Monday, July 7, 2025 - Blasts from the past!

Today's crossword had lots of dipping - a NIB in INDIAINK, BREAD in CHEESEFONDUE, etc. Jean's favorite clue in the grid was 18A, Small part in a superhero film?, ANTMAN, and Mike was enthralled with 14A, Parts of clown costumes, REDNOSES, just because he likes the idea of REDNOSES. It's Triplet Tuesday, and Mike flames out spectacularly -- the details are all within, so download and listen up. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpo...

18 Aug 202110min

Monday's are generally regarded as the easiest of the New York Times crosswords, but that doesn't mean that they aren't a lot of fun. This one had a lively theme, the opportunity to misspell 14A, Visually challenged "Mr." of cartoons, MAGOO (Mike thought it was MCGOO for a time), and a clue that's guaranteed to induce a chuckle or three, 45A, One who says that you're not on the ball?, FLATEARTHER. In short, Freddie Cheng has set the bar high for crosswords for the rest of the week, whic...

17 Aug 20218min

Double, double, toil and trouble refers not only to a witch's spell, but also to this crossword, which caused a lot of toil and trouble -- specifically at the junction of 6A, Sarcastic internet laughter, LOLZ, and 9D, Star man?, ZAGAT; both Jean and Mike (working independently, as always) decided that the answers should be LOLS and SAGAN. The authors of the crossword, Aimee Lucido and Ella Dershowitz, begged to differ, and did. Still, apart from that wee little natick the crossword was fine, ...

16 Aug 202115min

The misdirections were flying fast and furious in today's epic by Nam Jin Yoon. Consider 48A, Marvel producer, MIRACLEWORKER, not KEVINFEIGE (it doesn't fit, and Marvel ≠ MARVEL). Right above that, 45A, Background for someone who's good with numbers, MUSICALTHEATER (!), and 34A, Star clusters?, FANBASES (!!). One of those classic Saturday puzzles that requires all neurons on deck, so to speak, we give this an exhausted and exhilarated 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. We love feedback! Send...

15 Aug 202114min

Jean found today's crossword to be a bit of a slog, but Mike (surprisingly) cruised through it in excellent time, although it was touch-and-go at the beginning. There were a lot of amusing clues in today's offering, such as 26D, Traffic directors?, CONES, 51A, That's a wrap!, SARAN, and 61A, Person who is willfully alone, SOLEHEIR. If these didn't bring a smile to your face, then 4D, Revolutionary inventions in the culinary world?, ROTISSERIEOVENS, will surely leave you ROTFL. In today...

14 Aug 202115min

HOHO, another exciting crossword from Jake Halperin (with, we presume, a dollop of assistance from Will Shortz), who CALLSITLIKEITIS, calling a spade a spade, and a funny bone a FUNNYNERVE -- because that's what, it turns out, it really is. There are three other misnomers that he lays to rest in this fine bit of gridsmanship: to find out what they are (among other things), download and listen up. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswor...

13 Aug 20218min

Today’s crossword featured a fine example of grid art — a face that definitely HADABLANKLOOK, and SHOWEDNOEMOTION - which coincidentally is what Jean & Mike look like when they have their puzzle-solving faces on. Apart from the Mona Lisa-like grid, there were some interesting answers: 56A, Brand with the record for a single car driven the most miles (3+ million and counting), VOLCO (huh!); 5D, Pennsylvania petroleum center, once, OILCITY (natch!), and 30D, It’s been known to chase Wild T...

12 Aug 202113min

Today's crossword was a colorful one, well, red, at least, thanks to the theme -- 4 multi-word answers, the first word of which could be preceded by LITTLERED, as in 17A, Educated, but not streetwise, BOOKSMART, as in LITTLEREDBOOK (as in Mao's bestseller). Mike had a spot of difficulty, uncertain of and therefore focused on 11D, Judicial capital of Bolivia, SUCRE, whereas his real error was 62D, Cheese coating, WAX (not WAC, which would be simply, well, whack). Jean breezed through t...

11 Aug 202116min