Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

One of the best parts of doing the NYTimes Crossword is the thrill of learning something new. For example, today our hosts learned that ASH Ketchum is no longer the star of the Pokémon anime series, and sorely missed (at least in some quarters). 

We have all the deets inside, as well as numerous amusing Easter eggs, so have a listen, and as always, remember that we thrive on feedback.

Show note imagery: ASH Ketchum, in the flesh, ..., er, ink?

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Kareem Ayas has put together an ingenious Sunday crossword, with a lot of layers - wheels within wheels, you might say, and as soon as you see the grid you'll understand exactly why that would be so apropos. We cover a lot of territory today, so grab your favorite beverage, hit play, and prepare to a) sip, and b) enjoy!

Show note links: NILE green and various RAKE types available at Amazon

Show note video: An EHRU, a Chinese two-stringed fiddle

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Saturdays are supposed to be the toughest crosswords of the week, and Rafael Musa definitely got the memo: the amount of misdirection in today's puzzle would have David Copperfield nodding approvingly. 

We've covered most of Mr. Musa's masterpieces in today's episode, but a few others worthy of note are the fabulous 8D, Gag order?, TMI (hah!); 35A, Time to give up, LENT (magnifico!); and the cryptic 23A, Human Geography and Calculus BC, for short, APS (we didn't realize that Calculus was that old, but anyhoo...).

In addition to the crossword, we also are pleased to announce our JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award), so check out today's episode to find out who took home the flag.

Show note imagery: A coin from 1023-28 depicting OLAF the Stout, aka Saint Olaf

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There were a lot of long answers in this crossword, but fortunately they were also very common phrases. Otherwise, this would've been a Saturday or perhaps an Impossiday™️ crossword. As it stands, this puzzle was a terrific Friday, and the reason why is no mystery: Karen Steinberg wrote it and Will Shortz edited it.

Show note imagery: JETHRO Tull (the band, not the agriculturalist

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Today's crossword was by Hanh Huynh. His Thursday crossword themes have always been brilliant, and we are pleased to announce that with today's puzzle his streak remains intact: may it live long and prosper!

Show note imagery: BARQS Rootbeer

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This was a highly pleasing mid-week crossword by Daniel Bodily. There were some NEAT clues (including 15A, "Sweet!", NEAT); clues with a lot of HEART (25A, Trick-taking card game, HEARTS); and clues that we got right away (51D, "Pronto!", STAT 😀).

All told, a fine puzzle, and it is therefore with great pleasure that we award it a full 5 squares, on the JAMCR scale.

Show note imagery: The Civilian Conservation Corp official (and very spiffy) logo

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Today's crossword was the perfect April 1st crossword -- as a Tuesday, it was not too difficult, but it was very meta, and very relatable, making for a great solve. We have Sande Milton (supervised, of course, by Will Shortz)  to thank for this, his third crossword for the NYTimes.

Beyond the crossword, we have our heavily trademarked and patented Triplet Tuesday™️ segment, so have a listen, and let us know how you did!

Show note imagery: A Commodore AMIGA, with a whopping 256K of RAM!

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OK, perhaps "obsessed" is a little over the top, because technically ZEST itself only showed up once, as per custom; but the clues and answers were still quite snappy. Our particular favorite? 46D, Producers of six-packs, SITUPS (nice!). We were also delighted to see 15A, King of the gods, in Egyptian myth, AMON. And while AMON may not translate as "God of Aliases", since AMON is aka AMUN, AMUNRA,  AMONRA and AMUNRE, we would not be surprised if it did.

For the deets, and some interesting listener mail, have a listen, and feel free to leave us a five star review wherever you are listening to this podcast.

Show note imagery: Kobe Bryant, shooting a FADEAWAY.

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Simeon Seigel tends to write crosswords just like this one - filled with clever and novel clues. We present, as exhibit A, ...

• 105A, Its southernmost point, Pamana Island, is more than 750 miles below the Equator, ASIA (amazing!)
• 106A, Group in "a pension fund", AEIOU (outstanding!)
• 40A, Returns a call, in a way, ECHOES (wow, wow, wo, wo, w, w, ...)

In short, a fine crossword, we approve: 5 squares on the JAMCR scale.

Show note imagery:  Dr. SEUSS (or, phonetically as he originally wanted it pronounced, SOYCE)

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We have returned after a brief, unplanned hiatus, and welcoming us back were Christina Iverson and Jacob McDermott, who have prepared a delightful, and notably not-soul-crushingly-difficult Saturday crossword for us to inspect, dissect and discuss. Deets inside, so have a listen, and, as always, please tell others about us on social media.

Show note imagery: A TUXEDOCAT, prowling about in search of its cape and top hat.

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