Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

There was one TYPEO in today's grid, but that was by design and quite amusing (20A, What's tolerated by every body?), as we can count on one hand (without resorting to any phalanges chicanery) the number of genuine TYPEOs in the NYTimes Crossword.

Some real gems lay lurking in the grid, from subtle clues such as 61D, Its ways are numbered, RTE (lovely!), to  the minor head scratcher (for some of us), 12D, One of the Astaires, ADELE (no, not that one); and one that we mentioned in the episode, but it deserves repeating, "Magic that works", per Vonnegut, SCIENCE 😀 

Show note imagery: ADELE Astaire and ... some other guy

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This is Adam Wagner's 18th crossword, and it was a doozy, with 4 debut answers, including both cohosts'  favorite, 6D, Exploded, WENTKABOOM. The grid was replete with many  other less explosive but still notable clues/answers, such as 24D, "The Way" in Chinese Pinyin, DAO; 9D, New Jersey city named for its most famous former resident, EDISON; and 1D, Bully in "Back to the Future", BIFF. A fine, fine crossword, and we are looking forward to Adam Wagner's 19th, which based on his prior record, ought to appear ... tomorrow!

Show note imagery: Twelve Years a Slave, by SOLOMONNORTHUP

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TEDLASSO might've been shutout at the Golden Globes, but he won big by appearing in today's NYTimes crossword, thanks to Nate Cardin, constructor and (by his own account) TEDLASSO fan. We suspect that Nate Cardin might also have liked rodeos, as today's theme definitely implies: you can almost smell the PETRICHOR (see yesterday's episode for the deets on that) from here.

Show note imagery: Being a rodeo clown is tougher than it looks!

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A superb Sunday crossword by Michael Schlossberg, meeting the cruciverbal RDA for:

1. old-timey clues -- 5A, "Yikes!", EGAD, and 19A, "Sounds 'bout right to me", IRECKONSO; 
2. birds that Mike has never heard of -- 3D, Bird also known as a lapwing, PEWIT, and 84D, Bittern, e.g., HERON; and 
3. a word that neither of the cohosts had heard of -- 2D, Petrichor, n.: The pleasant _________ of rainfall on dry soil, AROMA (but to be clear, the word we were unfamiliar with was Petrichor, we nose, er, know, all about AROMA).

All in all a fine addition to the Michael Schlossberg pantheon of great crosswords, and 5 squares on the JAMCR scale.

A reminder, to get more out of this and every episode, we provide a link to xwordinfo.com, where you can see the entire crossword, filled out, with the accompanying clues. So if you have't solved the crossword yet but don't mind a huge spoiler, check out the site so you can better follow along as we meander through the grid.

Show note imagery: Gian Carlo Menotti's AMAHL and the Night Visitors.

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After Friday's grueling workout, today's crossword, even though it was a Saturday, seemed relatively straightforward. We are not complaining, though, because the clues were entertaining, the answers educational, and the overall effect soothing. A few examples of the constructors' craft: 55A, They change colors, DYERS; 33D, Where pizza is said to have been invented, NAPLES (what, not Chicago?? 😀); and 44A, A symptom of "man's failure as a thinking animal", according to John Steinbeck, WAR (profound, and befitting a Nobel Prize winner).

Besides the crossword, it's also JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award) time, so have a listen to see if your favorite was our favorite!

Show notes imagery: BOKEH in action!

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A tough, tough Friday crossword by David P. Williams -- his third, and his third to use the exact same grid pattern! The grid was daunting, with many a long answer, and there were almost no "gimme" clues to get a foothold. Mercifully (at least from Mike's perspective) there were relatively few pop culture references, just a lot of joyous word play. Deets inside, as well as a very fine fact for Fun Fact Friday, so download, listen up, and enjoy!

Show note imagery: an early bread slicing machine, possibly one made by the original inventor, Otto Frederick Rohwedder

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An excellent Thursday crossword, marred by an unfortunate technical glitch. The themed clues contained underlined letters, but the underscores did not appear in the app (they appeared as expected in a web browser). Needless to say this caused much consternation and gnashing of teeth, and the NYTimes crossword editorial team leapt into action, quickly replacing underscores with parentheses: but some early solvers were a tad ticked. Still, once you look past the underscore fiasco, you can see a very nicely done Thursday crossword: check out today's episode for all the deets!

Show note imagery: A rare 1857 Flying Eagle penny

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Any crossword that works both FIE and IRONHORSE into the grid deserves our respect and gratitude, and we give it freely to this fine opus by Jared Goudsmit, his second to be published in the NYTimes. The theme/gimmick is a delight, and bolstered by a fine supporting cast of clues, from  24D, Bring up, REAR and 68A, Bring up, CITE (nice combo!); to 27D, Tours de force, COUPS (ha!); and a clue that P.G. Wodehouse would've picked up on in a jiff, 34D, Good _______ (kind soul), EGG. 

Show note image: P.G. Wodehouse, one of Britain's finest exports!

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We are back, after a brief holiday on the Riviera (or it might've been Green Bay, there seemed to be an inordinate amount of ice for the Riviera), and we are being welcomed back by an excellent Tuesday crossword. We tackle that in depth, as well as run our first Triplet Tuesday segment of the year, so for all that and more, please subscribe, download, listen up, and enjoy!

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We are taking a break between now (aka December 21, 2023) and the new year (partially because we've been displaced from our recording studio by a gang of ravenous marauders, aka our family), but rest assured we'll be back in January, raring to go, and in the meantime hope that all of you enjoy the very best of the season.

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