Friday, October 3, 2025 - Time for some cheery R&R with Rebecca (Goldstein) and Rafael (Musa)
Rebecca Goldstein and Rafael Musa are both great cruciverbalists, but together they are more than the sum of their (very impressive individual) parts -- as aptly demonstrated in today's crossword. From the amusing 56A, Something raised during Oktoberfest, BEERTENT (nice!), to the educational 5D, The first one was issued in 1936, for short, SSN, to the brilliant 32D, What comes before we go, AWAY, the grid was dazzling. We have the deets inside, as well as a fabulous fact for Fun Fact Fr...
4 Okt 11min
Thursday, October 2, 2025 - One bang up crossword!
This was a fine Thursday crossword by Aidan Deshong -- his 6th for the NYTimes. Jean tore through it, Mike ... did not. The theme, discussed within, was great. The clues were also fine -- 20A, Leveled the playing field, say?, MOWED (awesome!); 55A, Pin number, TEN (🎳😀); and 3D, What might come after many years?, AGO (not, as both cohosts originally posited, AGE). Show note imagery: AEGEAN, Greece's national airline We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail!...
3 Okt 13min
Tuesday, September 30, 2025 -- A joyous Tuesday crossword!
Today's crossword was a joy, for reasons that will become readily apparent as soon as you've either a) done the crossword, or b) listened to today's podcast. We don't want to spoil it too much; to say that there was a great pun in the grid is probably not too much of a spoiler, as that is oft the case. For all the deets, though, you'll definitely want to check out today's episode. Show note imagery: ACACIAS, frequently spotted on the African savanna. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contac...
1 Okt 9min
Monday, September 29, 2025 - A sweet, sweet debut
Today's crossword is a debut for Brian Keller -- and it checks all the boxes as far as Mondays are concerned. Fun theme? ✅Not too hard? ✅Interesting clues? ✅15x15 or thereabouts? ✅In addition to a fine Monday, we've also hand-picked our JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award) for the last week, which goes to ... a crossword that will be revealed in today's episode, so do have a listen. A reminder that studies have shown that the NYTimes crossword is a fabulous way to improve yo...
30 Sep 14min
Sunday, September 28, 2025 - PEETS, when you need caffeine to get to the next Starbuck's 😀
A few weeks ago, we had an homage to Star Trek. Well, Rich Katz (ably guided by Will Shortz) has dug into the nostalgia vault once more, and came up with this fine ode to a 1990's sitcom whose name we will not mention in these show notes -- to preserve the element of surprise, as it were. Being a Sunday crossword, there were numerous notable clues. We liked 97D, Chinese "nut" that's really a fruit , LITCHI; 108D, AA or JJ, e.g., PAIR (true, true); and 67D, Sun bloc?, NBA (cute!). Show note im...
29 Sep 17min
Saturday, September 27, 2025 - A Saturday crossword so good we'll need a thesaurus to do it justice! 😍
This was a Saturday crossword where every clue looked like it was hand-crafted with passion and precision: if the Loeuvre is ever looking for a crossword to hang up next to the Mona Lisa, they could do worse than pick this one. Even after our extensive dive into the grid in the podcast, we couldn't squeeze in all the gems. For instance, 23A, They arose from Ra's tears, according to Egyptian mythology, BEES (BEEautiful)!); 9A, African capital whose name translates to "ants", ACCRA (huh!)...
28 Sep 8min
Friday, September 26, 2025 - Behold, a business of FERRETS!
Opinions were mixed on today's puzzle. Jean found it to be a large-ish challenge while Mike found more of it in his wheelhouse than usual for a Friday. Both agreed that it was an awesome crossword, though, with some sharp and interesting cluing. For instance, we had 39A, Pet food brand whose name reflects its founding in Allentown, Pa, ALPO; 37A, It gets pumped at a party, KEG; and 3D, It might be on display at Comic-Con, INNERGEEK. There's more, including a great fun fact about the the...
28 Sep 16min
Thursday, September 25, 2025 - Encore, encore!
Today's crossword was brrrrrrrillllllliiiiiiiiiaaaaaaaannnnnnnntttttttt -- that is to say, brilliant: but definitely a stretch 😀. To be more specific, thanks to the theme solving this crossword seemed virtually impossible, until ... it wasn't. We don't know how long it took to construct this, but it is genius writ large. Kudos to Jesse Goldberg for an outstanding piece of work. Show note imagery: The ERIE Sea Wolves (who aren't at all eerie 🙄) We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info:...
26 Sep 11min
