Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

Although today's' theme has nothing to do with actors, quite a few of them popped up in today's grid.There were some LOL clues / answers as well, and let us not gloss over some very nice pairings in the grid -- EDIE v. EDDY, LIEV v. ALEVE, those surely can't ONE, um, we mean ALL,  be coincidental! TLDR,  we loved this debut crossword from Sara Muchnick and can't  wait for more, which is why we've awarded this fine puzzle 5 squares on the NIST-approved* JAMCR scale.

*just kidding: the National Institute of Standards and Technology has not expressed an official opinion as to the validity of our scale, but as soon as they get the metric system sorted out we're sure to be next in the queue.

Show note imagery: BAD, Michael Jackson's first concert tour after leaving the Jackson 5, but definitely not an appropriate adjective for that tour! 

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A middle-of-the-road crossword for the middle of the week, MaryEllen Uthlaut has made a bbbbbedazzling puzzle -- and the reason for all those extra b's will bbbbbecome apparent as soon as you check out today's episode, so ... do it now!

Show note imagery: A 10 BAHT coin

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Alex Eaton-Salners, a grizzled veteran with 67 (!) NYTimes crosswords to his credit, has produced a fine Tuesday crossword for our edification and entertainment. There was a fine theme and excellent surrounding cast of clues, including a few that we couldn't squeeze into the podcast: 58A, Wharton or Sloan, informally, BSCHOOL (only its 3rd appearance in the NYTimes); 47D, Floral subject for Van Gogh, IRISES (ah, we can smell them from here!) ; and last but not least, 40A, Idealogical split, SCHISM (not fans of the concept, but we do enjoy saying it)

Besides the crossword, it's Triplet Tuesday, and Jean does ... nope, you'll have to download to find out how she did.

Show note imagery: Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, wearing CORONETs

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For those of you who can think of nothing better to do than spend a morning out on the links  -- and if an image of giant sausages just sprung to mind, you are not the people we had in mind 😀 -- you are going to love today's puzzle, especially the theme (nudge, nudge, wink, wink).  We explore that in depth in today's podcast, and we also have a great bit of listener mail, so do have a listen, and as always, please tell others about us on social media.

Show note imagery: The MacDonald boys playing golf, by Jeremiah Davison

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A delectable Mother's Day present from Avery Gee Katz, a crossword that one of our cohosts found to be just a trifle difficult, and the other found to be like scaling Mount Everest barefoot, but harder. We will let you mull over who found what what, and then invite you to check out today's podcast to either confirm or confound your hunch.

Show note imagery: The Cabo Arch, in CABOSANLUCAS

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The author of today's crossword seems to specialize in Saturday puzzles - this is his 4th, out of a total of 8 published in the NYTimes - and the clueing is definitely what one would expect on a Saturday. Check out today's podcast, and you'll see what we mean. 

We also have a day-late version of Fun Fact Friday, featuring little known Declaration of Independence signer Button Gwinnett, and our pick for JAMCOTWA - the Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award. Deets inside, so do download, have a listen, and, as always, tell others about us on social media!

Show note imagery: ATTILA having a meetup with Pope Leo I, as depicted by Raphael

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A great debut crossword by Jesse Cohn - and debuting on a Friday is no mean feat, but one look at this puzzle will convince you that it is a fine addition to the pantheon, filled with a bevy of great clues and answers. Deets inside, all for your listening pleasure!

Show note imagery: TRIESTE

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A delightfully difficult Thursday crossword by Joe DiPietro, a constructor who has a reputation for precisely those sorts of puzzles. The theme? A+. The rest of the grid? A+. The entire crossword? A++, or as we like to say it, 5 squares on the JAMCR scale.

Beyond our take on today's crossword, we also have some great listener mail, so check all of that out, and, as always, let us know what you think.

Show note imagery: A delicious CHURRO

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Yet another Michael Schlossberg crossword, and while we are certainly elated to see it, we can't help but ponder whether the good doctor is truly giving his patients all the attention that they deserve, or whether he might be thinking, "Let's see what theme could I make out of rashes and runny noses?". Seriously, the pace with which he has been publishing NYTimes crosswords this year is truly phenomenal (this is his third, and the year is still young).

This crossword did seem to be slightly crunchier than usual, ironic considering the absence of one key ingredient that is often associated with this crossword's theme. What was that ingredient? And what was the theme? To find out, you'll have to do what thousands of others have done before you, i.e., subscribe, download, listen up, and enjoy!

Show note imagery: EDGAR Meyer, performing at what we fervently hope is a rehearsal and not an actual performance

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The title of today's episode will make more sense, and seem even more hilarious - - we promise! -- once you've listened to today's episode, covering a fine debut crossword by Justin Werfel. So have at it, and after you've done so, either drop us a line at [email protected] or try Buzzsprout's newest product, "Fan Mail" and text us!

A reminder, that when listening to these episodes, if you haven't solved the crossword, and don't plan on doing so, we recommend  visiting xwordinfo.com, where you can see the entire filled grid, and clues -- it'll make following our conversation that much easier!

Show note imagery: T.S. Eliot, possibly pondering how much he loathed April.

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We love listener mail! Drop us a line, [email protected].

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