Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

It's amazing what an opportunely placed H can do to a phrase -- and Christopher Adams demonstrates this not just once or twice, but *four* times, taking common phrases, and tossing in an H to get a punderfully amusing answer. There was a lot of pop culture in today's crossword. This fazed Jean not at all, but Mike got temporarily natticked at the corner of 1D, "The Open Window" story writer, SAKI, and 17A, Actress Russell, KERI, knowing neither: only by walking through the alphabet did he eventually stumble upon the necessary K.

It's Triplet Tuesday, and in today's game Jean shows definitively why she is known as the queen of 3 letter answers!

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In today's episode, we discover how to pronounce ARNAZ (41A, Desi of "I Love Lucy"); why 3D, Annual drama award, is OBIE, rather than OLEO or OLIO; that VALOR Day is not a thing (14A, _____ Day (September observance, LABOR)); and much, much more! For details, download and listen up.

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Today's crossword was titled Olio, meaning either that a) they didn't have a theme, or b) they were intending to talk about margarine but the proofreader took a POWERNAP at an inopportune time. Either way, today's crossword did have its moments -- 67D, Bits of hijinks?, DOTS, and 44D, Stopped smoking?, COOLED were among our favorites. Jean had a spot of bother with 39A, Three-dimensional, SPATIAL, inadvertently slipping in a C instead of a T. Mike, meanwhile, was disappointed that 45A, One receiving a congratulatory email from eBay, turned out to be HIGHESTBIDDER, rather than the (at least in his eyes) much more amusing SPAMRECIPIENT. A decent Sunday crossword, we give it a 4.5 squares on the JAMCR scale

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Peter Wentz really UPPEDTHEGAME in today's crossword, resulting in a real THRILLER. Both Jean & Mike, solving independently as always,  had the toughest time in the bottom-left corner, where tricky clues like 47A, NorCal daily, SACBEE, and 49D, Credit card name, CITI (not VISA), were wedged in between other tricky clues, like 36D, Steinbeck novella, THEPEARL, and 47D, Tests one's spirits?, SIPS. Still, all's fair's in love and Saturday New York Times crosswords, and we give this a very fair 5 squares on the JAMCR scale.

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A challenging but fair Friday crossword, with some absolutely stellar cluing. Surely 18A, A child who's lying might make one, SNOWANGEL, deserves some sort of award, as does 40A, Small organic food producer, HONEYBEE (wow!); and we would be remiss if we didn't mention 8D, Explicit, to a Brit, SPELTOUT, and 43A, Hardly a long shot, PUTT. So, we doff our hats to the constructor, Nam Jin Yoon, and give his oeuvre a well-earned 5 squares on the JAMCR scale.

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If you like rebuses (rebusae?), you will absolutely adore today's crossword, because it has ...wait for it ... eighteen of them, artfully arranged by Kyra Wilson and Sophia Maymudes. We are not going to even try and articulate the theme here in the episode notes, but Jean does a splendid job of explaining it in the podcast.

There were a few tricky spots -- probably the most difficult being the spelling of 34A, Catchphrase on "The Simpsons", AYCARAMBA, because a) it sounds like AYCARUMBA, and b) that third A crossed  29D, Curry made with hoof meat, PAYA, a rarely seen answer in the puzzle. For the record PAYA was used twice before today, on Saturday, October 9, 1965, and Friday, September 8, 1961 (and in both cases it was as two words, PAY A). Now you know!

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Happy Pride Month, everyone! In honor of that august occasion, Jesse Goldberg has crafted a puzzle revolving around 34A, Historic inn commemorated during Pride Month, as suggested by this puzzle's border answers, STONEWALL. Revolving is the operative word, as the top and bottom rows, and left and right columns were dedicated to 10, count 'em, 10 theme-related clues, all of which required STONE to be appended to the end of the answer -- 1A, Graveyard sight, HEAD[STONE], 47D, Quaint street material, COBBLE[STONE], etc.

Jean found the crossword to be about right for a Wednesday. Mike, meanwhile, flailed about in the bottom-left corner, almost done in by the heteronym-trap that was 39D, Attribute, ASCRIBE. Very sneaky, Jesse! 

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Today's crossword might've been a shoutout to fruititarians,  what with the references to HALLEBERRY, PROFESSORPLUM, PRINCESSPEACH, and a very popular singer (especially in the New York Times Crossword), FIONAAPPLE. The latter crossed with 40D, Tech release of 2017, IMACPRO -- a nice touch since, of course, they are made by Apple. There were quite a  few cultural references in today's puzzle, including 33D, Singer with the 2019 # 2 hit "Don't Start Now", DUALIPA, and 7D, "Heidi" author Johanna, SPYRI, but we gladly forgive any crossword that includes 49D, Letters in a so-called "supervocalic" word, AEIOU, and therefore give it a 5 squares on the JAMCR scale.

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Jean tears through today's crossword, as, allowing for heteronyms, does Mike. There were quite a few teaching moments in today's crossword:

57A, Fashion designer associated with the item spelled out by the starts of 17-, 26- and 42-Across, COCOCHANEL -- alluding to the Little Black Dress that apparently is a staple of most women's wardrobes.  

26A, Bicolor cookies also called half-moons, BLACKANDWHITES, not OREOOOOOOOOOOOS (that's an OREO being eaten while falling off a cliff).

32D, ________ Rutter, "Jeopardy!" contestant with the all-time highest winnings ($4.9+ million)

To get the details on all of the above, and  more, download and listen up.

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The Goldilox of Sunday crosswords -- not too hard, not too easy, just right -- with an entertaining chess theme and a reference to what we presume is Will Shortz's favorite pointy object, 88D, Tool for a duel, EPEE. There were a few standout clues -- 64A, Pickup line?, RAM, and the tremendous 55D, Cub's place to play home games, DEN (very nice!). 

As all good crosswords do, it did raise a few questions, such as  25A, Where snow leopards and blue sheep roam, HIMALAYAS -- blue sheep? are they just cold or is something else going on? And is 126, Opposite of wind up, UNREEL, a real word, or is it ... UNREAL?

Regardless, this was a nice way to spend part of a Memorial Day weekend, we give it a 5 squares on the JAMCR scale.

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