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© 2026 Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword
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A short, fun and occasionally not unintentionally educational podcast in which two fans of the New York Times crossword describe their puzzle-solving travails.
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It's been almost 2 years since Nate Cardin last graced the pages of the NYTimes, and from our perspective that's almost 2 years too long. But he's back now, and in excellent form, with a wry theme and some amusing other clues. We were buoyed by the juxtaposition of 53A, Beyond well-done, BURNT, and 56A, Exceptionally good, in Gen Z slang, FIRE (a GUCCI of a clue, in our opinion 😀). We also were cheered by the appearance of both 57A, "Very funny!", HAHA, and 66A, "Say cheese!", SMILE. We did b...
The Cardinal Rules of Crossword Construction: Rule # 1: never repeat an answer in the gridRule # 2: ignore rule 1 if it'll make for an especially awesome crosswordWe are pleased as punch to report that the authors of today's crossword — John Ewbank and Colin Thomas — have taken great pains to adhere to the aforementioned cardinal rules, and the result of that adherence is most gratifying: check out the podcast to find out why. In addition, it's Monday, and we therefore have a new ...
Both cohosts found today's crossword, a collaboration between Lance Enfinger and John Kugelman, to be a real workout (mentally, of course: physically they were pretty much doing their best mannequin imitations throughout the entire process). The theme was intriguing, to put it mildly: and the clues were definitely crunchier than usual for a Sunday, making the happy music, when it did at last arrive, particularly gratifying. Deets inside. Show note imagery: It's Seabiscuit and Jockey George Wo...
This was a strenuous Saturday workout, no doubt, with more misdirection then you'd see at a Penn & Teller performance. Consider 15D, "Science is ___ that works": Kurt Vonnegut, MAGIC (what a fabulous quip!); 31A, Dice rolls from Jail to Free Parking, in Monopoly, TENS (easy if you'd memorized the board!); and 8D, Part of a great deal?, ACE (what an ACE clue! 🙄). These are just a few of the many delights skulking about in the puzzle and brought to light in today's episode. Show note ...
Robyn Weintraub is one of our favorite constructors, and today's crossword shows why. It is, in a word, the clues. OK, technically that's two words, but we're feeling generous after having just enjoyed Robyn's handiwork. Pick a clue anywhere in the grid, at random, and you'll find it to be excellent. Repeat, and the result will still be excellent, there are no meh clues anywhere, at all: it's classic Robyn Weintraub. Show note imagery: The Milky Way assembly line, yum! We love feedback! Send ...
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...
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