Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

Today's crossword seemed (to at least one of our cohosts) to be slightly crunchier than the usual Sunday, thanks to clues like 3D, "Ci vediamo in giro!" , CIAO; 70A, Pauperism, so to speak, RAGS (um, ok);  and 61D, Arbiters of taste, CONNOISSEURS (or as they are known nowadays, influencers).  To be clear, we are not complaining: we like a little crunch in our cereal and our crossword grids, and today's puzzle had just the right amount.

Show note imagery: Groucho Marx - he didn't invent absurdist comedy, but he definitely perfected it.

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This was an excellent Saturday crossword -- with some Ginsu-knife-sharp cluing, and just a light dusting of pop culture references -- which is precisely the reason why it is now the latest winner of our JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award™️). Deets inside, so have a listen, and then tell all your friends and relations about us on social media.

Show note imagery: Parts of a violin, including the (non-amphibious, thankfully) FROG.

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Today's puzzle was a trifle easier than your typical Friday, which means -- by the Law of Conservation of Crossword Difficulty™️ -- you can expect tomorrow's crossword to be a morsel harder (on average, and of course YMMV depending on what you know and if you remember it). Regardless of the difficulty, though, we predict that it will be fun, challenging, and educational: tune in tomorrow to see if our prognostications are on the nose.

Show note imagery: The Cornbelt, visualized

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This marks Simeon Siegel's 17th crossword since 2020, and while he might not be OVERPROUD, it is most certainly something to celebrate. The theme was particularly NOteworthy, and, YES, we meant to write NO just NOw. Confused? Today's podcast will bring enlightenment, so we encourage you to step out of the darkness and into the light, so to speak, by listening to this episode.

Show note imagery: EVESDIARY, by Mark Twain

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Today's crossword was by award-winning crossword constructor Rebecca Goldstein and, if not award-winning, deserving-of-award crossword constructor Adam Wagner. Unsurprisingly, the result was ... award-winning, or at least worthy of 5 squares on the JAMCR scale, for reasons that we will let you discover (no spoilers here, nary a one!) by listening to today's episode.

Show note imagery: PERU, where the potatoes come from 😀 

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This was a nice Tuesday crossword by Joe Rodini, his second for the NYTimes. He's now been published on Monday and Tuesday, so ... 5 to go, Joe! Today's theme was a bit messy, but that's by design, as you'll discover when you check out today's episode. 

Of course, it's also Tuesday, and today Jean's in the hot seat for Triplet Tuesday; so keep listening to find out how she did, and see if you can do better (good luck!).

Show note imagery: HYDRA, a monster out of Greek mythology with a concerningly large number of heads.

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It is hard to believe that today marks the 500th appearance of OREO in the NYTimes crossword, but that's the word according to xwordinfo.com, and they oughta know! Now that might sound like Nabisco has architected one of the greatest product placement campaigns in the history of advertising. Truth be told, though, from the beginning of the NYTimes crossword up until 1993, OREO was always clued as a prefix for mountain; but it's been cookies or bust ever since Will Shortz took over the reins.

Show note imagery: Some Shetland ponies, on the SHETLANDISLANDS

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Brendan Emmett Quigley is famed for writing tough crosswords, and he has the pedal to the metal today. First, the grid: it is the standard 21x21 Sunday, but has only 54 black squares, a record. So, that means more to figure out, i.e., more fun! While clue difficulty is often a YMMV affair, we can say that, in general terms, some of these clues would've felt right at home in a Saturday crossword. In short, if you struggled working through this crossword, that is perfectly normal; and if you succeeded, that is a perfect cause for celebration.

Show note imagery: A MANTARAY, which is capable of self-recognition!

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This was a fine Saturday crossword - tough but fair, as Saturday crosswords were meant to be. Our favorite clue had to be 29A, Some dragonflies, DARNERS (really: apparently people used to believe that dragonflies could sew your lips shut!). We were entranced with 38A, Mediterranean plant named for its brightly colored flowers, SUNROSE. And finally we just loved discovering  27A, George ______________, voted "Coach of the Century" by the International Swimming Hall of Fame, HAINES. 

For Saturday, we have of course bestowed our JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award), so to discover who won and why, check out today's episode.

Show note imagery: From the immortal Mary Poppins, Let's Go Fly a Kite

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This was a Friday crossword, and even a casual glance through the clues and grid makes it clear that co-constructors Willa Angel Chen Miller and Erik Agard are dialing up the difficulty. Clues like 33D, This too shall pass, PHASE; 26D, What one might subscribe to, ISM, and 30D, Seeking comment, READYORNOT (brilliant!) make it perfectly clear that this is not a Monday crossword, far from it. [Four days from it, to be precise 😀]

Show note imagery: DRU Hill, an R&B group

18 Interesting Facts about Back to the Future

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