Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

This was a fine Tuesday-level crossword, the fourth (on the 4th!) for Hanh Huynh. The theme shone, the rest of the fill was quite good, and the end result was, as you will hear in today's episode, highly satisfying. 

In addition to our usual banter (including the accidental discovery of the world's first chameleon word™️), we also have our Triplet Tuesday™️ segment. This is your chance to test your wits against Jean's, but just know that if Triplet Tuesday ever becomes an olympic sport, Jean will be medalling, for sure.

Show note imagery: OutKast, who advised their fans to shake their POLAROIDPICTURES.

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If you didn't know anything about today's constructor, you'd likely conclude, as did we, that this was a fine Monday crossword. But then, if you discovered that the constructor was 13 years old, you might be tempted to reflect that a) PRODIGY does not often show up in the grid, and b) it certainly applies to Harrison Walden, the aforementioned 13-year-old. 

In other developments, we have a few pieces of electronic communication to relate, clearing up questions of SAFETY and MADEMEN that were raised in yesterday's episode, so check that out, and, as always, please encourage your crossword-solving friends to have a listen.

Show note imagery: The EURO, the answer to the elegantly phrased 15A, French or Italian bread? 😀 

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Even a casual glance at today's grid will reveal that something's up - seven vertical colored lines that, unsurprisingly, play a huge role in today's theme. The cost of that theme was complexity, but both cohosts agreed that it was worth the effort, as the payoff was huge. Deets inside.

A reminder that the NYTimes Crossword makes a great present, and helps keep those little grey cells at peak efficiency. To subscribe, just wander over to NYTimes.com/subscriptions/games, where operators (or, more likely, as it is 2025, bots) are standing by.

Show note imagery: DILI, East Timor

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March reputedly comes in like a lion, and today's crossword does the same -- parts of it are ferocious, and it seems to have lots of claws. OK, that last bit might not be true, but it certainly was a challenge, especially those clues in the northern areas of the crossword - above the equator, so to speak. But this was a Saturday, and so we expect challenging clues. It was also a Ryan Judge puzzle, and so we expect fabulous clues, and as even a quick listen to today's episode will reveal ... he does not disappoint.

In other news, we've beaten the Oscar's to the punch by announcing  our JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award) winner first. Check out today's crossword to find out exactly who that winner is, and why they deserve it. We'll publish their acceptance speech in due course 😀 

Show note imagery: ATAHUALPA (or as Wikipedia would have it,  the much easier to spell ATAHUALLPA 🙄)

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Michael Lieberman is an accomplished crossword constructor, having written 27 for the NYTimes. Today's oeuvre had some great clues, including 63A, People may visit them just for kicks, SHOESTORES (ha!); 27D, Like Olympic tracks, LANED (duh!); and 10D, "Enjoy the spread!", LETSEAT (yum!). All in all a great crossword, definitely worth 5 squares on the JAMCR scale.

Show note imagery: Jewell Loyd, A WNBA star

Crossword tips link: An insightful column on how to write clues;  if you read each tip backwards, an insightful column on how to find answers for various categories of clues.

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It's been over a year since David Steinberg last graced the pages of the NYTimes crossword, and from our perspective it's been just over a year too long. David always crafts whip-smart puzzles, and today's is a perfect example. We have all the deets inside, so check it out! Also, as long as you're following our admonitions, we would be delighted if you could tell all your crossword-solving friends about us on social media.

Show note imagery: For the record, this is a pair of JODHPURS currently for sale at Just Horse Riders -- it is not what's left of a person wearing a pair of JODHPURS after a horrific equestrian accident.

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Both cohosts found today's crossword to be a wee bit crunchier than usual (to use a technical cruciverbial term meaning, loosely translated, "really, really hard" 😀). This was, no doubt, in service to a fantabulous theme that is slyly referred to in the episode title, and explored at length in today's podcast. 

Show note imagery: Need a WRAP? First, you're gonna need a soft tortilla ...

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This marks Greg Snitkin's second NYTimes crossword, almost one year, to the day, since his debut. The crossword had some fun entries, including 63A, Call it an early night?, DUSK ; 46A, "Who's interested?", ANYONE; and the memorable 30A, Call after last call?, DRUNKDIAL. In today's episode, Jean tackles the theme, both cohosts take a trek through the grid, and then Mike does his best to not make a fool of himself in today's Triplet Tuesday segment. Enjoy!

Show note imagery: Yup, that dolphin's definitely AQUA

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Rena Cohen, who we just saw in the NYTimes crossword last month is back again, and she remains at the top of her game. For proof -- OK, for strong anecdotal evidence -- check out today's podcast. Bonus points if you can guess, in advance, which Spanish museum Mike was thoroughly unable to pronounce. 

Show note imagery: Dost thine eyes deceive thee? No, tis true, tis a Gumby on a Frisbee 😀 

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There were some very nice pairings in today's crossword:

• The oh-so-close 7D, Sound of a smooth-running engine, PURR, and 45D, Catherine ___, wife of Henry VIII, PARR 😀
• The numerically related 89A, 11, literally, ONES, and 78D, 110, facetiously, ELEVENTY
• the homonymously-related 10D, Forget to finish writing a clue, mayb, ERR, and 53A, Word with lock or pocket, AIR
• and, as they say, much, much more

So our hats are off to today's constructors -- Daniel Grinberg and Rafael Musa -- for crafting a PURRfect Sunday diversion.

Show note imagery: ARABICA, the most popular coffee in the world, vs. Robusta, the runner up.

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