Friday,April 25, 2025 - Nothing BLAND in today's grid (except, inevitably, BLAND 😉)

This was a picture-perfect Tuesday crossword by Gary Larson and Amy Ensz, marking their second collaboration. The theme was suitably surprising, and the rest of the puzzle equally excellent. Besides the crossword itself, we have another installment of our Triplet Tuesday segment, with Jean facing her inquisitor with that Princess Leia-like combination of aplomb and insouciance. Show note imagery: Satchel PAIGE has played, apparently, almost everywhere! Show note URL: The greatest ...

6 Aug 16min

This was a satisfyingly crunchy Monday crossword; it took both cohosts, laboring independently as usual, a significantly longer time than usual to complete. They blame it on the AQI, which in NE Wisconsin is currently hovering somewhere between "hey, what happened to the houses across the street?" and "if you must go outside, don't forget your respirator!" levels. Fortunately they had today's crossword -- the third NYTimes publication by Patti Varol -- to provide a welcome distraction. You ca...

5 Aug 11min

Today's crossword was an homage to the iconic series STARTREK, which has been around since the 1960s and at this rate seems likely to continue to exist until its actual putative time, in the 2260's. While this likely gave an advantage to trekkies, we suspect that most readers will at least be familiar with the major characters -- and if not, that the crosses would come (as they often do) to the rescue. Besides the crossword, we have selected our JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week A...

4 Aug 16min

This was a superlative Saturday crossword, thanks to an ocean of uber-crisp clues, each forming a "mini-mystery" that you had to solve en route to the happy music. Marvel at the handiwork of, for instance, 9D, Mountain range that spans 67º of latitude, ANDES; 6D, Key for getting rid of your work, in brief?, DEL; and 29D, They're all equal in a circle, RADII; The vast majority of the clues were of that ilk, making for a very satisfying puzzle indeed. Show note imagery: Chuck MANGIONE, no...

3 Aug 12min

This was a fantabulous Friday crossword that will have you saying 49D, "Look what I did!", TADA, if you are able to solve it. On the way to that illustrious goal, you might have a hunch as to an answer, in which case your 22D, Intuitive ability in the Marvel Universe, SPIDERSENSE, might start tingling. And if you were both able to solve the puzzle and let your friends know about it, they might give you a hearty 12D, "Well done!", BRAVO. Besides our analysis of the crossword, we have a Fun Fac...

2 Aug 13min

Once again, the rebus rules, and indeed in today's crossword may even be said to teem, for it appears a whopping ten times in today's grid, in various amusing and unexpected places that are detailed in today's episode. Really, the whole puzzle is fANTastic! Deets inside. Show note imagery: If you're looking to book a shanty, why not book from Wisconsin's very own Northwood SHANTIES? We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@iclou...

1 Aug 13min

Today's theme was sweet -- literally! You'll know why within 30 seconds of the start of today's episode, or, if you're in more of a hurry, within 30 milliseconds of glancing at the grid. There were some fine clues in today's puzzle. We doff our hats in recognition of 25D, Land of llamas and Llosa, PERU; 62A, "Really?", HUH; and finally, the wry 39A, Like poker champion Chris Moneymaker's name, APT. Show note imagery: Elphaba and Glinda singing "Defying Gravity", which takes ...

31 Juli 14min

This was an ab fab Tuesday crossword by Peter Gorman, with an admirably serpentine theme, as we explain in today's episode (and, as usual, you can see by checking out the solution at xwordinfo.com). Beyond the theme, there were sone other unexpected answers - our favorite kind! Finally, icing on the cake, we have our fabled Triplet Tuesday™️ segment for your listening pleasure. Enjoy! Show note imagery: All aboard the Glacier Express, a definite must-see if you're in the ALPS. We love f...

30 Juli 16min