Best The New York Times Podcasts (2024)

1
Friday, August 30, 2024 - Three cheers for OSSIE Davis, legendary actor and civi rights leader 22:03

2h ago22:03

22:03

A fine Friday crossword and the second by Colin Adams (just half a year after his first, on February 16th), so kudos! The clues were very well written, making for an intriguing and entertaining solve. We approve! Show note imagery: DEIRDRE of the Sorrows, a heroine of Irish mythology We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listene…

1
Thursday, August 29, 2024 - Featuring ... a ZOOT suit 😍 26:15

5h ago26:15

26:15

Opinions were divided as to the difficulty of today's crossword - Jean found it to be a pleasant Thursday, Mike found it to be more suited for the heretofore undiscovered Impossiday™️, a day that lies between Saturday and Sunday, one suited only for the most insanely challenging of crosswords ... like, for example, today's (to reiterate, according …

1
Wednesday, August 28, 2024 - TROI and KLINGON? Sensors detect a Star-Trek mini-theme, cap'n! 18:09

2h ago18:09

18:09

A delightfully complex theme by Jesse Goldberg, cleverly finessing the rule that the answer to a clue should not appear in the clue. Highly original and entertaining, we approve and thereby bestow a full 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. Deets inside. Remember when listening to this podcast, if you have not solved the puzzle yourself, it is easier to f…

1
Tuesday, August 27, 2024 - Benoit MANDELBROT was a genius, and that's a f(r)act! 20:16

2h ago20:16

20:16

A clever Tuesday crossword by Julia Hoepner, with a theme that was as good as it was bad, which we promise will make sense once you've listened to the podcast! It's also Tuesday, time for Triplet Tuesday, and this time Jean's in the hot seat. To hear how she fared, we most sincerely and earnestly beseech you to a) download, b) listen up, and c) enj…

1
Monday, August 26, 2024 - Triple your pleasure! 11:29

5d ago11:29

11:29

It is hard to find fault with a crossword that has LULU Lemon in the grid, so we will not even try, rather we will simply TOUT it for being what it is, a FUNFUNFUN puzzle, which we really did LUV 😍 Show note imagery: The Isle of CAPRI ... where the pants come from? We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a l…

1
Sunday, August 25, 2024 - Double, double, toil and ... an awesome NYTimes crossword! 22:31

5h ago22:31

22:31

A very nicely done crossword by John Kugelman, his 5th for the NYTimes. Jean tore through it, Mike took ... only slightly less time than it took Ichthyostega to suss out how to walk on land, owing to ... oops, no spoilers! Download today's podcast, to figure out a) why this was such a fine puzzle, and b) the source of Mike's brief (no, scratch that…

1
Saturday, August 24, 2024 - Aw, a FOSTERKITTEN 🥰 16:50

5h ago16:50

16:50

This is Ryan McCarty's 28th NYTimes crossword, almost all of which (23, to be precise) have appeared on this very day -- Saturday. The clues were quite nice -- include a few gems, like the placement of 30A, "Pleeeeeeease?", CANTI adjacent to 31A, Spiteful, as a comment, CATTY; 41A, Bus. driver, CEO (oh, very nice!); 43A, Hardly open, CAGEY (clever,…

1
Friday, August 23, 2023 - Listening to Tik Tok on TikTok 😎 7:25

5h ago7:25

7:25

A nice Friday crossword by Taylor Johnson and Rafael Musa, not too difficult, but not a walk in the park, either. We have our cutting edge analysis, as usual, here for your edification, amusement, and hopefully not bemusement, so have a listen, and let us know what you think! Show note imagery: Opening notes and lyrics of Tik Tok, by KE$HA We love …

1
Thursday, August 22, 2024 - 13:44

5h ago13:44

13:44

A rather curious THeme, Jean sussed it immediately, Mike aspires to do so at an indeterminate point in the hopefully near future. 😀 There were some curious clues to go along with the theme, we're still puzzling over 21A, Baseball pitcher's feat, slangily, NONO, and would also like to know what happened to the ending IE in 43D, Buns, PATOOT. Still, …

1
Wednesday, August 21, 2024 - An IDEAL Wednesday Crossword 14:09

5h ago14:09

14:09

Stacey Yaruss McCullough has created a fine debut crossword, with some dazzling feats of portmanteau-rhymery, and if that isn't part of the English language, we hereby nominate it for such posthaste. A friendly reminder that when listening to these podcasts, if you haven't solved the puzzle (and don't intend to), you can see the entire solved puzzl…

1
Tuesday, August 20, 2024 - Awoogah, there's a forest fire in the TAIGA!! 18:39

1h ago18:39

18:39

Sam Buchbinder ha a reputation for writing splendid clues and crosswords, and he certainly lives up to it today, with some very amusing clues, including one that one of our cohosts was unable to even read, after much practice, without bursting into a mild chortling fit half way through. Which cohost? And which clue? Well, we all live for suspense, …

1
Monday, August 19, 2024 - Don't YAMMER about people who like to YABBER 😂 15:07

3h ago15:07

15:07

A surprising Monday crossword by Kenneth Cortes, who has gone against the convention that themed clues run in the same direction -- but he had an excellent reason for so doing, as we explain in today's episode. Show note imagery: The Washington METRO We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordp…

1
Sunday, August 18, 2024 - A highly amusing Sunday! 22:12

4h ago22:12

22:12

Take two really superb crossword constructors and put them together, and what do you get? A crossword like this one, chock full of heart, artistry, and attention to detail, clearly written by two cruciverbalists at the top of their games. Deets inside, as well as some fine listener feedback on the proper pronunciation of POMPANO Beach, so do have a…

1
Saturday, August 17, 2024 - ARGH, ACK, yes, it's a Saturday NYTimes crossword! 21:29

3h ago21:29

21:29

It's been a challenging couple of days, crossword-wise, and Joel Fagliano didn't let up on the gas when selecting today's, which happens to be a) by Brandon Koppy, and b) our JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award) winner. For the record, the two are not a coincidence! Deets inside, so have a listen, and, as usual, please tell others a…

1
Friday, August 16, 2024 - There's a MAGICIAN in the grid, courtesy of the MAGICIAN who made the grid, Kate Hawkins 21:52

5h ago21:52

21:52

A frisky Friday crossword from Kate Hawkins - her 14th - on her lucky day, Friday, when 6 out of those 14 puzzles have been published. This was a great themeless puzzle, with some stellar cluing -- 41D, Number of sides for a hendecagon, ELEVEN; 32D, [I won't repeat myself in this note], SEEABOVE (very nice!); and 4D, Arch, SLY (yes, yes it is). In …

1
Thursday, August 15, 2024 - Danger, Damon J. Gulczynski's in attack mode 😀 😀 24:01

13d ago24:01

24:01

A deliciously tough crossword by a constructor whose puzzles skew towards that end of the spectrum -- one Damon J Gulczynski. One's perception of this crossword just might depend on whether you grokked the theme -- in which case it was probably a typical Thursday crossword -- or not, in which case the difficulty hovered somewhere between Saturday a…

1
Wednesday, August 14, 2024 - Another fabulous crossword by Samuel A. Donaldson 16:15

4h ago16:15

16:15

Samuel Donaldson has had 41 crosswords published in the NYTimes, for reasons that are made abundantly clear in today's puzzle - a terrific theme, crisp clues, and references to musical groups that, if you don't already know, you should! We'd mention them here, but no spoilers -- check out today's episode to find out who should be up next on your pl…

1
Tuesday, August 13, 2024 - Some great books to RETURNTO 19:28

2h ago19:28

19:28

Benjamin Panico, in his debut NYTimes crossword (yay!), has put together an excellent puzzle in which he managed to cram 6, count 'em, 6 novels by TONIMORRISON. It is an excellent feat, and a great place to start when looking for your next summer read. In addition to the crossword, we also have a fine Triplet Tuesday™️ segment, so check it out, and…

1
Monday, August 12, 2024 - Some cryptic clues on cryptids 😎 13:46

10h ago13:46

13:46

This is Shaun Phillips' second NYTimes crossword, and it has only been about 2 weeks since his last one, so clearly he is on a tear! This was a tad easier than the last (a Wednesday), but no less enjoyable -- so we are eagerly awaiting his third crossword, which, extrapolating, should show up about the end of the month! Show note imagery: The two, …

1
Sunday, August 11, 2024 - Paging Dr. WELBY! 17:49

10d ago17:49

17:49

A most definitely above average Sunday crossword by Caryn Robbins, thanks to an artful, inspired theme and a few crunchy clues to chew on. We have all the deets inside, so you are cordially invited to download, listen up, and enjoy! Show note imagery: SNARLUPS can be a real pain, as these Cairenes would no doubt attest. We love feedback! Send us a …

1
Saturday, August 10, 2024 - MATRYOSHKA, hard to spell, harder to work into casual conversation 😀 19:29

16d ago19:29

19:29

Today's crossword was Spencer Leach's fifth, and it is a gem. The clues are challenging, novel (there are 7 debuts) and delightfully deceiving. Definitely worth 5 squares on the JAMCR scale, for reasons ... that are thrashed out in today's episode. We are also proud to announce the winner of this week's JAMCOTWA (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week…

1
Friday, August 9, 2024 - Another Hemant Mehta spectacular! 29:39

18d ago29:39

29:39

Hemant Mehta has written some dazzling late-week crosswords -- and this is one of them. The clues are so well done, tautly written, prone to make you ponder. We've covered most of them in today's episode, but here are a few others: 40D, Heads, slangily, DOMES; 57A, Why don't sheep shrink when it ________? : George Carlin, RAINS 😀 ; 32D, Meiji and T…

1
Thursday, August 8, 2024 - Oh, boy, it's an OBOE 🙄 17:16

23d ago17:16

17:16

It's Rebus Thursday, not an official holiday as far as we can tell, but a) it is Thursday, and b) the grid is riddled with rebuses (rebusae?), so the name seems apt. The crossword was Christopher Youngs' fifth for the NYTimes, but his first Thursday effort, so it's a debut, of a sort. We're betting his next crossword will be a Sunday. Show note ima…

1
Wednesday, August 7, 2024 - Hold the homophone! 24:19

8d ago24:19

24:19

For those of you entranced with the subtleties of English pronunciation (rules? where we're going, we don't need rules!), have we got a crossword for you! Meghan Morris has done a bang-up job shining a bright line on some of the many inconsistencies in our favorite language. We also have a spot of listener mail, all the more reason to check out tod…

1
Tuesday, August 6, 2024 - EAP! It's Edgar Allan Poe 😀 15:17

25d ago15:17

15:17

If numbers tell the tale, then Daniel Raymon's favorite day of the week is ... Variety, as he has created 18 variety crosswords for the NYTimes. By that same measure, today would be his second favorite day, when he's had 6 puzzles published. We liked the theme, we enjoyed the cluing, and if this were an Olympic event he'd definitely deserve a medal…

1
Monday, August 5, 2024 - WOOT, it's Andy Walker's debut NYTimes crossword! 11:21

26d ago11:21

11:21

For those of you who are fans of the Royal and Ancient Game, you'll have a leg up working on today's crossword -- and for those who are not, fear not, it is a Monday and therefore not too difficult. We have the deets (and WOOTs) inside, so have a listen, and, as always, let us know what you think! A reminder that if you want to follow along with ou…

1
Sunday, August 4, 2024 - Prepare to GAWP, because GAWP is in the grid! 21:53

27d ago21:53

21:53

A splendiferous Sunday crossword by Scott Hogan and Katie Hale, their third as a team, and there's something in the grid for everyone! For instance, pun-lovers will appreciate 114A, Kit-chat, MEOWS; Sesame street-aficionados will appreciate 67A, Furry friend of Rosita, ELMO; and surely everyone will appreciate the puzzle-within-a-puzzle that is 7D,…

1
Saturday, August 3, 2024 - IDONTGETIT - simultaneously in the grid and a summary of today's puzzle! 😀 19:36

28d ago19:36

19:36

Another tricky Saturday crossword, this by long-time contributor Rich Norris. There were quite a few fascinating answers in the grid, including 40A, Home run, informally, DINGER (huh!); 53A, Last syllable of a word, ULTIMA (say what?!?); and the rarely seen 52D, Agendas, for short, SKEDS (about, rest assured, we have SCADs to say in today's episode…

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Friday, August 2, 2024 - A crossword with SCADS of fine answers, including ... SCADS! 18:55

29d ago18:55

18:55

Kate Chin Park has constructed a fine Friday crossword: no theme, just SCADS of crunchy clues, ones that make you furrow your brow, stroke your chin, tap your temple, and all those other gestures that one tends to do when the difficulty meter starts to rise. We have all the deets in today's episode, so check it out, and let us know how you fared do…

1
Thursday, August 1, 2024 - Shades of Schwarzenegger! 17:17

19d ago17:17

17:17

Another fabulous Thursday crossword, a debut by Rajeswari Rajamani, but you wouldn't know it based on the quality of the clues, and the brilliant theme. With clues like 43D, Where you might find yourself on edge?, ICERINK, the enlightening 51D, Who pays all legal costs under the so-called "English Rule", LOSER, and the astonishing 66A, Where Columb…

1
Wednesday, July 31, 2024 - Three cheers for AIOLI, a culinary delight, a spelling-bee-er's nightmare! 11:58

1M ago11:58

11:58

An awesome midweek / end of month crossword by the Matz brothers - Jackson and Ben, to be precise. Ben had 18 rejections before he hit pay dirt with this puzzle, so, while PERSISTENCE is not in the grid, it is everywhere else in this puzzle! We particularly enjoyed 3D, What it would be a mistake to write twice?, BOO (😀), and the surely not coincide…

1
Tuesday, July 30, 2024 - A crossword to raise your spirits, and possibly eyebrows 😉 17:18

1M ago17:18

17:18

Jeffrey Martinovic and Will Nediger have produced a splendid Tuesday crossword, with an inventive theme and some cute clues, including one of the best that we've seen all year (and it's almost August!). Deets inside, as well as another exciting Triplet Tuesday episode, so for all that and more, we invite you to download, listen up, and enjoy! Show …

1
Monday, July 29, 2024 - A BANGUP job by Jeffrey Lease! 10:55

1M ago10:55

10:55

A fine Monday crossword by Jeffrey Lease, his second - his debut being a Sunday (!). The theme was cheery, and we have a soft spot for any puzzle that contains OZARK, as in 18D, Missouri's _____________ Mountains, and we also like the spunk of SORRYNOTSORRY, as in 26A, Sarcastic nonapology. Show note imagery: an OMELET (not to be confused with an O…

1
Sunday, July 28, 2024 - A favorite of the IOCC (International Olympic Crossword Committee) 18:11

23d ago18:11

18:11

In honor of the Paris Olympics, Paolo Pasco has put together a fabulous tribute, one that has to be seen to be believed. It was slightly more challenging than a typical Sunday crossword, but that must surely pale in insignificance compared to the challenge of constructing it! To see what we mean, check out the completed grid at xwordinfo.com, and, …

1
Saturday, July 27, 2024 - Warning! Epic battle ahead! 19:34

24d ago19:34

19:34

A taxing Saturday crossword -- not by chance, Saturday's are engineered to be that way -- but Barbara Lin and Matthew Stock managed to create a very nice bit of work, so nice, in fact, that it has won our JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award). it was a difficult decision -- we had many fine puzzles this week -- but this one just to…

1
Friday, July 26, 2024 - The great GAEA v. GAIA debate! 19:06

27d ago19:06

19:06

Andy Kravis has produced a most excellent Friday crossword, his 27th!, with some awesomely deceiving clues. For example ... 36A, Jam session?, SLAMDUNKCONTEST (awesome!); 46A, Breed once known as the "Tax Collector's Dog", DOBERMAN (woof!); and 40D, Powers of ______ (landmark documentary about the scale of the universe), TEN (and it deserves a 10, …

1
Thursday, July 25, 2024 - Damon Gulczynski's done a bang-up job with today's crossword!! 15:41

1M ago15:41

15:41

A tricky Thursday crossword by Damon Gulczynski, one which may (or may not) presage what the NYTimes serves up on Friday and Saturday. For those of you new to crosswords, welcome, and be aware that in the NYTimes puzzles typically increase in difficulty over the course of the week, Monday being easiest, Saturday being the most difficult (sometimes …

1
Wednesday, July 24, 2024 - All hail NUDIE Cohn, the creator of (of course!) NUDIE suits 15:52

1M ago15:52

15:52

A debut crossword by Shaun Phillips, with a theme that's sure to grab you, among a captivating coterie of clever clues. A few worthy of note include the enlightening 41D, Possessive that's often confused with a contraction, WHOSE; the pithy 34A, 3/14, PIDAY; and one of our favorite phrases, 7D, "Cool _______!", BEANS. Show note imagery: A Wisconsin…

1
Tuesday, July 23, 2024 - 🎵 La, la, la, laaaaa 🎶 19:09

28d ago19:09

19:09

Something to sing about, a nice, not TOOCUTE Tuesday crossword by Sarah Sinclair and Amie Walker that has a musical theme, the second in two days! Is Joel Fagliano trying to tell us something? Regardless, we got a good VIBE from this puzzle, and would PREFER to see more from these constructors in the weeks/months/years to come! Show note imagery: S…

1
Monday, July 22, 2024 - Laura Dershewitz KEEPSITREAL! 11:04

1M ago11:04

11:04

Today's crossword won't put you INASPOT, nor drive you UPATREE, thanks to Laura Dershewitz's cruciverbally MADSKILLS. What this crossword will do is put you in a good mood, at least it did for us, for reasons that are spelled out in today's episode. Show note imagery: A scene from AIDA We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love liste…

1
Sunday, July 21, 2024 - CHERRYPICKING - a LOGICALFALLACY and a favorite activity of residents of Door County, Wisconsin 20:11

1M ago20:11

20:11

For those of you who've forgotten your philosophy class, you might want to bone up on the subject before tackling today's crossword, for reasons that will become apparent ... as soon as you've tackled today's crossword! We enjoyed the theme, as well as the cracklingly good clues that accompanied it, that goodness courtesy of today's author, John Ew…

1
Sunday, July 20, 2024 - Oh, no, the ship of THESEUS has sprung a leak! 16:56

1M ago16:56

16:56

Today's puzzle, courtesy of Ricky J. Sirois, was a definite challenge for one of our cohosts, whereas the other had to verify that it was indeed a Saturday crossword, so quickly did they tear through the grid. But both did enjoy the solve, as some of the clues were absolutely inspired. For all the deets, as well as the announcement of this week's J…

1
Friday, July 19, 2024 - BURPEE, the origin story! 17:18

1M ago17:18

17:18

An educational Friday crossword, with not too much razzle-dazzle, rather, just the right amount. Educationally, we had clues like 20A, River traveled by passenger boats known as dahabeahs, NILE; 17A, Setting of a date for Edward and Vivian in "Pretty Woman", OPERA; and 15A, Strait of ___, narrowest part of the English Channel, DOVER. Besides the cr…

1
Thursday, July 18, 2024 - Space, the final frontier ... er, something like that 12:07

1M ago12:07

12:07

An astronomy-themed crossword popped up this Thursday, a theme so near and dear to Mike's heart that he spent ... an inordinate amount of time contemplating the clues. Jean, on the other hand, solved the puzzle at nearly the speed of light, which explains why she looked like a strand of spaghetti as she was finishing up. Besides the ingenious theme…

1
Wednesday, July 17, 2024 - Good news, Pablo NERUDA is in the grid! 21:16

1M ago21:16

21:16

A slightly crunchier than usual Wednesday crossword, unsurprising when Alex Eaton-Salners is at the helm (and editor Joel Fagliano's on the crows nest). We had some literary clues, such as 3D, _______ Gawande, author of the 2014 best seller "Being Mortal", ATUL; and 4D, Poet Pablo, NERUDA. We had product placement clues, such as 17A, Nail polish br…

1
Tuesday, July 16, 2024 - Care for a cuppa? 19:31

2M ago19:31

19:31

A delicious Tuesday crossword by Kelly Richardson, notable for a suggestive and quite apropos grid, a lot of fun clues, and the unexpected appearance of LAYETTE in the grid (not a debut, but certainly new to us). A few clues caught our eye but didn't make it into the podcast, including 27A, Tenet, PRECEPT; 48A, Smart society, MENSA (admission to wh…

1
Monday, July 15, 2024 - The Big Interview 😀 15:01

2M ago15:01

15:01

Today's crossword, by Tarun Krishnamurthy, was a perfect Monday offering, not too difficult, but with our favorite kind of theme, the LOL kind. This was Tarun's debut NYTimes Crossword, and he's also the first crossword constructor we've ever interviewed, so check it out, and, as always, let us know what you think. Show note imagery: A BOCABURGER, …

1
Sunday, July 14, 2024 - A Jeff Chen solo effort 😀 18:54

2M ago18:54

18:54

Jeff Chen is a master cruciverbalist, and he is in fine form today with an amazing theme. The theme idea is simple, but constructing it must've been a major challenge. Confused? Check out today's episode, and all will become clear! Show note imagery: Beware the REDTIDES, algal blooms that are, apparently, on the rise. We love feedback! Send us a te…

1
Saturday, July 13, 2024 - From Tame IMPALA to Dua LIPA, this grid just sings! 12:44

2M ago12:44

12:44

A fine Saturday crossword by Eli Cotham, a relatively smooth solve but with a lot of fine verbal baubles to enjoy along the way. We have all the deets inside, as well as our JAMCOTWA -- Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award -- winner, so we humbly implore you to download, listen up and ... enjoy! Show note imagery: One of many WPAMURALS, this o…

1
Friday, July 12, 2024 - There's never a need to atone, for a crossword starring POST MALONE 17:17

2M ago17:17

17:17

A nice Friday crossword by Malaika Handa, with some fun cluing, a few singers worth listening to, and a whopping 6 debut entries, including 17A, It has many twists and turns, CRAZYSTRAW, and the splendid 5D, "Get with the program, will you?", TRYTOKEEPUP. Definitely worth 5 squares on the JAMCR scale! Show note imagery: HELLOKITTY, Japan's tourism …

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