Wednesday, February 26, 2025 - We long for more crosswords by Dan Caprera 😁

Today's crossword was rebus-free but humor-rich, with a wry undercurrent based on the world's current obsession with all things AI. We believe that this crossword was written by a human being, one Ryan Patrick Smith, and not an AI bot claiming to be Ryan Patrick Smith ... unless ... are all those claims of the former in the grid an example of "me thinks thou dost protest too much"?? To find out the answer (er, maybe), subscribe, download, listen up, and enjoy! We love feedback! Send us ...

8 Sep 202315min

A nice Wednesday crossword by Blake Slonecker, with a surprising number of answers that just raised more questions (all of which we cover, of course, in the podcast). There were a few great clues that didn't quite make into that episode, though, including 60A, In the public eye, SEEN (duh!); the droll 28D, Lights up?, IRRADIATES; and 37D, Dirt-digging research, for short, OPPO (fun to say, not quite as fun to contemplate). We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mai...

7 Sep 202316min

A noble Tuesday crossword, one that reminds us (multiple times) of the virtues of having a BFF. The grid was teeming with good clues, including 11D, End piece?, CODA (heh, heh); 40D, Ficus that produces sweets favored by a 44-across, FIGTREE (we just like the word ficus!); and 32D, "Ooh, tell us everything!", DOSAY (we can hear the poshness in the voice from 20 paces 😀). In other news, it's Triplet Tuesday -- Jean's up to (FRUIT)BAT -- and we have listener mail, recommending a fine Ok Go vid...

6 Sep 202314min

Any crossword that works BLOOP, DUPE and PEEKABOO into the grid (4A, Baseball hit just over the infield; 46A, Pull a fast one on; and 37D, Game for an infant, respectively) has our sincere respect and admiration -- and even more because of a theme that is clearly in the ascendant, which will make more sense once you've heard the podcast or solved this fine puzzle by Tom Pepper and Zhouqin Burnikel. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! D...

5 Sep 202311min

For those of you who spend waaaay too much time in front of a computer screen, you should have a leg up as you solve this crossword (especially if you're doing so in a hammock 🙄). Beyond the 21st century theme, there were some great clues, such as 118A, A little help around the holidays, ELF (heh, heh); 50A, It ain't just a river in Egypt!, DENIAL (ouch!); and 61A, Frozen yogurt mix-in, OREO (and a fond welcome-back to the official cookie of the NYTimes Crossword!). We love feedback!...

4 Sep 202318min

A nice Saturday crossword by Rebecca Goldstein, with some curious clues such as 30A, Call from a server, maybe, ADIN (we're still trying to work that one out!!); the magnificent 44A, Oxford English Dictionary's Word of the Year in 2022, describing an unapologetically self-indulgent state, GOBLINMODE (delightful!); and the devious 28D, "Just the check", IMSET. All in all a great crossword, and Rebecca's debut Saturday puzzle (she's had 9, all told). We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact ...

3 Sep 202313min

This crossword, ITSABEAUT, and we're not just saying that because that happens to be the answer to 11D, "Would you look at that!". The grid is just effervescent, and includes an amazing 10 debuts (including ITSABEAUT). It also includes what has become, within 30 seconds of starting to listen to it, Mike's favorite group, OKGO (4D, Indie group band whose name is a two-word command). There is, in short, a lot to love in today's crossword, definitely a 5 squares on the JAMCR scale, and def...

2 Sep 202317min

A relatively straightforward Thursday crossword -- no rebuses (rebusae?), answers that circled back on one another, or bow-ties -- but the theme was a great one nonetheless, as it ... nope, no spoilers! If you want to know more (and we hope you do!), you'll need to subscribe / download / listen up and (we hope!) enjoy. 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 an...

1 Sep 202312min