Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

A challenging Saturday crossword -- Jean had an epic struggle in the north central area of the grid, and Mike had an epic struggle ... everywhere! But along the way we were able to appreciate such fine vintage clues as 12D, Earring Magic ______ (1990s doll that developed a cult following), KEN; 52A, Web portal released the same day as Windows 95, MSN; and 20A, Transition effect famously used in "Star Wars" films, WIPE. All the deets -- plus the announcement of this week's JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award) winner are all here, just waiting for you to download, play, and enjoy!

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A fine Friday crossword by Robert S. Greenfield, not too difficult for a Friday, but still festooned with fun clues and answers (which we like to call cluans™️), such as 34A, Neologize, COINAPHRASE (for an example, c.f. cluans 😀); 29A, Organization with a strong track record?, NASCSAR (nice!); and 23D, Splashy display, ECLAT (sounds like a SAT word to us!)

And as a delicious end to today's episode, we have a Fun Fact segment on 18D, Penny candy morsel since 1907, TOOTSIEROLL. Num num!

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A deliciously devious Thursday crossword by Daniel Bodily, thanks to Friday and Saturday level cluing and a theme that may leave you AGASP (and if you solve today's puzzle, saying AAH). Definitely a full 5 squares on the JAMCR scale, and while it fills us with trepidation contemplating what lies ahead for the rest of the week, we will savor this puzzle until then.

Remember our Triplet Tuesday Contest is ongoing right now -- listen to Tuesday's episode  then send us your score to enter. [Not valid in any state, province or territory that bans Triplet Tuesday Contests (um, if there are any 😀 ))

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A wonderful Wednesday crossword, and a debut for constructor Lindsay McBride (kudos and all that!). We especially enjoyed 67A, Like matryoshka dolls, NESTED (we just like to say matryoshka);  32D, Good, in Chinese HAO (now we know!); and 24D, "_________ Flux" (1990s animated sci-fi series), AEON  (because it was such a great show!).  There was (much) more, and deets are inside.

Just a reminder, if you haven't solved today's puzzle and want to see the finished grid so you can follow along as you listen, then just go to xwordinfo.com, where the entire filled-out grid awaits!

Finally, remember our Triplet Tuesday Contest is going strong! Just listen to yesterday's episode, and send us your submission. Operators are standing by, so to speak :-)

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We love listener mail! Drop us a line, [email protected].

Also, we're on FaceBook, so feel free to drop by there and strike up a conversation!

A fine Tuesday crossword, with a bilingual theme -- the best kind -- as well as some amusing clues (9D, Phrase sung 36 times in a 1970 Beatles hit, LETITBE; 6D, Bovine:cow::corvine:__________, CROW; and Mike's favorite word of the day, 26A, "Aw, rats", DAGNABBIT.

Also, it's Triplet Tuesday, and even better, our first ever Triplet Tuesday Contest! Get ready to participate -- listen for the rules -- and then email us ([email protected]) how many guesses it took you, in total. Lowest score wins, or in the event of a tie, lowest score + serendipity. Good luck, and remember, no Googling!

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We love listener mail! Drop us a line, [email protected].

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A slightly more intense Monday crossword than usual, with several span-the-grid answers, but the cute theme (the constructor, Michael Paleos, definitely did not MAILITIN) made it all worthwhile. We've got all the deets inside, as well as the full set of rules for tomorrow's first ever Triplet Tuesday Contest, so you are cordially invited to -- in order -- subscribe, download, listen, laugh, and learn.

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We love listener mail! Drop us a line, [email protected].

Also, we're on FaceBook, so feel free to drop by there and strike up a conversation!

If you like literature, you'll love today's crossword, teeming with literary references, all in the cause of a fun theme. Even if you're not particularly well-versed in the classics, though, chances are you'll know the titles -- and if not, hopefully the crosses will come to your rescue. We have all the deets inside, waiting for you to enjoy.

Also, a reminder that our first Triplet Tuesday contest - with fabulous swag as prizes - will be taking place this Tuesday, so be sure and stay tuned for that.

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Contact Info:
We love listener mail! Drop us a line, [email protected].

Also, we're on FaceBook, so feel free to drop by there and strike up a conversation!

A straightforward Saturday puzzle, but it pegged the Fun Quotient meter so we will not complain. Au contraire, most of today's episode is spent singing its praises, for the clues are crisp, cute (but not TWEE!), and, oh, WHATCHAMACALLIT, compelling. Deets inside!

Also, it's Saturday, time for our JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award). No spoilers, but if you're lucky you'll guess the winning crossword in one 😀

Finally, we are announcing a new contest: play along at home this Tuesday, let us know how many guesses it took you to solve our Triplet Tuesday game, and in short order you might be wearing some awesome Jean And Mike Do The New York Times Crossword swag. Deets for that, too, are inside, so what are you waiting for? Download, listen up, and enjoy!

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We love listener mail! Drop us a line, [email protected].

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Typically Friday crosswords do not have a theme, but since this was Friday the 13th, the editors (luckily) decided to take advantage of that day. Unlike some themes that only make sense after one has finished the puzzle, today's theme genuinely was useful (as well as fun). So, bypass that ladder, jump over that crack, don't trip on that black cat, but do have a listen to today's podcast.

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A GEM of a Thursday crossword by Grant Thackray, who does some remarkable linguistic surgery, all for a good cause - a dizzying and dizzyingly good theme, in the middle of a grid-full of great clues. All the deets are inside, so rather than spill the TEA, we urge you to download and listen up ASAP!

We love feedback! Send us a text...

Contact Info:
We love listener mail! Drop us a line, [email protected].

Also, we're on FaceBook, so feel free to drop by there and strike up a conversation!