Sunday, September 7, 2025 - Math rules!

While Wednesday's child might be full of woe, we prefer our Wednesday clues to be full of woah! 😀 And that's exactly what we got in today's crossword: a sizable number of clues whose answers did not immediately leap to mind. They did, eventually, thanks to serendipity and some gentler crosses. Kudos and thanks to today's debut cruciverbalists, Cole Vandenberg and Hadith Ragunathan: well done! Show note imagery: An OSIER, waiting patiently, as only a tree can, for somebody to mention it in the...

11 Sep 5min

This crossword quickly skyrocketed from "nice cluing, not bad" to "unbelievably awesome!!", thanks to one vital clue. We'll leave you in suspense as to what that clue is -- until you listen to the episode, of course -- but we feel quite certain that you'll agree with our assessment. [Either way, let us know via the usual channels.] Show note imagery: The extraordinary OLETA Adams We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.c...

10 Sep 6min

Monday's are engineered to entice and intrigue newer solvers, and today's crossword, by Margaret Seikel, does so admirably. There were a few clues that gave us pause: 47D, Attaches, ADDSON (not ADHERES, which, among other problems, would not fit); 43D, Georgia politico Stacey _______, ABRAMS, eventually came to mind (she has definitely not been prominent in the news as of late); and we were especially surprised by 42A, Flower symbolizing early love, LILAC. Now we know! Show note imagery: US P...

9 Sep 5min

The difficulty level's been dialed up to 11, so if you did not get through today's puzzle ... it's not you, it's Kunal Nagar (abetted in this criminally awesome crossword by Will Shortz). Every single clue had something to commend it, and pretty much every single answer required your cohosts, working independently as always, to work for it. This is definitely worth a joyous 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. Show note imagery: OCTAVIAEBUTLER, an extraordinary science fiction writer, winner of the ...

7 Sep 11min

This was an awesome debut by Bryan Cheong, who is, astonishingly, only 14 years old. You would not know it from the crossword, though: the clues are sharp and the fill as crisp as can be. Definitely 5 squares on the JAMCR scale, and we are on the edge of our seats waiting for Bryan's second crossword. In honor of the day (Friday), we also have a Fun Fact Friday™️ segment, about Phoebe Ann Mosey; and if you don't recognize that name, faer not, you'll assuredly recognize her stage name, which w...

6 Sep 18min

This was a delightfully intriguing and decidedly crunchy Thursday crossword, penned by Colin Ernst and adroitly edited by Will Shortz. It took both cohosts, working independently as is their wont, no little time to figure out what was happening, theme-wise: but both eventually did, and appreciated the mental gymnastics. Deets inside, so have a listen, and please let us know what you think. The NYTimes has recently introduced a family subscription plan; so if you want to treat your loved ones ...

5 Sep 13min

This was a fun crossword by Michael B. Berg, his second for the NYTimes. The theme was terrific, revolving around a word that neither cohost had heard before, ZHUZH. Fortunately, the crosses were fairly forgiving (except when they weren't: we're looking at you, KATZ). All in all an excellent middle-of-the-week crossword, we hereby bestow upon it with 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. Show note imagery: KATZ's Delicatessen, doing a booming business. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contac...

4 Sep 10min