Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword
A short, fun and occasionally not unintentionally educational podcast in which two fans of the New York Times crossword describe their puzzle-solving travails.
Episodes
2054 episodes
Monday, May 25, 2026 — Today's crossword is *smoking* 🔥🔥
Timed just perfectly to match the mini-heatwave about to ravage NE Wisconsin (temperatures might get up to 90°F😱), Anthony V. Grubb has shown up with a crossword that is, in its own way, on fire — thanks to clues like 68A, Back of a ca...
Sunday, May 24, 2026 — Happy Memorial Day Eve!
David Steinberg is definitely a child prodigy when it comes to crosswords. His first NYTimes crossword was published in 2011, when he was (does some math) approximately 14 years old. Constructing any crossword is a challenge — construc...
Saturday, May 23, 2026 — Rejoice, it's another "Quasi-Impossible Saturday Spectacular" by Kameron Austin Collins
Kameron Austin Collins specializes in end-of-the-week-and-nigh-well-impossible crosswords. His talents are on full display today, a crossword with very few black squares, a lot of...
Friday, May 22, 2026 — Don't be a fool, mate, and succumb to the FOOLSMATE 🙄😀
This was Gene Louise De Vera's sixth NYTimes Crossword, and his Friday debut. Both cohosts found the clues to be quite lively — fun but not fraught, as far as streaks are concerne...
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 — Eighty years later, CLARA Bow is *still* showing up in the grid 🥰
This was a good mid-week crossword by Kathleen Duncan — her second for the NYTimes. We liked many of the clues in today's puzzle, but our favorites had to be 28D, Big to-...
Tuesday, May 19, 2026 — A Toast to a Most Noteworthy Crossword!
For those of you keeping track, Brad Wiegmann, author of today's very fine puzzle, has as of today published an NYTimes crossword every day of the week except ... Saturday! So, he...
Monday, May 18, 2026 —🎵 It's a Small World, After All 🎶
How she does it remains a mystery, but Rena Cohen has a definite knack for crafting wonderfully clever and gentle themes, embedded in a grid with some fine answers — today's crossword...
Sunday, May 17, 2026 — Eh, What's Up, Doc? 🐰😍
This was an excellent Sunday crossword by Derrick Niederman, a man who heretofore has only published on Sundays, a precedent that he laid down when he first started, in 1...
Saturday, May 16, 2026 — Caution: Today's Crossword May be Hazardous to Your Streak 😱😉
This was a highly challenging crossword by Byron Walden, each clue a masterpiece of misdirection, with a dash of obscurity thrown in for good measure. Both cohosts h...
Friday May 15, 2026 — It was so quiet you could hear a NEEDLEDROP ... er, something like that 😀
This was Maddy Ziegler's second NYTimes crossword. Her first appeared on Saturday, so it will very interesting to see on what day her third (which, based on her second, w...
Thursday, May 14, 2026 — Ooh, mommy, this tastes UMAMI 🙄
While we didn't have too much difficulty with today's crossword, there were a few clues that made us pause and wonder. We were intrigued by 42D, Seven-stringed instrument that gave the guitar its name, KITHARA; awed by the memorable 11...
Wednesday, May 13, 2026 — Kilauea, the sound you might make while plummeting into Kilauea 😀
Today's crossword — the second by Brian Keller — had a plethora of pleasing clues. We enjoyed 13D, Criminally good deal, STEAL; the on-the-nose 26D, Opposite of "nah", YEAH; and t...
Tuesday, May 12, 2026 — We are seriously chuffed about today's crossword 🇬🇧🇬🇧
Today's crossword was an homage to "this sceptered isle", which just happens to be one of our favorite tourist destinations. In short, there's no way we can be unbiased, we lo...
Monday, May 11, 2026 — Welcome to Vientiane, a must-see any time you're in the neighborhood
After the excitement of the last few days, we confess a certain pleasure in tackling a more laid-back crossword, one that did not require all neurons on deck, and what some might ...
Sunday, May 10, 2026 — Introducing the Renowned ADNOUN!! 😉
Today's crossword was — depending on which cohost you ask — a slightly crunchier than usual Sunday, or a puzzle just a shade less difficult than decrypting the Rosetta Stone in th...
Saturday, May 9, 2026 — Katie Hoody paints a masterpiece in words 😍
This was an awe-droppingly good Saturday crossword by Katie Hoody. Each clue, individually, is a work of art in miniature, and collectively, this crossword is simply a work of art....
Friday, May 8, 2026 — 🎵 To Dream, the Impossible Dream, to Solve, the Impossible Crossword 🎶
Today's crossword was (checks calendar) classified as a Friday, but it was definitely on the tougher side of the Friday spectrum. Did our intrepid cohosts manage to solve ...
Thursday, May 7, 2026 — Mayday, Mayday! Incoming SKUAs, 12 o'clock high!
Today's crossword — the product of two highly accomplished crossword constructors, John Guzzetta and Jeff Chen, and one world-renowned crossword editor, Will Shortz — is, in a word...
Wednesday, May 6, 2026 — Spring is in the Air ... and the Crossword!
A second constructor in a row is making their debut — today it is James Mattina, an internist in Montréal, who has delivered a lovely crossword that is guaranteed to grow on you — ...
Tuesday, May 5, 2026 — This crossword was ABC Delicious!
Today's crossword was a debut for Max Schlenker: congratulations, felicitations, etc., first for writing such a fine crossword, and second, for getting it accepted. We take a strol...
Monday, May 4, 2026 — The NYTimes Crossword Empire Strikes Back (but, very, very gently 😉)
Today's crossword marked a fine way to start our crossword-solving week, with a witty theme, straightforward clues, and — as one would expect on a Monday — very few problem areas. ...
Sunday, May 3, 2026 — Mark Diehl Rides Again!
This is Mark Diehl's 80th NYTimes crossword since 1984, so it is abundantly obvious that he knows a thing or twenty about writing great crosswords. His talents are on full display ...
Saturday, May 2, 2026 — May Day, May Day (encore!)
Our cohosts had very different takes on today's crossword, a truly extraordinary work of art by Hannah Slovut. Jean & Co. found it to be a stiff breeze, Mike found it to be mor...
Friday, May 1, 2026 — Pro Tip: If Your Baguette is Extra Crunchy, You Might Be Eating the Wrong Kind of Baguette 😉😱😀
Kudos to Rena Cohen for crafting an excellent crossword, her first to appear on a Friday. The clues were quite interesting: we always appreciate crosswords that both enter...
Thursday, April 30, 2026 — RUBE Goldberg, cartoonist and inventor extraordinaire!
When Aristotle wrote that "the whole is greater than the sum of the parts", he most likely did not have crossword constructors Lance Enfinger and John Kugelman in mind. But the thought still applies — these individually talented constr...
