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© 2025 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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This was a whimsical Wednesday crossword by the talented duo of Gary Larson and Doug Peterson. The theme was a triumph, buoyed up by a bevy of crisp clues, including: the clever 8D, Marchers in sidewalk cracks, ANTS; the helpful reminder that was 50A, Easter Island's country, CHILE; and the hilarious 41A, Welcome figure on Wall Street, unwelcome figure in a china shop, BULL. In other news, we have some fascinating listener mail about the subtle distinctions between Bro, Bruh, B...
This was a gentle Tuesday crossword, slightly more challenging than Monday, and prepping us for the even more rigorous crosswords sure to come this week. Difficulty level not withstanding, the grid featured some awesome clues, most notably the incredible 62A, The IBM Simon Personal Communicator is considered the world's first one, SMARTPHONE. We were also highly pleased to learn of the existence of 13D, Grammy-winning R&B artist whose stage name is said to have been inspired by "The Matri...
Today's puzzle checks all the Monday crossword boxes: Clever and straightforward theme? ✅Built with the novice-solver in mind? ✅Published on a Monday? 😉✅Apparently it took multiple revisions before this crossword got accepted, but the end result was picture-perfect. Kudos to Jeff Jerome for his first crossword, and Andrea Carla Michaels, for her 92nd! Being Monday, we've chosen our JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award), so check out today's episode to see if your ...
This was a jaw-dropping pick-me-up of a Sunday crossword by debut constructor Zachry Edward-Brown (a high-school student, no less!) and veteran John Kugelman. The theme was spectacular, with a twist at the end that would have Agatha Christie nodding her approval. The rest of the grid was equally impressive, and if you want proof check out today's episode. Show note imagery: ELISHA Gray, inventor of the telephone (at least according to ELISHA Gray 😉) We love feedback! Send us a text... C...
Today's crossword, by Gene Louise De Vera, was one for the record books. Exactly what record was broken we are not going to reveal here, but rather keep you in suspense, dear listeners, for the approximately 15-30s it will take to download the podcast and get to the point where we "spill the beans", so to speak. It'll be worth the wait, trust us. 😀 Show note imagery: Alyssa Michelle Stephens, aka LATTO We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a li...
This was a pitch-perfect Friday crossword, with a host of tricky clues designed to limber you up for the boss puzzle -- aka the Saturday NYTimes crossword -- about to drop and potentially wreak havoc upon the unsuspecting, unfortunate, unlimbered 🙄 Deets inside, so do have a listen; and after you've done so, take a moment to add the NYTimes Crossword to your holiday shopping list. Show note imagery: Duino Castle, where RILKE wrote the Duino Elegies We love feedback! Send us a text... Co...
Kevin Curry has done it again - crafted an elegant puzzle designed to challenge, educate, and entertain. Challenge: 63A, Reunion group, CLAN; Educate: 57D, Popular, stick-figure web comic, XKCD; andEntertain: 28D, Big wheels in the Vatican?, POPEMOBILE 😀 tldr: we found this crossword to be 28A, Utopia ... 10 ... Ideal, PICTUREPERFECT. Show note imagery: The POPEMOBILE through the ages We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, cr...
There were several deities in today's grid — ARES, ZEUS, and the lesser known DOER, Lord of Bad Puns. None of them prevented our cohosts from having a grand time while solving this crossword, Kareem Ayas' second in under two months. While all the clues were fine, they were particularly impressed by the Matrix mini-theme, consisting of 37A, Iconic repeated Keanu Reeves role, NEO, and 49D, "The Matrix" character, with "the", ORACLE. So, in that spirit we encourage you to take the red pill...
This was Kate Hawkins' eighteenth NYTimes crossword, and while mainly distinguished by its brilliant theme, gems could be found throughout the grid. We enjoyed the range of emotions conveyed by 32D, "By Jove, that's it!", AHA, and 45D, "How stupid of me!", DOH. We also were absolutely enthralled by, and are now seeking a t-shirt emblazoned with, 54A, "Education is not for the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a ______" (old maxim), FIRE. Show note imagery: Computing pioneer ADA Lov...
Today's puzzle had a wry, perfect-for-a-Monday theme: if it was a hat, it would definitely be stylish and arranged at a rakish angle. We were surprised, tickled, and put into full chortle mode by, respectively, 1D, Magic charms, MOJOS (assuredly not on our Monday crossword bingo card); 5D, The eyes may have it, MASCARA; and 24A, Run out of clothes?, STREAK. Besides the crossword, in honor of Monday we have picked our JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award), and we challen...
We treasure any excuse to break out into Lewis Carroll adjectives, and today's frabjous crossword provides just that opportunity. This is a debut, no less, by University of Wisconsin Madison professor Kate Jensen, who we imagine, based on the clues in today's grid, to be particularly beamish, and not at all manxome (except when dealing with irksome students). There were boatloads of great clues in today's grid. We felt educated by 13D, One chain x one furlong, ACRE; entertained by 28A, They'l...
Our cohosts had vastly different experiences tackling today's crossword. Jean found it to be quite challenging, whereas Mike was (for a change) definitely working, but not fighting tooth-and-nail to keep his streak alive. Deets inside: we cordially invite you to download, listen up, and enjoy! Show note imagery: "A New English Dictionary", as the first edition of the OED was originally called. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, cross...
This was a challenging Friday crossword, the second by James McCarron since August, of the year: in short, he's on a roll. There were some simultaneously terrific (if you like a challenge) and terrifying (if you value your streak) clues. Among the best not mentioned in the podcast were 37D, Minimal coverage provider?, THONG (ha!); 27D, Silent sort, CLAM (not FILM or MIME); and 15D, Show stoppers, sometimes, RAIN (true, dat). Show note imagery: Egyptian football/soccer star Mohamed...
Today's crossword, by Victor Barocas, had a fun and frothy theme that came from a galaxy far, far away. We loved it! We also enjoyed the very strong cast of supporting characters, including 49D, Cold call?, ACHOO (🤧); 43D, Golden-tan dog of multiple films, BENJI (wait, a tanning booth was involved? 🙄); and 42A, Animal in more than70 Bugs Bunny titles, HARE (natch! 🐰). Show note imagery: IKEA, home of the blue totes We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop ...
Today's crossword was a debut for Jonathan Baude, kudos for that! The theme was uplifting (literally), and the rest of the puzzle was perfect Tuesday fare. We had some entertaining clues -- 46A, Top of the hour?, XII (😀); some educational clues -- 62D, Communication syst. in which the letter Z is drawn with one's index finger, ASL; and some clues of the product placement variety -- 15D, Grey Goose competitor, BELVEDEREVODKA. Cheers! Show note imagery: Banana Bread EGGOs, sadly no longer...
Today's crossword was perfectly timed, at least for those of us living in those northern regions currently besieged by winter storms. We were intrigued to learn of the existence of NAURU, the world's third smallest country (behind Vatican City and Monaco, for those of you keeping score). We were glad to see that Ms. Adler made a reappearance in the grid (66A, Woman who bests Sherlock in "A Scandal in Bohemia", IRENE); loved the nostalgic 58A, Creator of Asteroids and Pong, ATARI (ah, the clas...
The easy-to-spell and fun-to-say LOUDOUTS has appeared a grand total of two times in the NYTimes crossword: today, and on June 15, 2013. We are on tenterhooks awaiting its next appearance, which according to our calculations should be in 2037, or thereabouts. For the record, the crossword also featured 9 debut answers, and our favorite, by far, had to be PUMPUPTHEJAM (ah, the classics 😀). We have more to say about the crossword on the podcast, so have a listen while we attempt to recove...
Did an early version of Elton John's Saturday Night include the lyric "Saturday night's alright for fighting crosswords"? We don't know for certain, but we do know that today's crossword was an epic battle -- at least for Mike. Jean, as usual, found this to be a more of a minor skirmish. As we have come to expect from Adrian Johnson, author of today's puzzle, the clues had a lot of spice and bite. For example, 27D, High-level intelligence assets?, SPYPLANES (nice!); 25D, What sfouf is, ...
This was a fine crossword by constructor -- aka SETTER, depending on which side of the pond you live on -- Jacob McDermott, for whom we are thankful for this entire crossword, but especially the revelation about SETTERS. We found many noteworthy clues to sing about today. For instance, we had 44A, One-named rock idol who was born Paul David Hewson, BONO; the life-changing (trust us, it will, once you listen to him) 35A, Jazz pianist with a memorable recording of "Tea for Two", ARTTATUM; and t...
On this dual US holiday -- Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday Eve -- we wish to say how thankful we are for our myriad faithful listeners, and for the geniuses who labor day in and day out to deliver the best crosswords in the world to our metaphorical doorstep. Speaking of best crosswords, we liked today's: it had, as usual, a theme that we did not see coming, it mentioned the Flintstones, and, for the pièce-de-résistance, it included a reference to Mike's favorite biochemical process, the KR...
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