Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

13:00

Wednesday, August 26, 2026 — You Don't Know...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/27

Today's crossword, a collaboration between John Kugelman and Lance Enfinger, had a bonus puzzle within a puzzle. First, there was the traditional 15x15 grid we all know and love (to solve); then we had the theme, whose revealer seemed to be more of a concealer. Fortunately, the light eventually dawned, so we've got the full 411 right here for your listening pleasure. Show note imagery: The one, the only, it's Mr. Rockhead Sylvester Nate Oscar George Slate (really, that's his full name!). We l...

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15:06

Tuesday, August 25, 2026 — Bryan Kaproth-Gerecht...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/26

Bryan Kaproth-Gerecht's debut NYTimes crossword is a marvel, with an insanely clever theme brilliantly executed. We can't say enough good things about it, but in today's episode, we give it the ol' college try. We also have a Triplet Tuesday™️ segment to test your mettle, so have a go, and let us know how you did! Show note imagery: There's nothing like a quick holiday getaway to Saturn's largest moon, [NAME REDACTED TO AVOID SPOILERS], for a little water skiing, er, hydrocarbon skiing

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11:32

Monday, August 24, 2026 — Zing ZANG, Runner Up,...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/25

Steven Jopek is making his debut in the NYTimes, so kudos, congrats, huzzah, etc., etc. Although after the fact the crossword seemed like a typical Monday, during the solve it seemed to put up just a bit more resistance than usual, although, of course, YMMV*. One thing that stood out: we were impressed by the progression represented by 44A, She, in Portuguese, ELA, 40D, Actor Idris, ELBA, and 57A, Jazz great Fitzgerald, ELLA. It's that attention to detail that gets you, well, published in the...

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14:09

Sunday, August 23, 2026 — A Crossword That Has...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/23

Today's puzzle marks Jill Singer's debut Sunday NYTimes crossword, which playfully pays homage to a now passé form of coinage. We'll let you mull over that cryptic hint, or, if you can't wait, simply download today's episode, where all will be revealed. Show note imagery: One of our favorite stores, which, if you stretch it a lot, is indeed related to today's theme We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com. Also...

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9:04

Saturday, August 22, 2026 — Box Jellyfish,...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/23

Today's crossword was, by Saturday standards, quite straightforward. But since a) Friday's crossword was a real battle royale, and b) today's clues were suitably amusing/intriguing/educational, we are not complaining, quite the contrary. Our analysis waits within, so have a listen, and, as always, please let us know what you think! Show note imagery: A Box Jellyfish, in search of a Lens Crafters that offers quantity discounts We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener ...

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16:00

Friday, August 21, 2026 — It's a Proper Noun...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/22

This, Adryel W. Robles Ojeda's second NYTimes crossword, was uber difficult, thanks to a plethora of relatively obscure names, abetted by some rather cryptic crosses: we loved it (as today's podcast makes clear). As an example of the cryptic crosses, we had 29D, Diamond wear, MITT (nice one!); 49A, Especially ornate, ROCOCO (we definitely had to dredge that out of long-term storage); and 7D, Sport similar to pétanque, BOCCE (a clue that helped ...not at all 😀, which was surely the point...

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14:45

Thursday, August 20, 2026 — Yoda Would've Found...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/21

Most of the time, Thursday themes do something unexpected with the answers, but occasionally the twist involves the clues. Hoang-Kim Vu has provided a sparkling example today, and apart from our Yoda reference in the title, we'll provide no spoilers here, but fear not — we will take a deep dive into that theme, and of course take a gander at the rest of the grid, in today's podcast. Show note imagery: Some MIT Mystery Hunt contestants, ready to start Sherlocking We love feedback! Send us a te...

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11:41

Wednesday, August 19, 2026 — Woah, the Fun Factor...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/20

Kareem Ayas has a real knack for writing entertaining crosswords, and those skills are on full display today. The theme was LOL, and there were marvels throughout the grid. Besides those mentioned in the podcast, we had the sly 59D, Important stretches, ERAS; the quintessential garden path of 45A, Cats and dogs, for example: NOUNS; and in the "but of course" realm, 41A, President who was a heavyweight wrestling champion in college, TAFT. Very nice indeed, absolutely worth 5 squares on the JAM...

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13:57

Tuesday, August 18, 2026 —No, You Can't Forfend the...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/19

Kudos and congrats to Jeremy Venook on getting his debut crossword in the NYTimes! 🎉🥳 He had us when he name-dropped URIAH Heep, and kept us enthralled with a theme that was ideal for a Tuesday. Well done! Speaking of Tuesday, we have, as per custom, a Triplet Tuesday™️ segment, and this time Jean's the interrogatee. How'd she do? The answer is as close as your download button! 😀 Show note imagery: RIAN Johnson (l) on the set of Star Wars: The Last Jedi We love feedback! Send us a text....

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11:53

Monday, August 17, 2026 — Green Day and Pink Floyd...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/18

You would expect that someone who has published 85 (!) NYTimes crosswords, including 31 Mondays, would craft a fine Monday puzzle, and your expectations would be met and then some. Zhouqin Burnikel has produced a picture-perfect Monday, with a lemon meringue of a theme and some awesome clues. Some that did not make into the podcast include 49D, Sound asleep?, SNORE (😀); 36D, "Sounds like a plan!", LETS (😀 😀); and clearly the greatest song of all time, anywhere, 10D, 1963 Kingsmen hit with a

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20:26

Sunday, August 16, 2026 — Today's Crossword Features...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/17

This marks Sam Brody's fourth NYTimes crossword, and we found it quite appealing. The theme was suitably punny, and we learned oodles. For instance, we now know 40D, Bum, CADGE, Mike can now speak knowledgeably about 95A, Fiber also known as viscose, RAYON; and both cohosts can now confidently spell 31A, Water nymphs of Greek myth, NYIAD ... no, half a mo, NIAID, no ... come back tomorrow, we'll have it figured out by then. 😀 😀 Show note imagery: Some dizzying OPART! We love feedback! S...

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16:10

Saturday, August 15, 2026 — Blake Slonecker Dials It...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/16

This was a challenging Saturday crossword, requiring that both cohosts really put their backs into it — which, since we are talking about crosswords, involves moving hardly a millimeter while staring at their screens with an intensity that could melt untreated glass (fortunately, their computers come with Apple's optional "stare resistant coating" 😁). The crossword represents Blake Sonecker's sixth Saturday opus. We thought the clues were great, greatly deceiving, and a lot of fun —

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20:00

Friday, August 14, 2026 — Zhou Zhang's Friday Debut...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/15

Zhou Zhang is gradually working through the days of the week: this crossword marked her Friday debut. The only days on which she has not published are Tuesday and Saturday, but we expect those in short order. We also expect, based on prior experience, great cluing, and Zhou Zhang certainly does not disappoint here — every clue pulled its weight, and the puzzle as a whole was fabulous. Deets inside. Based on a Fan Mail note (thanks, Los Angeles Fan!), we have a Fun Fact Friday™️ segment on mon...

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16:00

Thursday, August 13, 2026 — Killian Olson's Killer...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/14

Killian Olson has put together a very crunchy Thursday crossword for your puzzle-solving pleasure. We found it to be quite the workout. The theme was dazzling, with lots of bamboozlement throughout the grid. Killian (as reported in xwordinfo.com) identified several clues that he was particularly proud of: 31A, Dessert often eaten before the ides of March, PIE (delicious!); 73A, Last term in a math lecture series?, NTH (definitely getting math vibes here...); and 40D, Casual gaming site?, SOFA...

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8:59

Wednesday, August 12, 2026 — Attention All Techies,...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/13

This midweek crossword was short (well for some: YMMV) and sweet, with a theme that did a fine job of melding two of our favorite activities: cruising the web, and cruising NE Wisconsin. It also included some great clues, such as the historically helpful 30D, Tabard ___, locale in "The Canterbury Tales", INN (RIP: it burned down in in 1676); the wry and dry 48D, It's on the up and up, ASCENT 😀; and our favorite typographic embellishment, 22D, Little flourish on a letter, SERIF. Show note

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15:27

Tuesday, August 11, 2026 — Alright, Our Favorite...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/12

Today's crossword, a debut (😃) by Wade Bednar, combined music and dynasties — specifically Chinese dynasties — in an absolutely ingenious way. But Wade didn't slough off when it came to clues, either. Thanks to the wonders of HI* we can admire 56A, "Abso-freakin-lutely!", DOI; 25A, Lollygag, IDLE; and the best of the lot, 18D, Head of a noted animal rescue project, NOAH. 😀 😀 We also have a Triplet Tuesday™️ segment, translating bemusement into amusement since ... well, we're not r...

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12:45

Monday, August 10, 2026 — It's National Lazy Day!...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/11

Nate Cardin's 8th NYTimes crossword was a quintessential Monday puzzle. For one thing, it didn't have QUINTESSENTIAL in the grid. This is not particularly surprising, though, because even though QUINTESSENTIAL is a common enough word, and shows up in, among other places, the XWord Info Word List, it has never appeared in the grid! Still, there's always tomorrow ... Apart from the missing QUINTESSENTIAL, today's puzzle was quite enjoyable, as we explore and expound upon in today's podcast. We ...

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19:44

Sunday, August 9, 2026 —My, Grandma, What Long...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/10

Making any Sunday crossword is definitely not easy. Making one with a two-high stack of grid spanning answers is amazing; and making one with 2 two-high stacks, in one puzzle, is so difficult that it has only happened 3 times in the history of the puzzle, including ... today. It is with a combination of awe and, well, more awe that we therefore doff our hats and yell huzzah in the general direction of Kansas City, MO, home of Erik Agard, for having accomplished this (almost, but not quite) im...

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13:48

Saturday, August 8, 2026 — Roll Up Those Sleeves,...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/09

This was Kameron Austin Collins' 20th Saturday NYTimes crossword, and his name at the top of the marquee is pretty much an ironclad guarantee that we're in for a good time. We laughed, we learned, and ... we were grateful that the esteemed KAC didn't turn up the crossword-difficulty level to 11, something that he is wont to do. Besides the crossword we have some exciting Fan Mail audio, setting us straight on the mondegreen lurking in "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". Check it out! Show...

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20:58

Friday, August 7, 2026 — Booyah, Jesse Cohn Has...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/08

This is Jesse Cohn's fourth Friday NYTimes crossword, and it checks all the right boxes: Tough, but not soul-crushing ✅Educational ✅Highly entertaining ✅So, it's definitely in the running for this week's JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award). The suspense builds! 😀 In other news, we have a fascinating fun fact for Fun Fact Friday™️: have a listen and be prepared to be amazed/educated/entertained. Show note imagery: The Opportunity ROVER's self-portrait We love feedback!...

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