. We have the deets inside, just waiting for you to download all that goodness. Our Triplet Tuesday Contest is going strong, so if you haven't participated yet, listen to Tuesday's podcast and then submit your entry, for a chance to win bragging rights and some fabulous swag. As promised,...
26 Sep 202417min
Tuesday, September 24, 2024 - Time for the Great PECAN v. PECAN Pronunciation Debate (and a Triplet Tuesday Contest 😍)
Today's episode is action-packed, but at its heart is a crossword by Kevin L. Shellito, his debut, and an excellent debut it is, with some ingenious cluing and a delightful theme - deets inside. Also, we're hosting another Triplet Tuesday Contest, so get ready to play along and then email us how many clues it took you, in total, to guess all 3 answers. Good luck, and may the most deserving Triplet Tuesday Contest contestant emerge triumphant! Contest deadline: Sunday, September 29, 2024, by ...
25 Sep 202424min
Monday, September 23, 2023 - HIALL, HELLO, and ADEIU - a crossword that'll get you coming and going
We're starting the work week with a pleasing Monday crossword by Freddie Cheng, his 17th for the NYTimes. It had a straightforward, cute theme, and quite a few musicians in the grid, including 35D, "At Last" jazz singer, ETTAJAMES; 28D, Pop star Gomez, SELENA; 15D, Piaf who sang "La Vie en Rose", EDITH; and the ubiquitous (at least in the NYTimes crossword) 7D, Brian of ambient music, ENO. We almost had a fifth, but 67A, Practices boxing, was SPARS, so close to SPEARS 😀. Tomorrow is our Trip...
24 Sep 202410min
Sunday, September 22, 2024 - A BEAU of a crossword!
Today's puzzle was a delight - harkening back to an old movie (whose name we will not reveal here, to maintain the suspense), and with some crisp, entertaining cluing -- in short, the NYTimes Sunday crossword at its best. We dive into details on that, and have a nice bit of listener mail to boot, so delay no longer! Download, listen up, and enjoy! A reminder, our next Triplet Tuesday Contest is coming up ... this Tuesday, so make your final preparations, write your acceptance speech, etc., ...
23 Sep 202424min
Saturday, September 21, 2024 - RIDIC is a word? Well, that's just ... wait for it ... RIDIC 😀
Joel Fagliano's given us a bit of a breather, a challenging but relatively straightforward Saturday crossword -- certainly in comparison to the last few weeks, we're still recovering from Sam Ezrsky's last epic. The clues were fun and entertaining, though: 38D, Box office?, CUBICLE; 14D, U.S. city with the motto "Where Discoveries are Made", LOSALAMOS; and (ahem) 54A, Butt text, PEACHEMOJI, are just a few examples. Also, it's Saturday, so we have a new JAMCOTWA winner to announce! Finally, ...
22 Sep 202417min
