Friday, January 22, 2021

Today's crossword was titled Olio, meaning either that a) they didn't have a theme, or b) they were intending to talk about margarine but the proofreader took a POWERNAP at an inopportune time. Either way, today's crossword did have its moments -- 67D, Bits of hijinks?, DOTS, and 44D, Stopped smoking?, COOLED were among our favorites. Jean had a spot of bother with 39A, Three-dimensional, SPATIAL, inadvertently slipping in a C instead of a T. Mike, meanwhile, was disappointed that 45A, One re...

7 Juni 202115min

Peter Wentz really UPPEDTHEGAME in today's crossword, resulting in a real THRILLER. Both Jean & Mike, solving independently as always, had the toughest time in the bottom-left corner, where tricky clues like 47A, NorCal daily, SACBEE, and 49D, Credit card name, CITI (not VISA), were wedged in between other tricky clues, like 36D, Steinbeck novella, THEPEARL, and 47D, Tests one's spirits?, SIPS. Still, all's fair's in love and Saturday New York Times crosswords, and we give...

6 Juni 202110min

A challenging but fair Friday crossword, with some absolutely stellar cluing. Surely 18A, A child who's lying might make one, SNOWANGEL, deserves some sort of award, as does 40A, Small organic food producer, HONEYBEE (wow!); and we would be remiss if we didn't mention 8D, Explicit, to a Brit, SPELTOUT, and 43A, Hardly a long shot, PUTT. So, we doff our hats to the constructor, Nam Jin Yoon, and give his oeuvre a well-earned 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. We love feedback! Send us a text... Con...

5 Juni 20218min

If you like rebuses (rebusae?), you will absolutely adore today's crossword, because it has ...wait for it ... eighteen of them, artfully arranged by Kyra Wilson and Sophia Maymudes. We are not going to even try and articulate the theme here in the episode notes, but Jean does a splendid job of explaining it in the podcast. There were a few tricky spots -- probably the most difficult being the spelling of 34A, Catchphrase on "The Simpsons", AYCARAMBA, because a) it sounds like AYCARUMBA, and...

4 Juni 202113min

Happy Pride Month, everyone! In honor of that august occasion, Jesse Goldberg has crafted a puzzle revolving around 34A, Historic inn commemorated during Pride Month, as suggested by this puzzle's border answers, STONEWALL. Revolving is the operative word, as the top and bottom rows, and left and right columns were dedicated to 10, count 'em, 10 theme-related clues, all of which required STONE to be appended to the end of the answer -- 1A, Graveyard sight, HEAD[STONE], 47D, Quaint street mate...

3 Juni 20218min

Today's crossword might've been a shoutout to fruititarians, what with the references to HALLEBERRY, PROFESSORPLUM, PRINCESSPEACH, and a very popular singer (especially in the New York Times Crossword), FIONAAPPLE. The latter crossed with 40D, Tech release of 2017, IMACPRO -- a nice touch since, of course, they are made by Apple. There were quite a few cultural references in today's puzzle, including 33D, Singer with the 2019 # 2 hit "Don't Start Now", DUALIPA, and 7D, "Heidi" aut...

2 Juni 202113min

Jean tears through today's crossword, as, allowing for heteronyms, does Mike. There were quite a few teaching moments in today's crossword: 57A, Fashion designer associated with the item spelled out by the starts of 17-, 26- and 42-Across, COCOCHANEL -- alluding to the Little Black Dress that apparently is a staple of most women's wardrobes. 26A, Bicolor cookies also called half-moons, BLACKANDWHITES, not OREOOOOOOOOOOOS (that's an OREO being eaten while falling off a cliff). 32D, _...

1 Juni 20218min

The Goldilox of Sunday crosswords -- not too hard, not too easy, just right -- with an entertaining chess theme and a reference to what we presume is Will Shortz's favorite pointy object, 88D, Tool for a duel, EPEE. There were a few standout clues -- 64A, Pickup line?, RAM, and the tremendous 55D, Cub's place to play home games, DEN (very nice!). As all good crosswords do, it did raise a few questions, such as 25A, Where snow leopards and blue sheep roam, HIMALAYAS -- blue sheep?...

30 Maj 202113min