Today's crossword was themeless, but there was a lot of music in the grid. Between 7D, Pink Floyd co-founder Barrett, SYD, to 87D, Soul singer Thomas, CARLA, there were numerous other references: 31A, All-woman rock band with the 1982 hit "Vacation", GOGOS; the curious 43A, When doubled, a classic Mardis Gras tune, IKO; and finally 52A, 2017 chart-topping hit whose YouTube video was the first to reach 3 billion views, DESPACITO (we defy you to not dance while watching it  😀 ).

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A fine Saturday crossword, arguably less challenging then yesterday's slogfest, but with some deftly written clues, such as ... 53A,  Detail-oriented sort, IDOTTER (😀); 54A, Clerical worker?, PRIEST (😀 😀 ); and 18D, "I spilled _______ on my dog, now he's gone": Steven Wright, SPOTREMOVER (too many 😀's to list). We liked this crossword a lot, and we've got the podcast to prove it!

In other news, it's Saturday, and in today's JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award) we picked ... a crossword! From this week!! And to find out precisely which one, do have a listen to today's episode.

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An exhausting, exhilarating, and, let's just say it, excellent crossword by Kameron Austin Collins, with a grid-full of superb clues and answers, as one would expect when KAC is in charge. All the deets are inside, as well as a Fun Fact Friday exploration of a very popular fish (challenge to the reader: can you guess it before you listen? -- let us know!), so download, listen up, and enjoy.

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What can we say about a crossword that includes the word VICHYSSOISE? First, that we are in awe of it, and to be more precise its constructor, Bruce Haight, as we are just amazed that he can even spell VICHYSSOISE -- Mike took about 3 running starts to get it sorted out. Second, it reminds us once again of Will Shortz's towering genius, as we now realize it was portended by yesterday's 9D, Something you need to do to solve crosswords, SPELL. We are not worthy 😀 

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A delicious Wednesday crossword by Matthew Stock, with references to PANERA, CRONUTS and -- well,  OEUF is a bit, ahem, oeuffy, er, iffy -- but regardless, it was a good crossword, with a delightful theme. We have all the deets inside just waiting for you to sink your teeth into, so subscribe, download, listen up, and enjoy!

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An intriguing Tuesday crossword by Julietta Gervase, who undoubtedly put her soul into today's crossword, but also managed to sneak in her name - at least a part, as in 54D, James in both the Blues and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame, ETTA. Very clever, Julietta, we saw what you did there! There were also a few askew clues, as in 5D, Takes a dive, perhaps, SCUBAS (did not know that it could exist without DIVE attached); 32A, ________ Burton, host of "Reading Rainbow" (but, but, what about his role on Star Trek: Next Generation? Oh, how quickly we forget); and the as-fun-to-say-as-it-is-to-eat 26D, Small ear of corn, NUBBIN.

We approve, and give this crossword an enthusiastic 5 squares on the JAMCR scale.

Today's Musical Guests Worth Checking Out:
CIARA
ETTA James

One last note: due to a snafu in the editorial department, and possibly due to our overwhelming pride in how well it turned out, we accidentally posted Sunday's episode twice - once on Sunday, and again on Monday. Apologies, and if you redownload Monday's you'll now get the correct episode. 

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At least one of our dynamic duo found this crossword to be woof, er, we mean rough, owing to a highly improbable series of poor word choices, and a loss of situational awareness causing this individual (who will remain nameless, at least until you listen to the episode) to mistake one country for another approximately a hemisphere apart. And, just to be clear, when we say "at least one", we really mean, "exactly one", because the individual who will not remain nameless, aka Jean, found this crossword to be an absolute treat, rather than a dog's breakfast.

In today's episode, we also had a reference to Panic! at the Disco. What's your favorite PATD song? Let us know on our facebook page 😀 

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If you suffer from entomophobia, then whatever you do, don't do today's crossword! But it should be safe to listen to today's podcast, as we only mention insects -- the bane of entomophobia sufferers everywhere -- en passant. Beyond the insect kingdom, the grid had a lot of educational clues and answers: both cohosts were surprised to learn that 33D, Sublime soprano, was a DIVA, having labored under the misapprehension that a DIVA was one of those stuck up, hard-to-work with, overly-pampered celebs: but it does indeed have this much more favorable meaning. Both cohosts were also surprised to learn that 47D, Physicist Schrödinger, had a first name, and that it was ERWIN.

For more details on that, as well as many other surprises lurking in the grid, all you need to do is subscribe, download, listen, learn, and enjoy!

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An exceptional Saturday crossword by Sid Sivakumar, who seems to be incapable of writing any other kind. The clues were fabulous (as we explore in depth in today's episode), and even the crossings were praiseworthy - most notably 38A, Rock forming mineral that makes up over half the earth's crust, FELDSPAR intersecting 17A, Meets expectations, in a way, MAKESPAR, while even 19A, Pumped, STOKED versus 4D, Preakness or Belmont, STAKES, had a nice alliterative feel. 

Today being Saturday, we also have selected our JAMCOTWA - Jean And Mike Crossword of The Week Award - and to find out which puzzle won, all you need to do is subscribe/download and listen up.

Bonus Shownotes Feature!
A few links for those who want to dig deeper:

1. Are neopets still a thing? 
2. The Father of Plastics
3. How accurate are iris scans?

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A challenging Friday crossword, although our intrepid co-hosts -- solving, as always, independently -- ran into difficulties in different areas of the grid. Jean got stuck in the center left, remaining INASTUPOR until she wasn't; whereas Mike encountered headwinds in the southwest, almost done in by his unfamiliarity with Spanish and the Italian literati, ENERO and ELENA Ferrante, respectively. 

In other news, it is Fun Fact Friday™️, and Jean weighs in with a striking article on SHRIKES. Enjoy!

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