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
2121 episodes
Friday, August 7, 2026 — Booyah, Jesse Cohn Has Assembled a *Panoply* of Clever Clues!
This is Jesse Cohn's fourth Friday NYTimes crossword, and it checks all the right boxes:Tough, but not soul-crushing ✅Educational ✅Highly entertaining...
Thursday, August 6, 2026 — A Highly Filling Thursday Crossword 😂
Today's podcast title — we promise! — will seem quite droll, even, dare we say it, chuckleworthy, once you've sussed out today's theme. We won't say any more about that here, but invite you to have a listen as w...
Wednesday, August 5, 2026 — Don't Caper Around With That CABER, You Could Put an Eye Out! 🙄
If you took a look at this crossword and decided that it's time to split, we commend you on your choice of metaphor. Daniel Bodily has constructed a puzzle that pays homage to, and...
Tuesday, August 4, 2026 — Could the NYTimes' Favorite Cookie Get Even Yummier? Evidently There Is a Way! 🍪
If you like weddings, have at least a passing knowledge of Indian words, and enjoy puns, then you should find today's crossword theme quite satisfying (as was the case for both coh...
Monday, August 3, 2026 — Hoozah, it's National Sandwich Month!! 🥪
Willa Angel Chen Miller's crosswords normally show up on Friday, so we were slightly concerned to see her name here on Monday, but she has done an excellent job, with some straight...
Sunday, August 2, 2026 — Today's Crossword Won't Steer You Wrong!
This was an awesome Sunday crossword by Ralph Sharaga (a debut for him) and veteran constructor Doug Peterson (this is his 61st!). The theme was absolutely hysterical, and...
Saturday, August 1, 2026 — Allo, August!
Saturdays are typically the most challenging crosswords of the week, and today's was a splendid mental workout, with some absolutely stellar clues, including 33A,...
Friday, July 31, 2026 — G'bye, July!
Rafael Musa was in his element today — over 50% of his crosswords have appeared on Friday. We were therefore unsurprisingly KEENON on today's effort, which featured a bevy of fine...
Thursday, July 30, 2026 — A Crossword as Easy as Alpha, Bravo, Charlie 😉
This was a fine Thursday crossword by Joel Woodford, with a nifty theme that was surprising, entertaining, and — bonus! — gave us a chance to use "nifty" in a sentence. Our favori...
Wednesday, July 22, 2026 — Ooh, the Carnival's In Town! 🎉🤡
If you find the aroma of fresh popcorn wafting from the grid, that means you've really gotten into the spirit of this absolutely endearing crossword by Rebecca Goldstein*. It had ...
Tuesday, July 21, 2026 — Let's Make Some Noise For a Very Noisy Crossword!
This was a superlative Tuesday crossword, thanks to some really sparkling clues. The theme — which we discuss extensively in today's episode — is the icing on the cake, but we found numerous other gems in the grid. The "Most-Fun-Clue" award goe...
Monday, July 20, 2026 — Gee, this Crossword's Got GLEE 🙄
It is our suspicion that Eric Rollfing, author of today's fine crossword, probably solves every NYTimes Connections puzzle without any mistakes, because he seems to be quite adept...
Sunday, July 19, 2026 — This Crossword Was Capital, Simply Capital! 😀 🇬🇧
In February, Michael Lieberman and Rebecca Goldstein collaborated on a Sunday crossword with answers that refused to stay confined to running horizontally or vertically. Well, Michael...
Saturday, July 18, 2026 — Alright, DIEGOLUNA is in the grid!
This was a crunchy Saturday crossword, ideal for those looking for a strenuous mental workout. As is always the case on Saturdays, today's puzzle was themeless and a lot of fun. W...
Friday, July 17, 2026 — Hey, Where'd All the Black Squares Go?
Today's crossword — a debut by Coz Berlin — was noteworthy for what it lacked: to wit, black squares. There were some, to be sure: but the grid contained of 9 15-letter answers (divided up into 3 sets of 3). It made for a ...
Thursday, July 18, 2026 — Another Awesome Zhou / Montgomery Collab
Zhou Zhang and Mallory Montgomery have teamed up, once again, to create their third Thursday crossword, and they keep getting better with age/practice. The theme was endearingly q...
Wednesday, July 15, 2026 — Today's Crossword Was *Smokin!* 🔥
This was an excellent mid-week crossword by Johnathan Raksin and Jeff Chen. The theme was a hoot, and the rest of the clues were of similar high quality. A few that stood out incl...
Tuesday, July 14, 2026 — A Collaborative Debut, Woo-hoo! 🙌
This was a collaborative debut by Gus Bloxham and Bharati Hemmady, and it was an auspicious start to what we hope will be a succession of great crosswords. We were amused by 43D, ...
Monday, July 13, 2026 — The Queen of Monday Crosswords is Back!
Lynn Lempel, aka the Queen of Monday Crosswords, is back at it, with a fine puzzle (her 105th!) and her trademark Very Clever Theme™️. It is just a perfect crossword for new solve...
Sunday, July 12, 2026 — Why'd The Brits Build the ABBA Arena? For Money, Money, Money 😉💰
It is rare that a constructor debuts on a Sunday, but Collin Drown, a PhD student at Virginia Commonwealth University — go Rodney the Ram! ... really, that's the VCU mascot — has pull...
Saturday, July 11, 2026 — Happy 7/11 Day!!
Jim Quinlan's third NYTimes crossword didn't peg the Crossword Difficuilty Meter, but it did break our Quality Of Clues Meter, it was that good. We covered the best...
Friday, July 10, 2026 — Branzinos and Beavers and Bandeaus, Oh, My!
This was a fine Friday crossword by Willa Angel Chen Miller, an elegantly symmetric grid with some rather crafty and novel clues (as one would expect and hope for). Curiously, our...
Thursday, July 9, 2026 —Beware the IGUANODON (Greek for "tricky spelling")🦖
Both cohosts found today's crossword — a father-son effort by Brad and Nat Wiegmann — to be extra crunchy, partially due to the theme, but also abetted by a number of diabolical wo...
Wednesday, July 8, 2026 — Holy Moley, It's Another Debut Crossword!
This was Mason Hyunjin Lee's first ever NYTimes crossword, especially impressive since he's still in high school! Here's hoping his English teacher gives bonus points, he deserves ...
Tuesday, July 7, 2026 — Wait, Didn't We Just See This Guy?? Yes, It's Brad Lively's *Third* Crossword in Three Months!!! 🥳
If Brad Lively's name sounds familiar, that's because he's published a whopping 4 crosswords this year, including today's. We are grateful for that, of course, as his crosswords in...
