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

If this crossword were a drink, it would be a chamomile tea. However, it was even better than that: a bliss-inducing, soul-lifting crossword. We certainly feel happier for having solved it, and we hop...

16 Nov 202511min

Several clues in today's crossword gave both cohosts reason to pause. Most notably we had a debut at 6D, Aesthetic associated with classical literature and vintage fashion, DARKACADEMIA; we also had t...

15 Nov 202514min

This was a tricky Thursday crossword and a magnificent debut for Kyle Perkins. Jean struggled and Mike strugggggled, to get to the happy music; both eventually persevered, but not before much gnashing...

14 Nov 202516min

The father and daughter duo of Brad Wiegmann and Nicole Wiegmann have teamed up to create a wonderful connect-the-dots-er-squares puzzle-within-a-puzzle. Elizabeth Gorski, an NYTimes contributor with ...

13 Nov 202515min

This is the second Christina Iverson - Scott Hogan collaboration, and the first NYTimes crossword ever to include WORCESTERSHIRE as an answer. It usually takes us several takes before we can pronounce...

12 Nov 20256min

This was an excellent crossword by a prolific cruciverbalist. It was a Monday, and as far as being fun and appropriate for novice puzzle solvers, a smashing success. We enjoyed the challenge of how to...

11 Nov 20257min

If crosswords had moods, we'd classify this one as feisty. It took both cohosts, working independently as always, longer than usual to get to the happy music. But the journey is the reward, as they sa...

10 Nov 202519min

This was a good Saturday workout: not the hardest Saturday ever, but engaging, with some truly effervescent cluing. We covered the best-of-the-best in today's episode, but we would also like to note 2...

9 Nov 20258min