Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

In the pantheon of great cruciverbalists, there clearly needs to be a pedestal with Erik Agard's name on it. Why? Just check out today's crossword (and podcast!), or any of Erik's 81 other crosswords…

Kelly Morenus has crafted a superb Friday crossword, challenging but not overwhelming (although YMMV depending upon your life experiences, how many crosswords you have solved previously, and, at leas…

Thesauri will have to be cracked open to do justice to today's crossword, it was that extraordinary/astonishing/engrossing/ingenious/delightful. It was, of course, the theme that made it so, one that…

This was a highly elegant Wednesday crossword, featuring that most elegant of drinks (and one of the most famous letters in the English alphabet 😉). If you haven't figured it out by now, then we'll k…

For those of you pondering the episode title, no, our quality control department has not dropped the ball, but rather made a wry (but not awry 🙄) joke that is highly germane to today's crossword. 

We …

This was a Monday crossword, which means that a) it should not be particularly difficult for experienced solvers, and b) entertaining. We are pleased to report that it met both criteria, and we submi…

Today's crossword had bells, whistles, and even an EHRU thrown into the mix. It was by Brandon Koppy, however, so at no time did the quality of the puzzle ever dip below 5 squares on the JAMCR scale.…

This was a terrific Saturday crossword, because the clues were just brilliant. Who could resist the allure of 58A, Member of a sub-Saharan matriarchal clan, HYENA; or the sly 61D, Wit's end?, NESS; o…

Kudos to James McCarron, on creating an excellent Friday crossword, a debut, no less. Among our favorite clues (not mentioned in the podcast) were 21D, Film star whose name consists of two presidents…

This was an awesome Thursday crossword, courtesy of Emily Biegas and Sala Wanetick (with Will Shortz, as always, at the helm). The were oodles of cunning clues, some of which were quite educational. …

Just when you think the NYTimes crossword could not possibly come up with one more theme -- they've all been done before -- they prove you wrong (which, happily, seems to happen every day they have a…

This was a SERENE crossword -- and we say that not  because of the presence of SERENE in the grid, but because of the, well, SERENE theme -- one that ought to bring a smile to your lips, or, if you'r…

Today's crossword, the 39th (!) by Daniel Raymon, was replete with musical performers of various vintages, from composer Aaron Copland to a band that had its origins in the last century, but is conti…

Once again the NYTimes crossword has set a new high bar, thanks to the dynamic duo of Zhou Zhang and Kevin Curry. This magnificent opus featured a puzzle within a puzzle, surrounded by a sea of crisp…

Tracy Bennet is the driving force behind both Wordle and Strands, and the appearance of this crossword therefore means that an impressively large percentage of today's NYTimes games are attributable …

Although there were not any literal fireworks in today's crossword, it was filled with innumerable flashes of brilliance and crackles of wit. Among our favorites not covered in today's episode were 4…

Today's crossword was by Adam Wagner, which means that you know, without even looking at it, that it's going to be good. The good cruciverbalist does not disappoint, providing a crossword that must'v…

Today's theme was great (as always), and there were oodles of appealing clues lurking in the grid today (see previous parenthetical remark 😉). A few of our favorites were 45A, Cabinet department sinc…

For those of you wondering about the episode title, it is explored and explained, along with a multitude of other topics riffing off of today's excellent puzzle, in our "Canada Day" special. In addit…

This was a delightful Monday crossword, thanks to the hardworking team of Dena R. Verkuil and Andrea Carla Michaels (abetted, no doubt, by the mighty mighty Will Shortz). The theme was funny, and the…