Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

13:59

Thursday, August 6, 2026 — A Highly Filling Thursday...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/07

Today's podcast title — we promise! — will seem quite droll, even, dare we say it, chuckleworthy, once you've sussed out today's theme. We won't say any more about that here, but invite you to have a listen as we explore Dena Verkuil and John Kugelman's latest oeuvre. Show note imagery: The Farm, by Joan Miró — winner of the Guggenheim International Award and clearly master of the surreal We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordp...

en-us

9:56

Wednesday, August 5, 2026 — Don't Caper Around With...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/06

If you took a look at this crossword and decided that it's time to split, we commend you on your choice of metaphor. Daniel Bodily has constructed a puzzle that pays homage to, and yet goes beyond, one crafted by Joel Fagliano way back in the "carefree" days of 2020. It was apparently a beast to construct, but clearly worth the effort, as we discuss in today's podcast. Show note imagery: George BOOLE, creator of Boolean Algebra, without which pretty much every single shiny gadget you own woul...

en-us

15:17

Tuesday, August 4, 2026 — Could the NYTimes' Favorite...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/05

If you like weddings, have at least a passing knowledge of Indian words, and enjoy puns, then you should find today's crossword theme quite satisfying (as was the case for both cohosts). The rest of the grid also held some delights: 58D, Battery for a mouse, AAA (ah, that kind of mouse); 55D, Where Anheuser-Busch is "BUD", NYSE (informal and instructive, very nice); and 14A, So-called "servebot" in tennis, essentially, ACER (just as long as the servebot isn't powered by AI 😉🤖) In honor of

en-us

11:44

Monday, August 3, 2026 — Hoozah, it's National...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/04

Willa Angel Chen Miller's crosswords normally show up on Friday, so we were slightly concerned to see her name here on Monday, but she has done an excellent job, with some straightforward but well-crafted clues. Besides those mentioned in the podcast, we have 43D, Rewards for excellent employees, RAISES; 7D, Eve's man, ADAM; and something we're all familiar with here in NE Wisconsin (although fortunately not at this exact moment), 63A, Winter forecast, SNOW. ❄️ We've picked our JAMCOTWA™️ (Je...

en-us

15:51

Sunday, August 2, 2026 — Today's Crossword Won't...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/03

This was an awesome Sunday crossword by Ralph Sharaga (a debut for him) and veteran constructor Doug Peterson (this is his 61st!). The theme was absolutely hysterical, and the rest of the grid glistened with guffaw-inducing clues. Among our favorites were: 14D, Race prior to a race?, REV (delightful); 97A, Safari destinations?, URLS (ha!); and we enjoyed the 180° change of tone in 47D, Opposite of "You'll pay for that!"?, ONME. Show note imagery: MAE Jemison, the first black astronaut in spac...

en-us

14:09

Saturday, August 1, 2026 — Allo, August!

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/02

Saturdays are typically the most challenging crosswords of the week, and today's was a splendid mental workout, with some absolutely stellar clues, including 33A, Field whose prospect are looking up?, ASTRONOMY 😉. Jean found the crossword to be a challenge, and Mike's egregious unfamiliarity with "Days of Our Lives" actresses definitely pushed him to his limit. In short, both agreed that Zachary David Levy's debut Saturday crossword was abfab, worth 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. Show note

en-us

16:13

Friday, July 31, 2026 — G'bye, July!

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/08/01

Rafael Musa was in his element today — over 50% of his crosswords have appeared on Friday. We were therefore unsurprisingly KEENON on today's effort, which featured a bevy of fine clues that left us ALLSMILES. Deets inside. Our Fun Fact Friday™️ segment involves one of the world's most popular textile patterns. To keep up the suspense, we won't tell you what it is right now, but we do get AROUND to it in today's episode. 😉 Show note imagery: If today's image seems cryptic, we would like to

en-us

12:53

Thursday, July 30, 2026 — A Crossword as Easy as...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/07/31

This was a fine Thursday crossword by Joel Woodford, with a nifty theme that was surprising, entertaining, and — bonus! — gave us a chance to use "nifty" in a sentence. Our favorite clues included 22A, It may be padded or slapped, KNEE (🤔); 66D, It might be left hanging, ART (😀); and 23A, Do you read me?, NOVEL (😂). There were definitely more, check out today's episode for the very best-of-the-best. Show note imagery: ERMA Franklin, Aretha's sister and a brilliant singer in her own righ...

en-us

13:23

Wednesday, July 22, 2026 — Ooh, the Carnival's In...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/07/23

If you find the aroma of fresh popcorn wafting from the grid, that means you've really gotten into the spirit of this absolutely endearing crossword by Rebecca Goldstein*. It had everything that we want to see in a Wednesday crossword: a highly ingenious theme, clues that make you sweat, and a terrific payoff. This undoubtedly deserves 5 squares on the JAMCR scale, for reasons described herein. On a logistical note, we are going to be taking the next few days off for some R&R. If you have...

en-us

15:20

Tuesday, July 21, 2026 — Let's Make Some Noise For a...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/07/22

This was a superlative Tuesday crossword, thanks to some really sparkling clues. The theme — which we discuss extensively in today's episode — is the icing on the cake, but we found numerous other gems in the grid. The "Most-Fun-Clue" award goes to 62A, Things assayers assay, ORES; the "Most-Fun-Answer" award has to go to 17A, "Easy-peasy!", BADABINGBADABOOM 😀; and the "Most-Intriguing-Clue" award surely belongs to 6D, Japanese city that's home to the Chinese Sofukuji Temple, NAGASAKI. As

en-us

13:27

Monday, July 20, 2026 — Gee, this Crossword's Got GLEE 🙄

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/07/21

It is our suspicion that Eric Rollfing, author of today's fine crossword, probably solves every NYTimes Connections puzzle without any mistakes, because he seems to be quite adept at identifying commonality among highly disparate items. This is not the first time he's used this approach, but it's always novel and fun to get two puzzles for the price of one. Besides the crossword, we've picked our JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award), another irresistible masterpiece by ... n...

en-us

19:01

Sunday, July 19, 2026 — This Crossword Was Capital,...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/07/20

In February, Michael Lieberman and Rebecca Goldstein collaborated on a Sunday crossword with answers that refused to stay confined to running horizontally or vertically. Well, Michael is back with another impressive, non-linear theme. We have the full analysis inside, as well as a timely bit of listener mail explaining a clue that we wrestled with yesterday. Enjoy! Show note imagery: An Olympian participating in the 2024 Paris Canoe/Kayak Slalom We love feedback! Send us a text... Conta...

en-us

11:34

Saturday, July 18, 2026 — Alright, DIEGOLUNA is in...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/07/19

This was a crunchy Saturday crossword, ideal for those looking for a strenuous mental workout. As is always the case on Saturdays, today's puzzle was themeless and a lot of fun. We smiled our way through 57A, What might add a bit of flavor to a salsa?, BONGO; celebrated the debut of 33D, Actor who plays the title role on TV's "Andor", DIEGOLUNA; and groaned slightly upon solving 4D, Super man?, MARIO. This marks Ryan Judge's 7th NYTimes crossword: hopefully puzzle # 8 is already in the hopper...

en-us

16:58

Friday, July 17, 2026 — Hey, Where'd All the Black...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/07/18

Today's crossword — a debut by Coz Berlin — was noteworthy for what it lacked: to wit, black squares. There were some, to be sure: but the grid contained of 9 15-letter answers (divided up into 3 sets of 3). It made for a daunting Friday puzzle. Deets inside. In addition to the crossword, we also have a fascinating Fun Fact Friday™️ segment on poetry slams. All that, and more, is as close as your download button, which we genuinely hope you will be tapping/clicking on ... right now...

en-us

13:35

Thursday, July 18, 2026 — Another Awesome Zhou /...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/07/17

Zhou Zhang and Mallory Montgomery have teamed up, once again, to create their third Thursday crossword, and they keep getting better with age/practice. The theme was endearingly quirky, and the clues were definitely Thursday-worthy. As representative examples, regard 33A, Little dipper?, TOE 😀; 47D, Steamy occasion, SPADAY (ah, that kind of steam!); and 13D, Dub ... or rub, ANOINT (ah, we get the ANOINT, er, POINT 😀). Show note imagery: The old city of SANAA, Yemen's capital and a UNESCO

en-us

14:41

Wednesday, July 15, 2026 — Today's Crossword Was...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/07/16

This was an excellent mid-week crossword by Johnathan Raksin and Jeff Chen. The theme was a hoot, and the rest of the clues were of similar high quality. A few that stood out included 26D, Some comfy kicks, MOCS ([embarrassingly-obvious pun redacted]); 9D, Botheration, ADO (we're getting distinct Winnie-the-Pooh vibes here); and 30D, Mork's planet on an old sitcom, ORK (ah, the classics!). Show note imagery: The tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa, in the UAE Show note videography: A ...

en-us

17:16

Tuesday, July 14, 2026 — A Collaborative Debut,...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/07/15

This was a collaborative debut by Gus Bloxham and Bharati Hemmady, and it was an auspicious start to what we hope will be a succession of great crosswords. We were amused by 43D, Unlike the direction of this clue's answer, ACROSS; impressed with how frequently we've seen 6D, Singer with the best-selling album "21", ADELE (for the record, 329x); and happy to be reminded of 65A, Mo. with International Talk Like a Pirate Day, SEP. Arrrrr, shiver our timbers! Show note imagery: Curiosity, still t...

en-us

15:00

Monday, July 13, 2026 — The Queen of Monday...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/07/14

Lynn Lempel, aka the Queen of Monday Crosswords, is back at it, with a fine puzzle (her 105th!) and her trademark Very Clever Theme™️. It is just a perfect crossword for new solvers, but it's got enough going on to keep veterans entertained as well. Deets inside! Show note imagery: The Jackson home of renowned civil rights activist MEDGAR Evers, now known as the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a l...

en-us

18:54

Sunday, July 12, 2026 — Why'd The Brits Build the...

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/07/13

It is rare that a constructor debuts on a Sunday, but Collin Drown, a PhD student at Virginia Commonwealth University — go Rodney the Ram! ... really, that's the VCU mascot — has pulled it off, and in fine style. The theme was quite wry, with just the right amount of punpernickel™️, and the supporting cast of clues was definitely up to the task. We have the full 411 inside, as well as a very nice bit of listener mail for your enjoyment, so, ... enjoy! Show note imagery: The North ARAL Sea, be...

en-us

11:46

Saturday, July 11, 2026 — Happy 7/11 Day!!

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword ·

2026/07/12

Jim Quinlan's third NYTimes crossword didn't peg the Crossword Difficuilty Meter, but it did break our Quality Of Clues Meter, it was that good. We covered the best of the best in today's episode, but the rest of the rest were fine too. For instance, we enjoyed 29A, Offering at a BBQ joint, BIB (not RIB!); 33A, Title seen in a tea caddy, EARL (not TAZO); and 48A, Metaphorical beginning or ending, ASHES (deep, very deep). Show note imagery: The SAVANNAHBANANAS — not just a team, it...

en-us

All Episodes

Similar Podcasts

Expres Ráno

Expres FM

The Homestead Challenge Podcast | Suburban Homesteading, Gardening, Food From Scratch, Sustainable Living

Brittany Gibson - Beginner Homesteader

FamilyGeekery - A Podcast About Comics, Video Games, and Anything Else Geeky!

QuickPixel Media

Modified Rides Podcast

Modified Rides Podcast

Living Clutter Free Forever - decluttering tips,home organizing, minimalist living

Caroline Thor - Professional Organizer...