Claim OwnershipJean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword
Subscribed: 20Played: 563
Subscribe
© 2026 Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword
Description
A short, fun and occasionally not unintentionally educational podcast in which two fans of the New York Times crossword describe their puzzle-solving travails.
1942 Episodes
Reverse
This was a debut crossword by Kit Sheffield — kudos! — with a cute theme that must've been a bear to put into practice. Somehow Kit managed, though, and we are better off for it! Apart from the theme, today's crossword seemed a little crunchier than usual for a Thursday, with awesome clues such as 61A, "Think again!", NOPE; 42A, Sound made with a wince, OOF; and 66A, Five train in Brooklyn, NETS. Bravo, Kit! Show note imagery: Not sure if we'd be as enthused with a giant glass of TANG about t...
This was a fun mid-week crossword, built with HI (Human Intelligence), with just a skosh of (non-AI) assistance from Excel. (See the xwordinfo.com entry for the gory details). The theme was, well, punny, and the surrounding clues intriguing. We liked 1D, It goes down in flames, ASH; a reference to a lady desperately in need of Aveda, 5D, Monster whose gaze remained lethal after her death, MEDUSA; and our favorite artist, 47D, Painter Matisse, HENRI. Mais oui! Show note imagery: Your typ...
Miranda Kany and Tracy Bennett have teamed up to create a sweet Tuesday crossword, most definitely not for the birds (even though birds did manage to glide into the grid). We found the theme sweet, and the rest of the clues just right for a Tuesday. Deets inside. Show note imagery: Some COYOTEs are slyer than others. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com. Also, we're on FaceBook, so feel free to drop by ther...
There's a lot of pressure on a Monday crossword. It needs to be easy (well, easier), entertaining, and educational. Today's puzzle definitely checks all the boxes: Easier: 44A, Food court pizza chain, SBARRO ✅Entertaining: 6D, "Aiiiiieeeee!," SCREAM; ✅ and Educational: 28A, Purple yam used to flavor desserts, UBE.✅We've also selected our JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award) winner. Have a listen, and let us know if we got it right! Show note imagery: A CHERUB, as seen, ...
If you're a member of the Geek Squad or work at Apple's Genius Bar, you'll find today's crossword to be a breeze. If not, fear not: the crosses were not too difficult, as befits a Sunday puzzle. We have all the deets inside, so, if you need something to listen to while you're digging out from this weekend's snowcopalypse, we've got your back! Show note imagery: Just one more thing ... Peter Falk in his most famous role, Columbo We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listene...
Adrian Johnson and Ryan McCarty have a predilection for writing late-week crosswords, and they have a predilection for getting them published because they are awesome! The clues in today's puzzle, for example, universally ranged between amazing and woah! We give it a full 5 squares on the JAMCR scale (obviously), and consider it a top contender for this week's JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award). Show note imagery: Charlie PUTH, a fabulous singer-songwriter — seriously, che...
In the course of two days we've spanned the experience spectrum. Yesterday's constructor, Joe DiPietro, has published 142 (!) NYTimes crosswords. Today's, Joyce Keller, has published 2, both Fridays, and both excellent. We covered the best-of-the-best clues in today's episode, but we'd also like to give a shoutout to 37D, Hangouts, HAUNTS (🧐); 51A, Out of joint?, FREE (😀); and 41A, One may be carried in a concert hall, TUNE (🤣). Besides the crossword, we have a gem of a Fun Fact Friday™...
If somebody has published 142 crosswords in the NYTimes, there's gotta be a reason ... and today's GUCCI crossword reminds us why Joe DiPietro gets published over and over again. It has an awesome theme, and nougat-like clues: tough to crack, but delicious on the inside. In addition to our analysis of today's puzzle, we also have some terrific listener mail. So, to take advantage of all that goodness, just hit subscribe (so you never miss an episode!), download, and enjoy! Show note imagery: ...
Today's crossword, a collaboration between Ginny Too and Avery Gee Katz, had scads of splendid clues. In addition to those mentioned in today's podcast, we also were amused (and at times bemused) by 64D, The Three Kingdoms in Chinese history, e.g., ERA; 61A, Opportunity to dress up, OCCASION; and 31D, Let float, as a currency, UNPEG. Show note imagery: Promo for The GREATESCAPE. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.co...
This was a debut crossword by Jonathan Raksin and an auspicious start to what we hope will be a lucrative crossword-writing career. The theme was a hoot, and the supporting cast of clues played their roles to perfection. Hence our official (non-Yelp) review: 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. Being Tuesday, we have, naturally, a Triplet Tuesday™️ segment, and this time Jean is playing the role of inquisitor with Mike, by process of elimination, the inquisitee. Deets within. Show note imagery: WAWA...
Peter Gorman has produced his third NYTimes crossword since February of last year, each on a different day of the week, which is quite 62D, Chilly, COOL. We had several celebrities in the grid — 37A, Cosmonaut Gagarin, YURI; 41A, R&B singer whose album "SOS" spent 100+ weeks in the Billboard top 10, SZA; and from a slightly more distant epoch, 58D, Biblical ark builder, NOAH. Being Monday, we have a JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award) to announce, and the award goes to ...
This was an excellent crossword by Rena Cohen, a Washington University in St. Louis student. If the university sounds familiar, that might be because another NYTimes crossword contributor, Sid Sivakumar, also hails from there. What are the odds? And we'll leave it to the reader to contemplate whether the appearance of 77A, Sloth in 2002's "Ice Age", SID, is coincidence or the result of meticulous planning. Today's puzzle had a brilliant theme (covered thoroughly in today's episode) and many, ...
This was a fun Saturday crossword, which one of our cohosts (Jean) found to be an easy solve whereas the other (by process of elimination, Mike) found to be deucedly difficult. The reasons for both may be found on today's podcast. A few other artfully-crafted clues that were left on the editing room floor* include 6D, ___ Carlos Jobim, father of the bossa nova, ANTONIO (careful: the music is uber-soothing); 52A, Bracket contents, TEAMS (oh, those kinds of brackets); and 39A, Artificially unso...
This was a great cruciverbial workout by Kyle T. Dolan, whose crosswords tend to be on the challenging side, with 11 of his 19 NYTimes puzzles appearing on Friday or Saturday. The clues today were deviously clever, yet oddly obvious in hindsight. We have all the deets inside, plus a Fun Fact Friday™️ segment celebrating one of the great leviathans of the deep (but no, not that leviathan, the other one 😉). Show note imagery: From l. to r., APOLLOVII astronauts Donn Eisele, Wally Schirra,...
Today's crossword, a collaboration between Wendy L. Brandes and Barbara Lin, had an awesome theme that both cohosts temporarily missed in distinct and rather amusing ways that we will not describe here, so as to mildly increase suspense as you wait for the episode to download. While that is happening we would also like to draw your attention to 58D, Where the coffee and Wi-Fi might both be strong, CAFE 😀; 13D, Actor John who has granted more than 650 wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, CEN...
As the week progresses, the crossword constructors get more opportunities to add spice to the mix, and Joseph Gangi, author of today's fine puzzle (edited, as always, by the legendary Will Shortz), has been spending overtime in the kitchen, the result of which is the effervescent grid you see before you (or will see if you visit our favorite site, xwordinfo.com). Besides our cutting-edge analysis, we also have (speaking of cutting) some listener mail regarding CUTCO. So for all of that, you a...
This was a debut for Nate Hall, and he does a bang-up job. The theme was perfect for a Tuesday, and there were some marvelous clues throughout the grid. Jean's favorite was 44D, Pet sitters?, LAPCATS, whereas Mike's was definitely 22A, Creature that moves at an average speed of 0.03 miles per hour, SNAIL. 🐌 Besides our tour through the grid, in honor of Tuesday we have another Triplet Tuesday™️ segment for your enjoyment: this week Jean shows why she is the Queen of Triplet Tuesday. Show note...
This was a classy Monday crossword, and the fact that Carolyn Davies Lynch and Christina Iverson are in the marquee has a lot to do with it. The clues just seemed to have a little more pizzaz. We covered most of them in the podcast, but there were others: a puzzle within a puzzle: 44A, Man's name that's a citrus fruit spelled backward, EMIL; a word that we just love to say: 46D, Source of motivation, in modern lingo, INSPO; anda real ear-worm clue if there ever was one: 10D, Mary w...
Hopefully you remember your Greek lessons, listeners, because they — or at least one of them, which we hope for comedy's sake took place on a PHIday — will come in particularly handy today. And now that we've got your curiosity piqued, don't PHIght it — download today's podcast to find out what all the PHIuss, er, fuss, is about. Show note imagery: The birthstones, from Garnet to Turquoise We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcas...
This was a fine Saturday crossword by Kamereon Austin Collins, his 25th for the NYTimes and his 17th Saturday opus. There were a slew of great clues in the grid, including 6D, "That dis was goo-ood!!", OHSNAP; 33D, Meemaw, NANA; 55A, Art form featuring performers in kishin (demon) and okina (old man) masks, NOHTHEATER; and a reminder of one of our absolute favorite football lines, 52D, "___ Given Sunday" (1999 football drama), ANY. Show note imagery: A pair of WATERHORSEs, an example of a Cel...
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States