Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

This was a well-above-mid Monday crossword, the second by Max Schlenker, coming not too long after his debut on 5/5/26. The clues were zesty, which is just slightly to the left of "crunchy", and perfectly apropos for a Monday. There was no Election Day theme to speak of — so for those of you seeking a REFUGE from all the political news, the NYTimes crossword has your back.

Show notes imagery: KIRBY and the Forgotten Land, a game which no self-respecting Nintendo Switch owner should be without

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In a highly apt bit of Halloween scheduling — thanks, Will! — today's crossword was built by two of the scariest constructors on the NYTimes' roster, Erik Agard and Brendan Emmett Quigley. Fortunately, they did not put the pedal to the metal today — we'd rate the puzzle as about halfway between the speed of sound and the speed of light. We would also rate it a full and enthusiastic 5 squares on the JAMCR scale, for reasons that we lay out in today's episode.

Show note imagery: The magnificent Garden of the Morning Calm, in the Land of the Morning Calm, KOREA.

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Individually, Robyn Weintraub and Rafael Musa can write great crosswords, but put them together and we have the living embodiment of the axiom that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, i.e., today's puzzle. The clues were terrifically fun and thought provoking, in a word, fabulous; and the grid contained 6 very nice debut answers. We can't say enough about this crossword, but rather than rehash today's episode we'll just step aside and let you have at it.

Show note imagery: Oberon, the second largest moon of Uranus, as photographed by Voyager 2 in 1986.

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Sam Ezersky usually shows up on Saturdays, so it's a bit of a surprise, and unnerving, to see him here on a Thursday. Fortunately, he left most of his heavy cruciverbial artillery at home, and shown up instead with an excellent but eminently solvable puzzle, with a very amusing theme. Deets inside.

Show note imagery: The quintessential TORY, Winston Churchill

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The old-time radio show "Lights Out" always opened with a fabulous bit of reverse psychology: "Lights Out brings you stories of the supernatural - and the supernormal, dramatizing the fantasies and the mysteries of the unknown. We tell you this frankly -- so if you wish to avoid the excitement and tension of these - imaginative plays, we urge you calmly, but sincerely, to turn off your radio - now."

We mention this as a public service so that susceptible readers will not be unduly affected by this crossword's (ever so slightly) scary theme, and, of course, because everyone should listen to at least one episode of Lights Out (ideally, with the lights out 😀).

The crossword itself was great: no surprise, since Daniel Grinberg was in charge. We have all the deets inside, so have a listen, and, as usual, send any feedback our way!

Show note imagery: The one, the only ... BENDER!!!

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Today's episode had a few edgier clues, as one might expect when Jeff Chen's name is in the byline. 54A, Deviate from the herd, GOROGUE, comes to mind; 11D, Words said with reservation?, SAVETHEDATE, was equally charming; and 4D, Bygone writing accessory, INKWELL, rendered us overcome with nostalgia, until we thought about just how messy an INKWELL would be IRL, and quickly recovered.

Besides the crossword, we have a terrific Triplet Tuesday™️ episode, for your listening pleasure.

Show note imagery: The world's largest Lincoln Logs cabin, built in 2021 at Timber Moose Lodge, Utah. It took 37,397 Lincoln Logs (!!), and all the proceeds went to charity.

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This was a YAFM — Yet Another Fine Monday — crossword by Kevin Christian and Andrea Carla Michaels, who have collaborated on so many puzzles that Andrea, at least, has lost track. But, even if ACM's math is dodgy, Kevin and her abilities to come up with great clues is as sharp as ever. Witness 1D, Firing offense?, ARSON; 11D, No-brainer?, IDIOT; and the corny (in keeping with LIL Abner??) 40D, Reason to give a darn?, HOLE. Nicely done, Kevin and Andrea!

Show note imagery: LIL Abner, mattress tester for the Stunned Ox Mattress Company 😀

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Solving today's crossword, by Dylan Schiff and John Kugelman, required you fully engaged your pun lobe (just north of the puneal gland, according to 100% of the neurosurgeons that we have consulted on the matter). Having done so, you will likely make short work of this puzzle, and have a lot of fun doing so. We certainly did!

Show note imagery: Commander NEWT, leading Apollo 14.5 😁

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Today's crossword had some stellar clues — as we describe in today's episode — built around an absolutely gorgeous "super-symmetric" grid. For those of you not immersed in the esoterica of crossword construction, a super-symmetric grid has horizontal, vertical, and diagonal symmetry. You can see it, in all its glory, at xwordinfo.com

Show note imagery: The seal of CAL, aka UC Berkeley, where 16 elements have been discovered. How did they do it? Why, it's elementary! 🙄

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This was an excellent and challenging Friday crossword by Katie Hoody, who is well known for her excellent and challenging (predominantly Saturday) puzzles. Today's might've been nominally on Friday, but both cohosts thought it was "Saturday-ready", with a sea of sneaky clues engineered to entrap the unwary.

Besides those mentioned in today's episode, we had clues like 26A, Band at a Jimmy Buffet concert?, LEI (wow!); 30A, With whom one pools pounds for quarters, FLATMATE (brilliant!!); and 52D, Remedy for deflation, PUMP (ha!). And, trust us, there was more where that came from! Deets inside.

Show note imagery: Some always fashionable MARYJANES from litlookz.studio.

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Today's crossword was an awesome bit of work by David J. Kahn, a highly accomplished crossword constructor who first published in the NYTimes in 1994. The puzzle in question was — depending on which cohost you talk to — either a tad on the challenging side, or staggeringly, breathtakingly difficult. Regardless, both loved it, for a multitude of reasons elaborated upon in today's episode.

In addition to the crossword, we have a spot of excellent listener mail for your enjoyment, so ... enjoy!

Show note imagery: Cosmic Runner, by Peter MAX

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Although your cohosts — currently sporting their higher-ed caps while writing this — are staunchly against grade inflation, they don't feel the slightest twinge of guilt at givingtoday's crossword an A+, as it was earned. Deets inside.

Show note imagery: Tusky, mascot for the Utah Mammoth, an NHL team as of April 18, 2024.

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Today marks the NYTimes debut for crossword constructor David Falkowski, and a fine debut it is. The theme was smile-inducing, as were, come to think of it, the rest of the clues in today's puzzle. Nicely done, David!

But wait, there's more! We have a Triplet Tuesday segment, and Jean's in the hot seat. Check out today's episode to see if she aced the test or went down in flames.

Show note imagery: A GRANARY, engineered to keep out rats, pests, mold and the letter I.

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Both cohosts found today's crossword to be a jot crunchier than the typical Monday fare in places. It started off almost comically easy, but then seemed to put up more resistance in the middle of the grid. We found it endearing, and the theme in particular quite amusing.

Besides the crossword, we have chosen our JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award), and we can say, with 100% confidence, that it was one of the crosswords of the previous week. 🙄 Check the episode for more detailed coverage.

Show note imagery: Canadian actor Ryan Gosling, attempting to save the Earth (as Canadians are wont to do).

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Today marks Peter Gorman's debut Sunday crossword. He has now published every day of the week except Friday and Saturday, but, based on how quickly he was able to get to 5 — his first crossword appeared in February of 2025 — we expect him to knock those out in short order.

In the meantime, we havethis fine puzzle to savor, with a rebus-ish theme and lively cluing throughout. Nicely done, Peter!

Show note imagery: LORELEI — the UNESCO World Heritage Site version, not the siren who lured sailors to their deaths.

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Saturday crosswords are, by tradition — at least since Will Shortz took over as editor — the toughest puzzles of the week, and today's definitely qualified. Both cohosts had to labor mightily to get to the happy music, but the journey was a joyous one. There were many, many delightfully deceptive clues in today's puzzle, just as it should be. Deets inside.

Show note imagery: The Netflix series CHEFSTABLE

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Today's crossword was a debut for Adam Shapiro — but it wasn't for a lack of trying. He has had 15 previous submissions to the NYTimes rejected, so today's puzzle is a monument to perseverance as well as crossword constructing excellence. An example of the latter may be seen in 39D, Holder of all the digits, from 1 to 0, KEYPAD (awesome!); 57A, Losing causes? DIETS (delectable!); and the astounding 17A, Mail-centric fiction, EPISTOLARYNOVEL (so that's how you spell it!). For the record, Jean found this puzzle much easier than Mike, but both agreed that it was a superb way to wrap up the work week.

Show note imagery: Dracula, Bram Stoker's seminal EPISTOLARYNOVEL

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Today's crossword was an absolutely terrific debut by McKay Fritz,with another one of those delightful and, as expected, thoroughly unexpected themes that the NYTimes is legendary for. We'll pause here momentarily to give everyone, including us, a chance to parse that last sentence. 😀

Besides the theme, we had clues such as 39D, Boom sticks?, TNT; 30D, Bubbles, e.g., ORBS; and, speaking of Ides, 32D, Political rival of Mark Antony, CICERO, to keep us entertained. Today's crossword was definitely worth 5 squares on the JAMCR scale, and we avidly await McKay Fritz's next puzzle!

Show note imagery: The Maple Leaf Rag, in AFLAT.

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Today's crossword, by Jacob Stulberg, celebrated a scourge of modern civilization, a negative answer to the phrase made famous by Verizon — "Can you hear me now?". It made for a terrific (and possibly painful) theme, and is just one of the reasons that we are giving this crossword a full five squares on the JAMCR scale.

Show note imagery: Beware the wrath of the mighty Battleship Missouri!

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We would classify today's crosswordas a tinge crunchier than usual, for a Tuesday. Certainly 57D, Ceremonial Maori dance, HAKA, did not leap to mind. Likewise 7D, Whole that's greater than the sum of its parts, from the German, GESTALT, was a great entry that has never appeared on a Tuesday prior to today. Even the more frequently spotted 69A, Jazz singer Sylvia, SYMS, tends to show up later in the week.

Still, we're not complaining: the crossword was fine, and the theme surprising (in a good way!).

In addition to the crossword, we have a Triplet Tuesday™️ segment and some great tennis-related listener mail, all of which we hope will help you train your brain!

Show note imagery: Ke Huy QUAN as Ouroboros, in the hit Marvel series Loki.

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