Tuesday, December 10, 2024 - The answer might be UGLI, but the clue is beautiful 😀

Today's crossword includes a novel, or at least very rare, theme, in which the clues lead to answers that similar to common phrases, except the "air" sound in the last word has been replaced with an "or" sound. For instance (because this definitely needs an example), 17A, Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello and Raphael?, RENAISSANCEFOUR (as opposed to RENAISSANCEFAIR). Jean was temporarily slowed down by 61A, Legendary queen once depicted on Tunisian currency, DIDO, initially writing (perhap...

11 Juni 202112min

You might want to be sitting down for this podcast ... but if you're not, fear not, because the crossword theme is, basically, things that you can sit upon, (BACKSEATDRIVER, COUCHPOTATO, etc.). There were not a lot of verbal fireworks in today's grid, although it did have 24A, Glistens with shimmering colors, IRIDESCES (from a Greek word meaning you'll never be able to spell this); 21D, De-tailed detail?, SPEC, deserves mention, and the crossing of 27D, Nobel prize winner of 1903 and 19...

10 Juni 202111min

It's amazing what an opportunely placed H can do to a phrase -- and Christopher Adams demonstrates this not just once or twice, but *four* times, taking common phrases, and tossing in an H to get a punderfully amusing answer. There was a lot of pop culture in today's crossword. This fazed Jean not at all, but Mike got temporarily natticked at the corner of 1D, "The Open Window" story writer, SAKI, and 17A, Actress Russell, KERI, knowing neither: only by walking through the alphabet did he eve...

9 Juni 202113min

In today's episode, we discover how to pronounce ARNAZ (41A, Desi of "I Love Lucy"); why 3D, Annual drama award, is OBIE, rather than OLEO or OLIO; that VALOR Day is not a thing (14A, _____ Day (September observance, LABOR)); and much, much more! For details, download and listen up.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 conversation!

8 Juni 202110min

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