This was one of our favorite Saturday crosswords this year - tough but fair, with cheery clues to educate and delight. We've covered most of them in today's podcast, but even the ones that were left on the cutting-room floor were good: 35D, Chest bump?, PEC, and 48D, Whirl, so to speak, TRY. For all these reasons this opus, by Natan Last, has won a…

A family living on the outskirts of a small town in Washington state is allegedly terrorized by a Bigfoot creature as it tries to communicate with their young son. Is the sensational story fact or fiction? Find out as I take a deep dive into this chilling case. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/monstro-bizarro/donations Advertising In…

An elegant Friday crossword by Zhouqin Burnikel, her 80th for the NYTimes(!). Jean hit a few snags in the bottom right, whereas Mike spun his wheels in the central and upper right regions, before finally getting traction. A fun time was (eventually) had by all, and we have the deets inside, as well as a fine Fun Fact Friday segment (if we do say so…

This is a fine debut crossword by Rena Cohen, with an aptly large number of debut entries to accompany a clever but initially cryptic theme. It involved a rebus, but evolved into the rather important question of where should that rebus go? We have the deets inside, so we cordially invite you to check out today's episode. As a reminder, as you are l…

A perfect midweek crossword by Luke K. Schreiber that has echos of yesterday's puzzle. You will recall (or if not, check out our podcast), that yesterday we had a slew of cryptids that couldn't quite be seen clearly. Today we have 13 animals that are, essentially, in hiding; and that entertaining similarity is due, no doubt, to the NYTimes Crosswor…

Kevin Curry and Jeff Chen have teamed up to create a fun Tuesday crossword, based on an ingenious attempt to merge myth and mystery. We won't say any more about it here (as October is No Spoiler Month), but we have plenty to say about it in today's podcast, so do have a listen. Beyond our dissection of today's puzzle, we are also delighted to annou…

Today's crossword, by Alexander Liebeskind, does what all good Monday crosswords should do: offer entertaining clues and not crush the spirit of crossword solvers just getting their feet wet. Our favorite entry? 39D, Loud and unhappy sports fans, in slang, BOOBIRDS, although we were also quite taken by 6D, Empire whose capital city was Tenochtitlán…

Joe Deeney has gotten accolades for writing terrific crosswords, and today's puzzle, we are pleased to report, continues the streak. The theme is ingenious, there are lots of gems everywhere you look in the grid, all-in-all a nice bit of work. Deets inside, as well as a return of our "Oh, That's How You Pronounce It" segment, -- which, astonishingl…

You know when a grid has words like HORCHATA and AORTAE lurking inside that the puzzle is going to be tough, and that is most definitely the case today, in this epic Saturday crossword by Margaret Seikel, her 9th for the NYTimes, and her first Saturday entry. Jean got through it much faster than Mike, but both were able to persevere and had a grand…

Today's crossword, Jake Bunch's second for the NYTimes, and his second Friday, was splendid: even though Friday crosswords are typically themeless, this did have a meta-theme, really, really intriguing clues. Beyond those mentioned in the podcast, we had 59A, Composer for whom Poland's largest airport is named, CHOPIN; 26D, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.: Abb…

This is Jesse Guzman's first ever NYTimes crossword, and they've started off with a bang, with a theme that took both cohosts (working independently, as they are wont to do) quite some time to suss out, but that AHA! moment was assuredly worth the wait. There were some other great clues in the grid, including 61A, They take off marks at school, ERA…

This is Peter Gordon's 129th NYTimes crossword, and a perfect example of why the NYTimes keeps publishing his work. The theme is brilliant, the clues sharp and, pardon the pun, upbeat -- quite a lot to like. We have the deets inside, just waiting for you to download all that goodness. Our Triplet Tuesday Contest is going strong, so if you haven't p…

Today's episode is action-packed, but at its heart is a crossword by Kevin L. Shellito, his debut, and an excellent debut it is, with some ingenious cluing and a delightful theme - deets inside. Also, we're hosting another Triplet Tuesday Contest, so get ready to play along and then email us how many clues it took you, in total, to guess all 3 answ…

We're starting the work week with a pleasing Monday crossword by Freddie Cheng, his 17th for the NYTimes. It had a straightforward, cute theme, and quite a few musicians in the grid, including 35D, "At Last" jazz singer, ETTAJAMES; 28D, Pop star Gomez, SELENA; 15D, Piaf who sang "La Vie en Rose", EDITH; and the ubiquitous (at least in the NYTimes c…

Today's puzzle was a delight - harkening back to an old movie (whose name we will not reveal here, to maintain the suspense), and with some crisp, entertaining cluing -- in short, the NYTimes Sunday crossword at its best. We dive into details on that, and have a nice bit of listener mail to boot, so delay no longer! Download, listen up, and enjoy! …

Joel Fagliano's given us a bit of a breather, a challenging but relatively straightforward Saturday crossword -- certainly in comparison to the last few weeks, we're still recovering from Sam Ezrsky's last epic. The clues were fun and entertaining, though: 38D, Box office?, CUBICLE; 14D, U.S. city with the motto "Where Discoveries are Made", LOSALA…

This was a fine, challenging, themeless Friday crossword by Jackson Matz (his second Friday puzzle, and third overall). It is refreshing, after struggling with a theme some days, to get a break, even though that break is tempered by the fact that, as a Friday, the clues tend to become more devious. How else could you describe 23A, Pilot productions…

It seems that on Thursdays anything can happen in the NYTimes crossword, and today it seems that everything happened, all at once, in one place. You'll see what we mean when you listen to today's episode, now waiting calmly on our servers for you to tap download and shortly thereafter experience exhilaration/education/etcetera. Show note imagery: t…

If you haven't visited Rome, you can at least check out two of its many awesome attractions thanks to Casey Callaghan and Will Nediger, the authors of today's puzzle. Beyond those (we will refrain from describing the attractions here, to heighten the suspense), we had some great clues. Nostalgia, courtesy of 46A, ______ Basil, singer of the 1982 hi…

There were a boatload of O's in today's grid, but they were there for a reason, that being to flesh out a wonderful debut crossword by Howard Neuthaler. A good crossword not only entertains and challenges, but teaches, and this one, by that standard, was a great one. To learn what we learned, and to hear about a new Triplet Tuesday contest coming u…

This is Robert Corridan's debut crossword, and a fine debut it is, one that may induce you to sing, perhaps something along the lines of LA, LA, LA, in which case you will be in a very good place to start solving this crossword! Deets (and the decryption of that cryptic last sentence) are within, so have a listen, and, as per usual, let us know wha…

Aimee Lucido is both a children's author -- check out "Pasta Pasta Lotsa Pasta" - and cruciverbalist - check out today's excellent example. This crossword was not hugely difficult, but it was hugely entertaining, as we explain, in detail, in today's episode. Show note imagery: HIGHFIDELITY, by Nick Hornby We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact…

A tough Saturday crossword (of course!) by Christina Iverson, with the northwest corner being particularly tough. But the clues were fair and fun, making for an enjoyable solve. Deets inside, so we encourage you to download, listen up, and ... enjoy! Show note imagery: A Phillie PHANATIC, limbering up before the big game We love feedback! Send us a…

Today's crossword was a debut for Boaz Moser, and it was a fine one - challenging but VALID, including familiar clues like 15D, Beverage steeped in bright daylight, SUNTEA, lesser known ones, such as 13D, Bit of foam, perhaps, PEANUT, and hilarious ones, such as 4D, One doing the lord's work, VASSAL (😀). We found this to be a very satisfying solve,…

A historic first, "BRAT" used in the sense of 52D, 2024 Charli XCX album with a lime green color -- as opposed to all the 179 previous times, when it was a reference to an annoying small child. The rest of the crossword, by Parker Higgins, was similarly entertaining, as evidenced by clues such as 69A, Nose-in-the-air-type?, PLANE; 52D, Give in on C…

A decidedly crunchy Wednesday crossword, Jean managed to chew through it expeditiously, Mike broke a tooth 😉. The theme took a while for both cohosts to grok, after which solving the puzzle became much easier. Deets inside, you are cordially invited to download, listen up, and ... enjoy! Show note imagery: The ARROYOS Natural Area, where we really,…

Today's theme was about as NYTimes-esque as they come, just a fun exploration of attributes of the English language, and something that almost surely could not have been constructed without a computer to do the heavy lifting. Without spoiling anything out here in the show notes, let's just say that the theme involved finding three answers that met …

Tim D'Alfonso has constructed an excellent Monday crossword -- his debut! -- with a smile-inducing theme and some fun cluing, including 42D, Your of yore, THY; 43D, Start of a donkey's bray, HEE; and the nostalgia-inducing 25D, ________ Sketch (classic toy), ETCHA. This was a great puzzle and likely a confidence-builder for those just starting to d…

Occasionally at JAMDTNYTC HQ, the cohosts opinions are so divergent that one might be inclined to think they are talking about different puzzles: but they most definitely were talking about one puzzle today, that of 9/8/2024, which Jean found to be a piece o' cake, and Mike found to be ... not that. Deets inside, so have a listen, and, as always, w…

After last Saturday's killer crossword we were hoping that Joel might give us a break, but nooooooo, he still had the pedal to the floor, cruciverbially speaking. There were almost no gimmes in the grid, but a plethora of head scratchers, characteristic of David P. Williams, who has written 5 NYTimes crosswords -- 1 Friday, and the rest -- Saturday…

A challenging Friday crossword, more so in the top-left, less so in the bottom-right. There were a plethora of awesome clues in today's puzzle, including 5A, They often have multiple horns, SKABANDS (what, not TRICERATOPS?); 62A, Competition with many missions, SPACERACE (nice!); and the outstanding 11D, Chicken or mashed potato, DANCE (ha!) Show n…

We had an exceptional Thursday crossword -- no rebuses (rebusae(?)), but an inspired theme from the most brilliant Joe Deeney. We cover it in detail in today's episode, and you can see Joe's oeuvre at xwordinfo.com as well. Show note imagery: Look, ma, it's a ZEDONK! We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a…

A witty Wednesday crossword by Kareem Ayas, his fourth for the NYTimes since 2023, so he is on a roll! The theme was surprising, especially for a Wednesday, and we'll just let that sentence hang in the air rather than go into the deets here -- but rest assured that the podcast does just that. Besides our in-depth dive through the grid, we also have…

This is Alex Eaton-Salner's 70th NYTimes crossword, and it got to be their 70th, in part*, because of an ingenious theme, and in part because of the superstition that to turn down a crossword with BORIC in the grid (8D, Kind of acid used to make Silly Putty) is exceptionally unlucky** Show note imagery: PEI, in its place *we suspect: editor Joel Fa…

Sala Wanetick and Emily Biegas have collaborated on a fine Monday crossword, with a theme that we won't spoil in the show notes -- but most definitely will in the podcast -- other than to say that we are spoiled ... by the consistently high quality of the NYTime's crosswords. Shownote imagery: For the record, the stars of Vanderpump Rules are not d…

Today's crossword was clearly a labor of love and mathematics, for reasons that will become clear as soon as you either check out the crossword, or today's episode. It did seem to have a rather large number of, well, 96A, Brief glimpse of stars, say, CAMEOS -- except in this case the CAMEOS were from a vast array of fields, from art, 81D, Surrealis…

Sam Ezersky is well known for writing exceptionally cryptic crosswords, and today he's cranked it up to 11. From clues like 1A, Liquid found in some pens, VAPEJUICE, to 14A, The old man?, CROMAGNON, to 64A, It's pressed for time, STOPWATCH, Sam did not give an inch. Of course, this was a Saturday, so we would expect no less! Show note imagery: YASQ…

A fine Friday crossword and the second by Colin Adams (just half a year after his first, on February 16th), so kudos! The clues were very well written, making for an intriguing and entertaining solve. We approve! Show note imagery: DEIRDRE of the Sorrows, a heroine of Irish mythology We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listene…

Opinions were divided as to the difficulty of today's crossword - Jean found it to be a pleasant Thursday, Mike found it to be more suited for the heretofore undiscovered Impossiday™️, a day that lies between Saturday and Sunday, one suited only for the most insanely challenging of crosswords ... like, for example, today's (to reiterate, according …

A delightfully complex theme by Jesse Goldberg, cleverly finessing the rule that the answer to a clue should not appear in the clue. Highly original and entertaining, we approve and thereby bestow a full 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. Deets inside. Remember when listening to this podcast, if you have not solved the puzzle yourself, it is easier to f…

A clever Tuesday crossword by Julia Hoepner, with a theme that was as good as it was bad, which we promise will make sense once you've listened to the podcast! It's also Tuesday, time for Triplet Tuesday, and this time Jean's in the hot seat. To hear how she fared, we most sincerely and earnestly beseech you to a) download, b) listen up, and c) enj…

It is hard to find fault with a crossword that has LULU Lemon in the grid, so we will not even try, rather we will simply TOUT it for being what it is, a FUNFUNFUN puzzle, which we really did LUV 😍 Show note imagery: The Isle of CAPRI ... where the pants come from? We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a l…

A very nicely done crossword by John Kugelman, his 5th for the NYTimes. Jean tore through it, Mike took ... only slightly less time than it took Ichthyostega to suss out how to walk on land, owing to ... oops, no spoilers! Download today's podcast, to figure out a) why this was such a fine puzzle, and b) the source of Mike's brief (no, scratch that…

This is Ryan McCarty's 28th NYTimes crossword, almost all of which (23, to be precise) have appeared on this very day -- Saturday. The clues were quite nice -- include a few gems, like the placement of 30A, "Pleeeeeeease?", CANTI adjacent to 31A, Spiteful, as a comment, CATTY; 41A, Bus. driver, CEO (oh, very nice!); 43A, Hardly open, CAGEY (clever,…

A nice Friday crossword by Taylor Johnson and Rafael Musa, not too difficult, but not a walk in the park, either. We have our cutting edge analysis, as usual, here for your edification, amusement, and hopefully not bemusement, so have a listen, and let us know what you think! Show note imagery: Opening notes and lyrics of Tik Tok, by KE$HA We love …

A rather curious THeme, Jean sussed it immediately, Mike aspires to do so at an indeterminate point in the hopefully near future. 😀 There were some curious clues to go along with the theme, we're still puzzling over 21A, Baseball pitcher's feat, slangily, NONO, and would also like to know what happened to the ending IE in 43D, Buns, PATOOT. Still, …

Stacey Yaruss McCullough has created a fine debut crossword, with some dazzling feats of portmanteau-rhymery, and if that isn't part of the English language, we hereby nominate it for such posthaste. A friendly reminder that when listening to these podcasts, if you haven't solved the puzzle (and don't intend to), you can see the entire solved puzzl…

Sam Buchbinder ha a reputation for writing splendid clues and crosswords, and he certainly lives up to it today, with some very amusing clues, including one that one of our cohosts was unable to even read, after much practice, without bursting into a mild chortling fit half way through. Which cohost? And which clue? Well, we all live for suspense, …

A surprising Monday crossword by Kenneth Cortes, who has gone against the convention that themed clues run in the same direction -- but he had an excellent reason for so doing, as we explain in today's episode. Show note imagery: The Washington METRO We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordp…

Take two really superb crossword constructors and put them together, and what do you get? A crossword like this one, chock full of heart, artistry, and attention to detail, clearly written by two cruciverbalists at the top of their games. Deets inside, as well as some fine listener feedback on the proper pronunciation of POMPANO Beach, so do have a…