Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

A curious Thursday crossword by Bill Pipal and Jeff Chen (always a good OMEN to see M. Chen in the masthead), that asks you to do what we generally try and AVOID, i.e., CUT CORNERS.  The result is a crossword about which we have no choice but to wax RHAPSODIC, for reasons that will become clear in today's installment.

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!

Have you ever considered how many phrases involve articles of clothing? Fortunately Enrique Henestroza Anguiano has, and this witty Wednesday crossword is a result. Jean had no trouble with the grid. Mike didn't so much forget how to spell 48D, Traditional garment in West Africa, as discover that he never even knew how to spell it -- for the record, it's CAFTAN (as in today's grid) or alternatively KAFTAN, but never, ever CAFTEN -- Mike's guess being based on that famous Walt Whitman poem, O Caften!, My Caften! (or something like that 😀)

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!

A fine Tuesday crossword by Lillian Simpson, with a debut entry for 25A, Certain spousal state (which we will not state right here, you'll either have to be a good guesser or listen to the podcast to find out), a jaw-dropper as far as Mike's concerned with 46D, Leaf (through) (and again, download / listen up to get the 411 on that); and finally 50A, More eye-roll inducing, maybe, CHEESIER (which these show notes seem to be degenerating into, so we are going to stop right ... here!).

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!

A marvelous Monday crossword, with a grid that just sings -- thanks in no small part to some great musical references - from LIL Jon (and Wayne), to Yoko ONO, to one of those discoveries that make you want to shout with joy, DRU Hill (definitely check them out if you are unfamiliar ... or even if you are, their music  clearly will abide many, many listenings). For more on them and the rest of this sizzling grid, you are just this far away (we are holding our fingers very, very close together) from cruciverbal enlightenment.

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!

A shout-out to today's constructors, Jessie Trudeau and Ross Trudeau, who got married this very weekend. Whether the placement of today's crossword on this particular Sunday was just a coincidence, or possibly a wedding present from the NYTimes, doesn't really matter, because the crossword was certainly a present to its solvers - a fun romp with a diverting theme. We have all the deets inside, so raise a toast to the happy couple, then download, listen up, and enjoy!

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!

A majorly difficult Saturday crossword, with a fair number of rarely mentioned celebrities (at least here in 2022). Even the most recent,  18A, Defense secretary under Obama, PANETTA, is not exactly a household name; 31A, First person to fly solo around the world (1933), WILEYPOST, probably also isn't a frequent topic at the kitchen table; and 27A, Marion ________, Best actress winner for "La Vie en Rose", COTILLARD, was a new name for Mike, and a spelling challenge for Jean. 

In other news, it's Saturday, and we've scoured the last 7 days to find the crossword that we feel deserves that CHEFSKISS., aka the JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award). For all the deets, just download, listen up, and enjoy!

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!

Well, to be precise, today's crossword is a work of David Steinberg, but it definitely is also a WORK_OF_ART. There were so many great answers, it's hard to single them out, but we certainly appreciated the artistry in working both BLUR and SLUR into the grid, as well as the tactical deployment of WHAMO!. The clues were also nicely done: 24D, Bolt for the finish line?, USAIN; 43D, Put down, WRITE (woah!); and 42D, Latin lovers, officially speaking, POPES (double woah!). Truly an elegant puzzle, definitely worth 5 squares on the JAMCR scale.

In other news, it's Fun Fact Friday, and for those of you who want to read more about STAFFA, we have you covered.

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!

You'll need to be flexible to solve today's crossword, because that's what some of the answers are - they flex when you least expect it (which would be ... all of the time, because answers tend to either go across, or down, not both). Jean, following her usual MO, cottoned onto the trick quite quickly, Mike, following his, did not.

There were some intriguing clues in today's crossword, including some very interesting revelations about OCEOLOT anatomy that you won't want to miss, so head right over to the big download button, click, listen, and enjoy.

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!

A crunchier than usual Wednesday crossword, not because of the presence of OREOs in the grid, but rather because today's constructor, Josh Kindler, is so adept at his craft. The clues ranged from sorta-kinda obvious, e.g., 53D, It's rigged!, SAIL, to somewhat more obscure, e.g., 45D, King of the Titans, in Greek mythology, KRONOS, to the we never saw that coming, e.g., 38A, Part of a botanical garden, FERNERY. [For the record, the most excellent Green Bay Botanical Center, our go-to for all things botanical, makes no mention of such a thing.]

tldr; we liked the crossword, and to find out precisely why, you know what to do: subscribe / download / listen up.

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!

A fun Tuesday crossword by Andy Kravis, with some great clues like 52D, "Performer" in a tiny circus, FLEAS (😄); 2D, "What did the _____ do when it was still hungry? Go back for seconds" (dad joke), CLOCK (🙄); and 48A, Bum around London, ARSE (😏).

We would also be remiss if we didn't point out a reference to what appears now to be the  preferred font of the New York Times Crossword, 31A, Typeface akin to Helvetica, ARIAL -- ironic as that would appear to be the only place where that font is used in the newspaper! Now you know 😀 

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!