أفضل بودكاسات The New York Times (2025)

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Saturday, May 17, 2025 - The "toughest crossword of the week" lives up to its name! 15:44

1d ago15:44

15:44

This was an excellent Saturday crossword -- with some Ginsu-knife-sharp cluing, and just a light dusting of pop culture references -- which is precisely the reason why it is now the latest winner of our JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award™️). Deets inside, so have a listen, and then tell all your friends and relations about us on so…

1
Friday, May 16, 2025 - MEGASTORE - when you're running low on MEGAs 🙄 17:28

2d ago17:28

17:28

Today's puzzle was a trifle easier than your typical Friday, which means -- by the Law of Conservation of Crossword Difficulty™️ -- you can expect tomorrow's crossword to be a morsel harder (on average, and of course YMMV depending on what you know and if you remember it). Regardless of the difficulty, though, we predict that it will be fun, challe…

1
Thursday, May 15th, 2025 - Today's puzzle BELIEs the notion that nobody knows what BELIE means 😉 13:38

3d ago13:38

13:38

This marks Simeon Siegel's 17th crossword since 2020, and while he might not be OVERPROUD, it is most certainly something to celebrate. The theme was particularly NOteworthy, and, YES, we meant to write NO just NOw. Confused? Today's podcast will bring enlightenment, so we encourage you to step out of the darkness and into the light, so to speak, b…

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Wednesday, May 14, 2025 - Featuring potatoes: the origin story! 14:21

18h ago14:21

14:21

Today's crossword was by award-winning crossword constructor Rebecca Goldstein and, if not award-winning, deserving-of-award crossword constructor Adam Wagner. Unsurprisingly, the result was ... award-winning, or at least worthy of 5 squares on the JAMCR scale, for reasons that we will let you discover (no spoilers here, nary a one!) by listening t…

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Tuesday, May 13, 2025 - ELATION! A crossword with ELATION in the grid 😀 😉🙄 12:16

9h ago12:16

12:16

This was a nice Tuesday crossword by Joe Rodini, his second for the NYTimes. He's now been published on Monday and Tuesday, so ... 5 to go, Joe! Today's theme was a bit messy, but that's by design, as you'll discover when you check out today's episode. Of course, it's also Tuesday, and today Jean's in the hot seat for Triplet Tuesday; so keep liste…

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Monday, May 12, 2025 - 🥳 Celebrating the 500th appearance of the OREO in the NYTimes crossword!!🎉🎈 7:19

1d ago7:19

7:19

It is hard to believe that today marks the 500th appearance of OREO in the NYTimes crossword, but that's the word according to xwordinfo.com, and they oughta know! Now that might sound like Nabisco has architected one of the greatest product placement campaigns in the history of advertising. Truth be told, though, from the beginning of the NYTimes …

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Sunday, May 11, 2025 - Danger, Will Robinson! Extremely hard crossword approaching 13:42

2d ago13:42

13:42

Brendan Emmett Quigley is famed for writing tough crosswords, and he has the pedal to the metal today. First, the grid: it is the standard 21x21 Sunday, but has only 54 black squares, a record. So, that means more to figure out, i.e., more fun! While clue difficulty is often a YMMV affair, we can say that, in general terms, some of these clues woul…

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Saturday, May 10, 2025 - Happy Mother's Day Eve!! 14:26

3d ago14:26

14:26

This was a fine Saturday crossword - tough but fair, as Saturday crosswords were meant to be. Our favorite clue had to be 29A, Some dragonflies, DARNERS (really: apparently people used to believe that dragonflies could sew your lips shut!). We were entranced with 38A, Mediterranean plant named for its brightly colored flowers, SUNROSE. And finally …

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Friday, May 9, 2025 - At long last, GRACEHOPPER is in the grid! 17:49

5d ago17:49

17:49

This was a Friday crossword, and even a casual glance through the clues and grid makes it clear that co-constructors Willa Angel Chen Miller and Erik Agard are dialing up the difficulty. Clues like 33D, This too shall pass, PHASE; 26D, What one might subscribe to, ISM, and 30D, Seeking comment, READYORNOT (brilliant!) make it perfectly clear that t…

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Thursday, May 8, 2025 - Battle stations! An incoming Dan Caprera crossword at 9 o'clock!! 19:11

5d ago19:11

19:11

It seems appropriate that MENSA was in the grid (well, 4/5 of it, anyway - see the podcast for deets), because this crossword was genius. It had a stunning theme, which made the puzzle much tougher than one might expect for a Thursday. In short, think of this less as a "walk in the park" and more of a "sprint through Disneyworld". Show note imagery…

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Wednesday, May 7, 2025 - Happy Belated Wordle Day! 14:21

6d ago14:21

14:21

We have it on good authority that yesterday was Wordle Day - ironic, because one of the answers in today's puzzle also solved today's wordle! That cannot possibly be a coincidence, in our humble opinion, because the odds are too low and Will Shortz is too smart. The rest of the crossword was a delight, as constructor Tom McCoy apparently does not k…

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Tuesday, May 6, 2025 - Ho, ho, this grid's got HOHOS 😀 16:15

7d ago16:15

16:15

This was a terrific Tuesday crossword by Enrique Henestroza Anguiano, featuring -- of course -- a terrific theme and a strong supporting cast of "other clues". As an example of the latter, we have 60A, Ocean, poetically, MAIN; 70A, They need a push to get started, PEDALS; and the indisputable 1D, Crossword construction, e.g., CRAFT. Wrapping it up,…

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Monday, May 5, 2025 - Boo-YAH, this was a marvelous Monday crossword! 8:20

13d ago8:20

8:20

We try and be as impartial as possible while discussing the crossword, but when our favorite vehicle -- the DeLorean, of course -- appears in the grid, we find it very difficult to stay neutral, so, we won't! Instead we will sing the praises of Eric Rolling's third NYTimes publication. Well, done, Eric! Show note imagery: TAMARA de Lempicka and fri…

1
Sunday, May 4, 2025 - Ah, who can forget the uplifting strains of 🎶 tum, tum, .... tum, tum, tum, tuuuuuuuum, tum 🎶🚀 😀 15:48

14d ago15:48

15:48

Today's crossword must've surely been challenging to construct, but the end result is brilliant, thanks to constructor Brandon Koppy (under the keen supervision, no doubt, of editor Will Shortz). This puzzle was also very well timed, for reasons that will become clear as soon as you start listening (or have figured out the episode title, whichever …

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Saturday, May 3, 2025 - Pass the SHAKSHUKA -- fun to say, delicious to eat! 14:56

15d ago14:56

14:56

This was a very nice Saturday crossword by Michael Lieberman, his 29th for the NYTimes. It had a boatload of fine Saturday-level clues, perfectly positioned as far as difficulty is concerned: enough to make you sweat, but (if you've been solving these puzzles for a while) not enough to crush your spirit, either. There were no major Naticks* (except…

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Friday, May 2, 2025 - A tip of the tiara to Robyn Weintraub, Queen of the Friday crossword 15:12

16d ago15:12

15:12

Robyn Weintraub is well known for writing awesomely good clues, and that talent is definitely on display today: it is not for nothing that she is known (eh, at least to us), as the Queen of the Friday crossword. We have proof inside, so do have a listen. Besides the crossword, it's Friday, and we have a fabulous Fun Fact Friday segment for your edi…

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Thursday, May 1, 2025 - 🎶 AVEENO, I just met a hair style product named ... AVEEEEEEENO 🎵 16:06

17d ago16:06

16:06

If the theme of today's crossword leaves your head spinning, there is a perfectly natural and non-medically-related explanation. We'd like to tell you what that is here, but true to our motto of "as few spoilers as possible, whenever we remember", we will defer that discussion for the moment. Instead, we will celebrate a few other clues of note, su…

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Wednesday, April 30, 2025 - Don't DAWDLE, check out today's episode posthaste! 13:01

18d ago13:01

13:01

This was a crisply clued Wednesday crossword, with lots of novel takes and perplexing posers in the puzzle. Right away we have, at 1D, Blade sheathed in a saya, KATANA. We have a debut at 30A, Alternative to a blur or pixelation, CENSORBAR. And even 52D, "Hey, I've got a secret to tell you", PSST, felt fresh. A very nice bit of work by Adam Vincent…

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Tuesday, April 29, 2025 - There was a little extra OOMPH in today's crossword, literally! 15:29

19d ago15:29

15:29

Today's crossword was a debut for Gene Louise De Vera, so a few lusty "huzzahs" would not be out of place. The grid had some interesting features: we liked the the juxtaposition of 39D, Children's author Asquith, ROS, and 40D, "Hel-l-lp!", SOS. We were pleased to see the presence of 19A, "The Gift of the Magi" writer, OHENRY, and had hoped to also …

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Monday, April 28, 2025 - Grab your (key)board, it's time to EGOSURF 😀 9:03

20d ago9:03

9:03

This was a gentle Monday crossword. Jean moved through it almost as fast as a MAKO (up to 46 mph, according to 29D). Mike took a tad longer, but was still able to MAKO good time 🙄. We have all the deets inside, so have a listen, and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss another episode. Show note imagery: A few bars from EINE Kleine Nachtmusi…

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Sunday, April 27, 2025 - Look out, here comes BRIDEZILLA 😀 16:52

21d ago16:52

16:52

In crossword circles, a debut answer is one that has never appeared in the grid before -- and they tend to bet quite interesting. Today, for instance, we had 33A, Food-centric broadcasts originating in South Korea, MUKBANGS (sounds intriguing); 65D, Periods of abstinence from TV, news, social platforms, etc., MEDIAFASTS (sounds like a focused Dande…

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Saturday, April 26, 2025 - Happy Canadian Election Day Eve Eve!!🙄 8:13

22d ago8:13

8:13

Today's crossword was a "relatively" straightforward Saturday crossword. Saturdays are always tough, and this was by no means a walk in the park, but neither was it a rope-free climb of El Capitan. There were a few surprising clues in the grid -- most notably 27A, "That's so relatable," in modern slang, MOOD -- a very modern clue for an ancient ans…

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Friday,April 25, 2025 - Nothing BLAND in today's grid (except, inevitably, BLAND 😉) 10:47

23d ago10:47

10:47

This was a nice Friday crossword by Adrian Johnson, a bit of a palette cleanser after yesterday's definitely crunchier-than-usual epic. We found some great clues in the puzzle, such as 34A, Passage in a mystery novel?, HIDDENSTAIRCASE (😀); 12D, Light touch from a decorator?, ACCENTLAMP (brilliant, especially when it's turned on 😎); and the very bes…

1
Thursday, April 24, 2025 - Whew, this was a real brow-furler of a crossword! 15:04

24d ago15:04

15:04

This was a debut crossword by Kathleen Duncan -- congrats!! -- and it was a doozy. Jean managed to get through it in fairly good time, but Mike ran into the proverbial lexicographic abyss in the southwest corner, and managed to escape just in the NICK of time. To hear more about his harrowing escape, and Jean's easy sashay through the very same puz…

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Wednesday, April 23, 2025 - Time for DINDIN 😀 🧑🏽‍🍼 12:10

25d ago12:10

12:10

One of the most enjoyable moments in NYTimes-crossword-solving, is when one is completely floored by an answer, only to discover, with a bit of research, that it is apparently the 5th most popular word of the year, and that you are the only person in a 10 mile radius who has not heard of it. We had such an experience in today's puzzle -- a fine eff…

1
Tuesday, April 22, 2025 - Here ye, here ye, announcing our Triplet Tuesday Contest winner! 19:21

26d ago19:21

19:21

We had a fine Tuesday crossword by a frequent contributor to the NYTimes, Alex Eaton-Salners. There are many perfectly good reasons why AE-S has had 73 puzzles published in the pantheon of crosswords, and they are all on display in today's work. So check it out, and, as always, let us know what you think. In other news, we have our latest Triplet T…

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Monday, April 21, 2025 - A crossword that's nothing to sneeze at! 10:12

27d ago10:12

10:12

This was Thomas van Geel's second NYTimes crossword, and it is an awesome example of an LOL theme. Have a listen, and you'll see what we mean. A reminder, this is your last day to enter last week's Triplet Tuesday Contest, and potentially win some magnificent swag. Just check out last Tuesday's episode, and then send your entry our way. Show note i…

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Sunday, April 20, 2025 - ADVENTURE is out there (... and in the grid!) 20:44

28d ago20:44

20:44

Today's crossword was somewhat of a gently sloping foothill for Jean, and an Everest atop an Everest for Mike. The former made it through the crossword in a longer-than-usual-but-still-reasonable time frame, whereas for the latter it seemed that several civilizations rose, prospered, and fell, before he finally got the happy music. We've covered th…

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Friday, April 18, 2025 - BARBIECORE? That's nothing compared to ... wait for it ... crosswordcore™️!!!! 14:29

1M ago14:29

14:29

We are delighted to announce the purely coincidental arrival, on the same day that this fabulous crossword brought us BARBIECORE, of crosswordcore™ -- the rules of which are quite straightforward, and we are very pleased to be able to set forth, for the first time AFAWCT, right here: Rule 1: wear and/or decorate with any color you want, as long as …

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Thursday, April 17, 2025 - Let's see, there are FARRIERS and FURRIERS, but no FIRRIERS or FORRIERS ... that seems very UNFAIRIERS 🙄 17:36

1M ago17:36

17:36

Our cohosts took highly divergent paths towards victory on this crossword - Jean took the high road, and had a lovely time; Mike took the low road, and for his pains got repeatedly stuck in the mire. Still, there was a lot to admire in today's grid, and to find out what that was, check out today's episode. Show note imagery: The JETSONS! We love fe…

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Wednesday, April 16, 2025 - Three cheers for the Rubber Ducks of AKRON, OH! 🐥 12:23

1M ago12:23

12:23

This was a slightly crunchier than usual Wednesday*, for one very good reason. We're not going to tell you that reason just yet, but we cerealously believe you'll like it once you hear it 😀😉🙄. Besides the terrific theme, we had numerous intriguing and occasionally perplexing clues, such as 18A, Flying Cloud and Royale, for two, REOS; 60A, "Nelson's…

1
Tuesday, April 15, 2025 - It's a two-fer! An abfab crossword, and an abfab Triplet Tuesday Contest, huzzah!! 🎉 18:04

1M ago18:04

18:04

In today's episode, we have a two-fer. First, an awesome crossword, a debut by Per Bykodorov that is just brimming with microtome-sharp clues, and an LOL theme. But wait, there's more 😀 We have our latest Triplet Tuesday Contest, your chance to go (asynchronously) head-to-head against Jean to see who can grab the TTC ring. The rules are straightfor…

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Monday, April 14, 2025 - Happy Tax Day Eve! 🙄 10:49

1M ago10:49

10:49

This was a very nice Monday crossword, and an NYTimes debut for both of its authors, Stacy Cooper and Ken Cohen. There were, of course, a variety of clues, some fun -- 51A, Roller coaster exclamation, WHEE 😀; some enlightening -- 65A, Elite group whose members include Steve Martin and Geena Davis, MENSA; and some particularly timely -- 30D, Org. th…

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Sunday, April 13, 2025 - John Kugelman is an INSPO to us all 😀 15:57

1M ago15:57

15:57

This was a sweet Sunday crossword, with an unusual theme, unusual grid size (!), but the usual great clues that we expect from a Sunday NYTimes crossword. We've covered the biggies in today's episode, but we'd also like to note the "little" people, er, answers, without which this grid would be comically empty. For example, 32D, Prefix with bel, DEC…

1
Saturday, April 12, 2025 - Time for some COMICRELIEF, and, good news! It's in the grid, and in the episode. 14:33

1M ago14:33

14:33

This was a very nice (i.e., quite tricky) Saturday crossword. Fortunately (for Mike), there were not a lot of pop culture references, and fortunately (for Jean), she knows things™️. This marks the third NYTimes crossword penned by Jesse Cohn, and we eagerly await his fourth. Besides this crossword, we also have our JAMCOTWA - Jean and Mike Crosswor…

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Friday, April 11, 2025 - Think your LensCrafters bill is high? Be glad you're not a SEASCALLOP 😀 🕶️ 14:52

1M ago14:52

14:52

Today's crossword had OCEANS of great clues. To pick just three, we had 1A, Some pops, COCACOLAS (Mike's favorite beverage!); 12D, Fabulizes, SPINSAYARN (the answer was fine: the clue, divine); and 34A, Vulgarian, BOOR (Vulgarian sounds Shakespearean, but, alas and alack, the bard never penned it). Show note imagery: A few of a SEASCALLOP's many ey…

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Thursday, April 10, 2025 - Hmmm... a Saturday crossword seems to have strayed into Thursday territory 😱 16:15

1M ago16:15

16:15

Both cohosts found this to be an exceptionally tough Thursday crossword -- but they are not complaining, as many of the clues were home runs, and the theme was a grand slam. Somehow, Adam Wagner -- the author of today's oeuvre (ably abetted by Will Shortz) -- always manages to produce great works. Deets inside, so have a listen, and let us know wha…

1
Wednesday, April 9, 2025 - OLEATO! 10:54

1M ago10:54

10:54

This was an exceptionally memorable Wednesday crossword. The theme was inspired, but the rest of the puzzle was just chockfull of equally brilliant entries. We have all the deets inside, so we earnestly invite you to download, listen up, and ... enjoy! Show note imagery: RIP, TAN M&Ms We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listen…

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Tuesday, April 8, 2025 - ¡Ay, caramba!, it's the island of ARUBA 😀 19:01

1M ago19:01

19:01

Today's crossword was fun (absolutely!), fast (YMMV), and this episode has exactly the same characteristics! So have a listen, and remember, we're having our next Triplet Tuesday Contest next week, so listen to today's segment to get the format, start practicing, and start honing your acceptance speech (you know, just in case ...) Show note imagery…

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Monday, April 7, 2025 - RIP, ASH Ketchum 12:24

1M ago12:24

12:24

One of the best parts of doing the NYTimes Crossword is the thrill of learning something new. For example, today our hosts learned that ASH Ketchum is no longer the star of the Pokémon anime series, and sorely missed (at least in some quarters). We have all the deets inside, as well as numerous amusing Easter eggs, so have a listen, and as always, …

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Sunday, April 6, 2025 - No need to spin it - this crossword was abfab! 22:03

1M ago22:03

22:03

Kareem Ayas has put together an ingenious Sunday crossword, with a lot of layers - wheels within wheels, you might say, and as soon as you see the grid you'll understand exactly why that would be so apropos. We cover a lot of territory today, so grab your favorite beverage, hit play, and prepare to a) sip, and b) enjoy! Show note links: NILE green …

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Saturday, April 5, 2025 - The toughest crossword of the week lives up to its billing 15:44

1M ago15:44

15:44

Saturdays are supposed to be the toughest crosswords of the week, and Rafael Musa definitely got the memo: the amount of misdirection in today's puzzle would have David Copperfield nodding approvingly. We've covered most of Mr. Musa's masterpieces in today's episode, but a few others worthy of note are the fabulous 8D, Gag order?, TMI (hah!); 35A, …

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Friday, April 4, 2025 - It's officially long answer Friday 😉 15:41

1M ago15:41

15:41

There were a lot of long answers in this crossword, but fortunately they were also very common phrases. Otherwise, this would've been a Saturday or perhaps an Impossiday™️ crossword. As it stands, this puzzle was a terrific Friday, and the reason why is no mystery: Karen Steinberg wrote it and Will Shortz edited it. Show note imagery: JETHRO Tull (…

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Thursday, April 3, 2025 - A galaxy of great clues 😉 14:36

2M ago14:36

14:36

Today's crossword was by Hanh Huynh. His Thursday crossword themes have always been brilliant, and we are pleased to announce that with today's puzzle his streak remains intact: may it live long and prosper! Show note imagery: BARQS Rootbeer We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@ic…

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Wednesday, April 2, 2025 - CIAO - the perfect word when you've forgotten if you're coming or going 😀 😀 12:09

2M ago12:09

12:09

This was a highly pleasing mid-week crossword by Daniel Bodily. There were some NEAT clues (including 15A, "Sweet!", NEAT); clues with a lot of HEART (25A, Trick-taking card game, HEARTS); and clues that we got right away (51D, "Pronto!", STAT 😀). All told, a fine puzzle, and it is therefore with great pleasure that we award it a full 5 squares, on…

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Tuesday, April 1, 2025 - We're fools for today's crossword 🙄 16:58

2M ago16:58

16:58

Today's crossword was the perfect April 1st crossword -- as a Tuesday, it was not too difficult, but it was very meta, and very relatable, making for a great solve. We have Sande Milton (supervised, of course, by Will Shortz) to thank for this, his third crossword for the NYTimes. Beyond the crossword, we have our heavily trademarked and patented T…

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Monday, March 31, 2025 - A grid that is obsessed with ZEST 11:38

2M ago11:38

11:38

OK, perhaps "obsessed" is a little over the top, because technically ZEST itself only showed up once, as per custom; but the clues and answers were still quite snappy. Our particular favorite? 46D, Producers of six-packs, SITUPS (nice!). We were also delighted to see 15A, King of the gods, in Egyptian myth, AMON. And while AMON may not translate as…

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Sunday, March 30, 2025 - Happy April Fool's Day Eve Eve 🤣🎉 15:33

2M ago15:33

15:33

Simeon Seigel tends to write crosswords just like this one - filled with clever and novel clues. We present, as exhibit A, ... 105A, Its southernmost point, Pamana Island, is more than 750 miles below the Equator, ASIA (amazing!) 106A, Group in "a pension fund", AEIOU (outstanding!) 40A, Returns a call, in a way, ECHOES (wow, wow, wo, wo, w, w, ...…

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Saturday, March 29, 2025 - We're baaaaaack! 11:44

2M ago11:44

11:44

We have returned after a brief, unplanned hiatus, and welcoming us back were Christina Iverson and Jacob McDermott, who have prepared a delightful, and notably not-soul-crushingly-difficult Saturday crossword for us to inspect, dissect and discuss. Deets inside, so have a listen, and, as always, please tell others about us on social media. Show not…

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Tuesday, March 25, 2025 - So Long, and Thanks for All the Fishes 16:17

2M ago16:17

16:17

We'd give this crossword an APLUS, for no other reason than that it gave us an APLUS, as in 54D, Highest grade. But lest we be accused of grade inflation, we would like to submit as evidence 29A, "Old Man ___ at Cloud" (bit from "The Simpsons" that became an internet meme), YELLS (Will must really like The Simpsons 😀); 35D, X-ray ___ (novelty goggl…

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