Saturday, March 4, 2023 - KACHINAs and BENTOBOXes and ESSAYMILLs, oh, my!

This was a splendiferous Friday crossword by Karen Steinberg. It was not particularly difficult, but it was particularly fun to solve, and for that we are grateful! Check out today's episode for all t...

18 Okt 20256min

This was an ingenious and entertaining crossword by Kareem Ayas, his 7th for the NYTimes. The theme was very (n)ice indeed, but the rest of the clues were not just there for show. We loved 34A, High l...

17 Okt 202520min

We find it difficult to resist a crossword with the word "cerulean" anywhere in it, or even in near it, when the constructors were working their magic. But it is not only for that reason that we have ...

16 Okt 202511min

This was an excellent crossword by Stella Zawistowski, her 24th for the NYTimes and her 7th Tuesday. There were some awesome clues in the grid, such as 28D, "A pox on thee!", FIE (a truly excellent in...

15 Okt 202512min

This was an intriguing debut crossword by Katherine Xiong. Both cohosts -- solving independently as usual -- found it to be a tad longer than one might expect for a Monday. That just means more time s...

14 Okt 202515min

Both cohosts found today's puzzle to be particularly crunchy due to cruciverbial challenges in different areas of the grid. Jean struggled mightily in the southeast corner, while Mike was temporarily ...

13 Okt 202521min

Sam Ezersky crosswords can be quite thrilling, as he is renowned for making highly challenging puzzles. He certainly does not disappoint this Saturday, quite the contrary. However, he has managed to i...

12 Okt 202513min

Colin Adams seems to have hit the sweet spot with Friday crosswords chock-full of cracklingly good clues. Besides those mentioned in today's podcast, we also have such notables as 14D, Locales for som...

11 Okt 202514min