Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword podcast

6:36

This is the second Christina Iverson - Scott Hogan collaboration, and the first NYTimes crossword ever to include WORCESTERSHIRE as an answer. It usually takes us several takes before we can pronounce the word, and even more before we can spell it. We enjoyed 52A, Copenhagen's "The Little Mermaid", for one, STATUE (which for all the attention it gets, is surprisingly short); we had a blast from the (very recent) past, 53D, "You talkin' _______?", TOME; and finally 33D, "I so did not need to hear that!", EWW (not, as we originally surmised, TMI); Show note imagery: The Little Mermaid, in all her The-Little-Mermaid-iousness of it all. 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 there and strike up a conversation!…

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Monday, November 10, 2025 - Happy Veteran's Day Eve!! 7:18

1 day тому7:18

7:18

This was an excellent crossword by a prolific cruciverbalist. It was a Monday, and as far as being fun and appropriate for novice puzzle solvers, a smashing success. We enjoyed the challenge of how to spell 9D, Shrub with bright flowers, AZALEA; the reappearance (for the second time in two days) of a by-gone internet pioneer, AOL; and the opportunity to haul out our faux-pirate accent for 9A, Pirate's "Stop!", AVAST. Show note imagery: Some real FIREBREATHERS! 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 there and strike up a conversation!…

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Sunday, November 9, 2025 - Amie Walker swings for the fences! 19:11

3 дні тому19:11

19:11

If crosswords had moods, we'd classify this one as feisty . It took both cohosts, working independently as always, longer than usual to get to the happy music. But the journey is the reward, as they say, so rather than complain, we prefer to celebrate this, the fourth NYTimes crossword by Amie Walker. Deets inside. Show note imagery: A LORIS, in its native habitat, the crossword grid (no, strike that, India, it's definitely India). 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 there and strike up a conversation!…

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Saturday, November 8, 2025 - MANSAMUSA, the original golden boy 🙄 8:56

4 дні тому8:56

8:56

This was a good Saturday workout : not the hardest Saturday ever, but engaging, with some truly effervescent cluing. We covered the best-of-the-best in today's episode, but we would also like to note 26A, John Coltrane album whose title suggests making major progress, GIANTSTEPS (check it out, an awesome work); 46D, Pussyfoot: SNEAK; and the star of one of our favorite Marvel series, 9D, Elizabeth of "Wanda Vision", OLSEN (no relation to the photographer Jimmy OLSEN, one reason being that the latter is entirely fictional). Show note imagery: MANSAMUSA, the Elon Musk of his day (1280-1337 AD), admiring his favorite element on the periodic table, gold. 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 there and strike up a conversation!…

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Friday, November 7, 2025 - Today's crossword had an ENNEAD of debut entries (which, sadly, did not include ENNEAD🙄) 12:36

5 днів тому12:36

12:36

This was a challenging crossword for both cohosts, as both -- solving independently as is their custom -- ended up in the same area of the grid, temporary waylaid by the crossing of 40A, The Brady household, including Alice, e.g., ENNEAD, and 29D, "The Fall of the House of Usher" actress ___ Miller, TNIA. In the end, though, Jean managed to get through this crossword LIKEABOSS; Mike was more like a JUNIORDEPUTYUNDERSECRETARY 😀 Show note imagery: An ENNEAD of Egyptian deities. 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 there and strike up a conversation!…

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Thursday, November 6, 2025 - YOWZAH, what a crossword!! 12:53

6 днів тому12:53

12:53

For you polyglots out there, the NYTimes has written a love letter, cleverly disguised as a crossword -- today's , to be precise, a magnificent opus by Sam Brody. For the rest of us, the crossword was (for reasons that will be come clear once you've heard the podcast and/or seen the completed grid) a lot more challenging, which means, of course, a lot more fun . We adored this, Sam's third NYTimes crossword since June (!), and are delighted to bestow upon it a très bon 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. Show note imagery: The LOGO for a car so expensive we couldn't even afford ... the LOGO 😉 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 there and strike up a conversation!…

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Wednesday, November 5, 2025 - All hail ANNA Lee Fisher, first mother in space! 13:14

7 днів тому13:14

13:14

The first author of today's crossword, Chad Hazen, had over 40 rejections before finally getting a crossword published -- but when he did get it published it was in the New York Times, so there is that. He was aided in his efforts by legendary crossword constructor Jeff Chen, an ideal person to have your six when the crossword deities conspire against you. We have all the deets on today's crossword inside, so have a listen, and please let others know about us on social media. Show note imagery: ANNA Lee Fisher, first mother in space! 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 there and strike up a conversation!…

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Tuesday, November 4, 2025 - Make ROOM for the ROOMBA 15:08

8 днів тому15:08

15:08

This was a debut crossword by Patrick Hayden, and a very nice one, to boot. The theme was sly, and the author has a knack for writing novel clues for common answers. We covered many of them in the podcast, but we admired many more. For instance, we had 58A, What you eat, DIET; 52D, Metaphor for a bad goalie, SIEVE (awesome!); and 61D, Start of a bray, HEE (hee, hee). Also, we'd be remiss if we didn't acknowledge the presence of both 38A, Wood-cutting tool, ADZ, and 63D, Highlights of the Super Bowl, for some, ADS. Nice! Show note imagery: WHITECASTLE, popular, but apparently not in NE WI. 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 there and strike up a conversation!…

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Sunday, November 2, 2025 - A veritable ocean of white squares 😳 8:45

10 днів тому8:45

8:45

If you fear crosswords with large swathes of white squares, infrequently interrupted by a black square or two (and psychiatrists have a technical name for that: "normal"), you might want to give this crossword a bye. But if you do so, be warned: you'll be missing out on one of the best Sunday crosswords of the year, courtesy of Rafael Musa (adeptly edited, as always, by Will Shortz). While that might sound like a bold assessment, the proof's not only in the pudding, it's in the podcast; so have a listen and, as always, please let us know what you think! Show note imagery: One of the many SILICONVALLEY homes priced at over $1,000,000. This one is $57.78 million, and at last report was owned by billionaire Yuri Milner. 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 there and strike up a conversation!…

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Saturday, November 1, 2025 - All hail the PEOPLESELBOW! 💪🏽 16:36

11 днів тому16:36

16:36

This was a sweet Saturday crossword by Michael Lieberman, filled with his characteristically witty, and fresh clueing. We've covered the best in the podcast, but we also were enamored with 37D, Atypical, to Antonius, RARA; 24D, Settled a debt reluctantly, PONIEDUP 🐎; and 51D, One direction, EAST 😁. Show note imagery: An AGOUTI, looking for some Brazil nuts to pulverize 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 there and strike up a conversation!…

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Friday, October 31, 2025 - 'Allo, AYOEDEBIRI! 6:08

12 днів тому6:08

6:08

As we sidle up to the most challenging crossword of the week, aka Saturday, we expect the opening act -- Friday -- to help get us in the right frame of mind. Friday does not disappoint, as there were oodles of tricky (theme-free) clues to contend with. For instance, 34D, A smartphone has many of these, USES (ah, not APPS, got it!); 38D, The U.A.E. is in it, OPEC (rather than ASIA, fine); and the informative 37D, Island home of what may be the world's oldest living olive tree (2,000+ years), CRETE (now we know!) Show note imagery: The Olive tree of Vouves, which is too shy to tell anyone its age, but scientists believe it is somewhere between 2-4000 years old. Even more amazing, it's still producing olive oil! 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 there and strike up a conversation!…

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Thursday, October 10, 2025 - A PARAGON of a Thursday crossword 16:19

13 днів тому16:19

16:19

If you needed to be reminded that the scariest day of the year is coming up tomorrow; and if yesterday's crossword didn't drive the stake (er, point) home, then today's surely will. Between the OREOS, bat(omorph)s and witches in the grid, and the suspiciously large number of pumpkins one is likely to encounter in the street, it is clear that Halloween is drawing nigh. What is also clear is that this was a fabulous crossword, brimming with great clues like 42A, Desirable Vegas couple? ACES; 69A, Fish also known as a batomorph, RAY; and 50A, Ones eliciting knee-jerk reactions, informally, DOCS (ha!) Show note imagery: OKRA, aka Lady's Fingers 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 there and strike up a conversation!…

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Wednesday, October 29, 2025 - Today's podcast, brought to you by the Bela Lugosi Fan Club 🧛🏽🫣 11:15

14 днів тому11:15

11:15

This was the perfect Halloween Eve's Eve crossword, suitably spooky and eminently entertaining. The theme was a stitch, and the supporting cast of clues was, well, quite supportive. We've covered the highlights in today's podcast; but as usual we link to the completely filled-in crossword, from xword.info, right here . Show note imagery: A delectable trio of cereal pancakes from IHOP, the unofficial breakfast diner of the NYTimes crossword 🥞😀 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 there and strike up a conversation!…

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Tuesday, October 28, 2025 - The world definitely needs more SOFAFORTS 🤗 15:05

15 днів тому15:05

15:05

Jean found today's crossword to be a tad more difficult than usual; Mike found it almost, but not quite, impossible, thanks to the high density of pop-culture references in the bottom-left corner. We have the deets inside. In other news, it's Triplet Tuesday and -- how shall we put this charitably? -- Mike gave it the ol' college try. Show note imagery: The digits, in Spanish -- very handy in NYTimes crosswords! 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 there and strike up a conversation!…

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Monday, October 27, 2025 - We'll take a flier on how to spell FLYER 😀 12:44

16 днів тому12:44