This was a gentle Monday crossword, easing us into our crossword-solving week. It was still entertaining, though, thanks to a theme that will lift your spirits — literally. 

Gene Louise De Vera's 5th NYTimes puzzle was one for the books. One of the sacrosanct rules of NYTimes crossword-dom is that an answer never appears twice in the grid. Well, rules ...

The clues in today's crossword, Hannah Slovut's third for the NYTimes, were so dazzling that we felt we ought to wear shades while solving it. There were scads of clever clues ever...

To explain the episode title: this was, indeed, an awesome crossword. And, as has happened for years upon years, Deb Amlen scrutinized the crossword in the accompanying NYTimes col...

It's a new year, so why not start it off with a new constructor? That may or may not be Will's reasoning, but today's crossword is indeed a debut for Topher Booth, and it is an aus...

In honor of the ultimate day of 2025, Jeffrey Martinovic has donned both his party hat and thinking cap, the end result of which is today's fine crossword. We have, as a...

After a week to recharge and reenergize, both cohosts are back and in peak fighting form -- or, to be more precise, crossword-solving form. And we had an excellent cros...

Today's crossword was (as you can deduce from the episode title) a fun, Christmas-themed puzzle by famed magician David Kwong. Jean & Co. solved it expeditiously, whereas Dav...

This is Robert S. Gard's second Saturday crossword. It was not quite as difficult as his first, but the cluing was deliciously deceptive, and included five debuts. Jean got throu...

This is a stellar Friday crossword, chockfull of effervescent clues that make it clear that an ace constructor -- in this case, Hemant Mehta --  is at the helm. There is no ...

The genius required to craft an NYTimes-worthy crossword is on full display today: Joseph Gangi has created a cuuute theme, and the hilarity of that last clause will become appar...

This was a whimsical Wednesday crossword by the talented duo of Gary Larson and Doug Peterson. The theme was a triumph, buoyed up by a bevy of crisp clues, including:...

This was a gentle Tuesday crossword, slightly more challenging than Monday, and prepping us for the even more rigorous crosswords sure to come this week. Difficulty level not wit...

Today's puzzle checks all the Monday crossword boxes: Clever and straightforward theme?  ✅Built with the novice-solver in mind? ✅Published...

This was a jaw-dropping pick-me-up of a Sunday crossword by debut constructor Zachry Edward-Brown (a high-school student, no less!) and veteran John Kugelman. The theme was spectacular, with a twist at the end that would have Agatha...

Today's crossword, by Gene Louise De Vera, was one for the record books. Exactly what record was broken we are not going to reveal here, but rather keep you in suspense, dear lis...

This was a pitch-perfect Friday crossword, with a host of tricky clues designed to limber you up for the boss puzzle -- aka the Saturday NYTimes crossword -- about to drop and po...

Kevin Curry has done it again - crafted an elegant puzzle designed to challenge, educate, and entertain. Challenge: 63A, Reunio...

There were several deities in today's grid — ARES, ZEUS, and the lesser known DOER, Lord of Bad Puns. None of them prevented our cohosts from having a grand time while solving th...

This was Kate Hawkins' eighteenth NYTimes crossword, and while mainly distinguished by its brilliant theme, gems could be found throughout the grid. We enjoyed the range of emotio...

Today's puzzle had a wry, perfect-for-a-Monday theme: if it was a hat, it would definitely be stylish and arranged at a rakish angle. We were surprised, tickled, and put into full chortle mode by, respectively, 1D, Magic charms, MOJ...

We treasure any excuse to break out into Lewis Carroll adjectives, and today's frabjous crossword provides just that opportunity. This is a debut, no less, by University ...

Our cohosts had vastly different experiences tackling today's crossword. Jean found it to be quite challenging, whereas Mike was (for a change) definitely working, but no...

This was a challenging Friday crossword, the second by James McCarron since August, of the year: in short, he's on a roll. There were some simultaneously terrific (if you like a c...

Today's crossword, by Victor Barocas, had a fun and frothy theme that came from a galaxy far, far away. We loved it! We also enjoyed the very strong cast of supporting characters,...