Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

Jean's favorite crossword device makes an appearance today -- a rebus! The revealer was two clues, spelling NBA JAM, and the rebus required NBA be JAMmed into one square (we see what you did there, Blake Slonecker, author of today's puzzle). A few crossword friends take a bow today, including the apparently contractually obligatory 35A, Male actor with the most primetime Emmys (7), ASNER, the official monster of the New York Times crossword, 46A, Folklore fiend, OGRE, and the off...

5 Mars 202110min

There were a few ENIGMAS in this puzzle -- the most perplexing being, how did Galileo, born in the 1500's, earn the monicker of 39A, The Father of Modern Physics? Schroedinger is probably rolling over (and simultaneously not rolling over) in his grave 😀 Jean was natticked at the corner of 49A, Lecture series focused on "ideas of the mind", TEDX and 39D, British Pharma giant, GLAXO, while Mike was indignant at the thought that 1A, Body part whose name comes from the Latin for "little mou...

4 Mars 202113min

We're not sure if Ross Trudeau STAYSSANE by writing crosswords, but he certainly does a fabulous job of concocting them, and we present today's puzzle as exhibit A. It was a themed crossword, and Jean's favorite clue was 61A, Chicken broth or beef bouillon?, STOCKOPTION; Mike liked the tangentially-related 6D, Participated in a stock exchange?, MOOED - ultra-cute! Jean got through the crossword with her usual aplomb and alacrity, while Mike, AHEM, was almost done in by his Diet Coke habit, le...

3 Mars 202112min

If this crossword seemed taller than usual -- in spite of being the standard 15x15 -- that is probably because of the preponderance of tall themed answers -- SPACENEEDLE, EIFFELTOWER and FERRISWHEEL. These were all constructs built for one of the WORLDSFAIRS that seem to have gone out of vogue nowadays. Jean and Mike both appreciated 66A, Like some college bros, FRATTY; and Mike was pleased that his go-to for solving tricky problems, BRUTEFORCE, got a shoutout, although the clue -- 3D, Ineleg...

2 Mars 20216min

A punny Sunday crossword ... ORISIT? Well, with clues like 41A, When the nudist club was founded?, MANYMOONSAGO, it is apparent that the answer is a a resounding yes! Jean's favorite themed clue (and the gimmick all revolved around people going au naturelle) was 78A, What happens in the stand-up show at the nudist club?, COMICSTRIPS, whereas Mike although partial to the aforementioned 41A, also appreciated 24A, Leadership style of the nudist club president?, BARELYMANAGING, and 58D, Vic...

1 Mars 20217min

Jean sailed through this crossword so quickly that her keyboard ignited, while the fate of Mike's keyboard was never in doubt nor peril. There was a goodly number of arcane (depending upon your age) clues, including 61A, Actress/YouTube star ______ Condor, LANA, 38A, Title character in a "Sgt. Pepper" song, MRKITE, 8D, George Sand title heroine, ISIDORA, and 63A, "East of Eden" twin, Aron, just to name a few. Both Jean and Mike were suckered in by 44D, Begrudge, independently answering...

28 Feb 202112min

There were no ERRATA in this perfect Friday crossword, with 5 loooong answers that spanned the grid -- 3 across and 2 down. Despite their length, however, they were relatively accessible, common phrases -- sneakily disguised to ELUDE discovery. Jean found a few new words to add to her vocabulary - 43A, Fencing sport with bamboo swords, KENDO, and 46A, Film composer Morricone, ENNIO. Mike learned about 7A, Painting technique used in van Gogh's "The Starry Night", IMPASTO, and the existence of ...

27 Feb 202115min

Jean cruised through this crossword like it was a Monday, while Mike got hung up on the REEFS, and had to DOUBLEDOWN in order to get OVER the finish line with his self ESTEEM intact. The theme DOUBLEDOWN referred to several words that had repeating triplets, e.g., HEARTMUR ==> HEARTMURMUR, COVERSION ==> COVERVERSION, etc. Very clevlever. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com. Also, we're on...

26 Feb 202115min