Rebecca Goldstein has won awards for her crosswords, and today's is another fine example of why she has been so afforded. Jean, as is so often the case, made short work of today's puzzle, while Mike took more of a tai-chi-like meander through the grid. We have all the deets inside, so hit that download button post-haste, repeat with the like/subscribe/follow button, and then, of course, enjoy!

Show note imagery: A MINIFIG, out for a hike

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This was an elegantly crafted crossword by Adam Wagner and Chandi Deitmer. We were thrilled and delighted to welcome back the rebus, which we have not seen in several Sundays (or so it seems). Jean was able to solve the puzzle quite readily, whereas Mike had to dig (much) deeper to get to the happy music. We have the deets inside, as well as the announcement of our latest JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award™️) winner, so have a listen, and let us know what you think!

Show note imagery: A HONEYEATER (of the white-eared variety, to be precise), found predominantly in Australia and New Guinea.

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This was a splendid crossword by Ben Zimmer. There were no rebuses, but the ingenious theme was a surprise and a delight. We give it a 5 squares on the JAMCR scale, and for the reasons why, have a listen to today's episode.

A logistical note: we are going to be taking Friday and Saturday off, due to anticipated connectivity issues. But we will, of course, be doing the crossword, and will be back to talk about our cruciverbial exploits on Sunday.

Show note imagery: The Minceta Tower (Dubrovnik) in CROATIA, the real home of the Game of Thrones

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The appearance of YEET in the grid is always cause for celebration, a reminder that the English language is not set in its ways, but evolving at a rate that would've made Noah Webster exclaim "YEET this language is ... hang on, let me check my dictionary for a good word here ... deucedly difficult to keep up with!". 

For the record, we enjoyed this crossword for innumerable reasons; but we nonetheless do attempt to enumerate them in today's podcast, so have a listen, and please remember to tell all your friends about us on social media!

Show note imagery: A SCREENPASS blueprint

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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 French hero ever, Asterix!

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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 can find all the deets in today's episode.

Show note imagery: A gorgeous LANAI (beautiful scenery not included)

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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 Award), deets inside.

Show note imagery: The original STARTREK cast.

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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, nominated for 14 Grammy awards and winning twice.

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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 Fact Friday™️ segment about the city that boasts the last remaining Blockbuster in the world. To find out that city's name, and why we liked this crossword so much, we strongly urge you to download, listen, and (we hope!) enjoy today's episode.

Show note imagery: A TREAD, just one of the many, many parts of a staircase.

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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?

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