Tuesday, November 12, 2024 - Three cheers for Father KNICKERBOCKER 😀
This was a fine Tuesday crossword by the brother and sister team of Avery Gee Katz and Aaron Gee. The theme was droll, and, apart from a minor spot of bother with 66A, Burrowing rodent, MOLE (not VOLE), it was a smooth solve. We approve, and by the power vested in us by whoever's in charge in NE Wisconsin, do bestow upon this crossword the ranking of 5 squares, as measured on the JAMCR scale. Show note imagery: Father KNICKERBOCKER, who was, in some sense, the grandfather of the New York Kni...
13 Nov 202417min
Monday, November 11, 2024 - Happy Veteran's Day!
Today's puzzle was relatively straightforward - being a Monday, we would be surprised if it were otherwise - with a wry theme, and a supporting cast of fun clues. Our favorites were 48A, Raps off the cuff, FREESTYLES; 5D, Visual accompaniment to a musical release, ALBUMART (are physical albums still a thing??); and the particularly fine 41A, The second O of O-O-O, TAC (nice!). Besides the crossword, we have a spot of listener mail expounding on the meaning of ANTEPENULTIMATE, so to enjoy all...
12 Nov 202414min
Sunday, November 10, 2024 - Red Alert! It's a Sam Ezersky puzzle, coming in hot! 🔥
This was Sam Ezersky's 57th NYTimes crossword, so while we feel that a reference to Heinz would've been in order (as in Heinz 57 Sauce), even without there was a lot of spice in the grid. There were educational clues: 16D, Length of William Henry Harrison's presidency, ONEMONTH; the astonishing 110D, Nickname for Francisco, PACO (surely a gimme for the bay area folk around San PACO); and the delightful 95A, Hardy follower, HAR (HAR, HAR, HAR 😀). In short, a wonderful Sunday diversion, ...
11 Nov 202421min
Saturday, November 9, 2024 - Trapped aboard the STRUGGLEBUS? Best transfer to the TROUBLEFREETAXI 🙄
There's only one time when we enjoy riding a STRUGGLEBUS, and that's when we're working on a tough Saturday crossword, like this one -- which, coincidentally, happened to feature an actual STRUGGLEBUS in the grid. Now long time solvers and listeners know, through experience, that clues become more cryptic, and answers longer, over the course of the week, from Monday to Saturday. To quantify this, however, someone has made a splendid visualization plotting word length versus day of the w...
10 Nov 202414min
Friday, November 8, 2024 - With both CHEESECAKE and TRESLECHES in the grid, this is one SUHWEET crossword!!
Evans Clinchy's bio pic in xwordinfo.com shows him chowing down on a burrito, and that may or may not have any connection with the presence of both CHEESECAKE and TRESLECHES in the grid. What we do know for certain is that Evans has crafted a challenging but fair Friday crossword, just the kind we like! Indeed, the grid just sparkles, with clues such as 4D, Doofuses, TOMFOOLS (definitely fun to say); 10D, Beyond clean, STERILE (can't argue with that!); 49D, It comes down hard, HAIL (makes mor...
9 Nov 202417min
Thursday, November 7, 2024 - TULSA, the Capital of Route 66
Joe Deeney can definitely BEPROUD of this crossword, as it is, in a word, SUHWEET! While the grid does contain a standing-ovation-worthy hairpiece pun, it is still the theme that rules SUPREME. Deets inside! Show note imagery: An EGRET, with a look that says, don't even think about making a pun about my name! 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...
8 Nov 202412min
Wednesday, November 6, 2024 - Look out, it's a flock of outraged ... MEADOWLARKS!??
Today's crossword was fabulous -- that's the LONGANDSHORTOFIT! A deftly constructed theme and delightlful clues (43A, Snack brand from the Spanish word for "fried", FRITOS; 8D, Hip hop's Madvillian or Mob Deep, DUO; and 69A, Second smallest of seven, EUROPE) make for a great mid-week solve. Deets inside! Show note imagery: A MEADOWLARK, who, fortunately, looks very good in yellow We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud....
7 Nov 202415min
Tuesday, November 5, 2024 - Psst, want something non-political to listen to? We've got you covered!
A fine Tuesday crossword by Evan Kalish, and as this is his 22nd NYTimes crossword, it would be fair to say that he is on a roll. It would also be hilarious to say that he is on a roll, but to find out why that is the case, you'll want to download today's episode, which also includes Jean in an epic Triplet Tuesday™️ segment. Show note imagery: The crossword, like the depicted outfit, was truly INSPO We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop...
6 Nov 202419min
