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.
Friday, October, 16, 2026 — No, You Can't Play an EBOW With An ELBOW 🙄😂
Today's crossword was a debut for Adam Shapiro — but it wasn't for a lack of trying. He has had 15 previous submissions to the NYTimes rejected, so today's puzzle is a monument to perseverance as well as crossword constructing excellence. An example of the latter may be seen in 39D, Holder of all the digits, from 1 to 0, KEYPAD (awesome!); 57A, Losing causes? DIETS (delectable!); and the astounding 17A, Mail-centric fiction, EPISTOLARYNOVEL (so that's how you spell it!). For the record, Jean found this puzzle much easier than Mike, but both agreed that it was a superb way to wrap up th...
Thursday, October 15, 2026 — You Can't Hide from the Ides 🙄
Today's crossword was an absolutely terrific debut by McKay Fritz, with another one of those delightful and, as expected, thoroughly unexpected themes that the NYTimes is legendary for. We'll pause here momentarily to give everyone, including us, a chance to parse that last sentence. 😀
Besides the theme, we had clues such as 39D, Boom sticks?, TNT; 30D, Bubbles, e.g., ORBS; and, speaking of Ides, 32D, Political rival of Mark Antony, CICERO, to keep us entertained. Today's crossword was definitely worth 5 squares on the JAMCR scale, and we avidly await McKay Fritz's next puzzle!
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Wednesday, October 14, 2026 — Happy National Curd Day Eve 🧀 😍
Today's crossword, by Jacob Stulberg, celebrated a scourge of modern civilization, a negative answer to the phrase made famous by Verizon — "Can you hear me now?". It made for a terrific (and possibly painful) theme, and is just one of the reasons that we are giving this crossword a full five squares on the JAMCR scale.
Show note imagery: Beware the wrath of the mighty Battleship Missouri!
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Tuesday, October 13, 2026 — Happy National Train Your Brain Day!!
We would classify today's crossword as a tinge crunchier than usual, for a Tuesday. Certainly 57D, Ceremonial Maori dance, HAKA, did not leap to mind. Likewise 7D, Whole that's greater than the sum of its parts, from the German, GESTALT, was a great entry that has never appeared on a Tuesday prior to today. Even the more frequently spotted 69A, Jazz singer Sylvia, SYMS, tends to show up later in the week.
Still, we're not complaining: the crossword was fine, and the theme surprising (in a good way!).
In addition to the crossword, we have...
Monday, October 12, 2026 — Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, Everyone! 🇨🇦
While today's crossword did not have a Thanksgiving Day theme, it did have a theme for which we are thankful: one that was relatively straightforward but still quite amusing. This is unsurprising, as it comes from the pen (or app) of Zhouqin Burnikel, who has perfected, in our opinion, the Monday theme. Deets inside.
Show note imagery: The Medusa of desserts: just looking at it might cause you to put on a few stone 😀
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Sunday, October 11, 2026 — 🎶 Ya Gotta Have Heart, Miles and Miles and Miles of Heart ❤️🎶
Today's crossword was a splendid work from an always entertaining constructor, aka Michael Lieberman. The themed clues in particular appear engineered to put a smile on your face — if they don't, consult your plastic surgeon ASAP — and we would judge the difficulty level to be spot on for a Sunday. Bravo, Michael!
Show note imagery: Dr. Christiaan Barnard, a pioneering cardiac surgeon who performed the world's first heart transplant in 1967.
Show note videography: Heart, from the musical Damn Yankees
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Saturday, October 10, 2026 — SIA, SZA and Rhianna Walk into a Grid ...
This was a very entertaining and relatively straightforward Saturday crossword by David Levinson Wilk, arguably easier than Friday's — but, as always, YMMV depending on what's in your wheelhouse. Jean (in absentia but reporting from her crossword-conducive hideaway) found it to be a bit of tussle, whereas, surprisingly, Mike had only two places where he really needed to put his muse to work. Deets inside.
Show note imagery: Yodel when you want a YODEL 😀
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Friday, October 9, 2026 — For Some, Spelling SYSIPHEAN is, Well, SISYIPHEAN — or, Third Time's the Charm — SISYPHEAN🙄
Now this was a Friday crossword — themeless, tricky, and highly entertaining. We have to applaud 39A, It's mine, all mine!, EGO; scratch our heads at 44D, "Gymnopédies" composer, SATIE; and will, shortly after this podcast, be off to investigate 58A, Hidden element of FedEx's logo. Those were just three of scores of similarly high-caliber clues.
TLDR: another fine effort from Nam Jin Yoon.
Show note imagery: One of the biggest games in Spanish football, ELCLASICO, a battle between Barcelona and Madrid that has been raging since 1902.
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Thursday, October 8, 2026 — Oh, No, It's an ONO 🐠 😀
Rachel Grey and John Kugelman have collaborated on a very clever Thursday crossword, based on a dizzying theme that it took both cohosts no little time to suss out. Fortunately — and we have proof — one did not need to grok the theme in order to solve the puzzle.
The clues that surrounded the theme were also first-class. There was something very 19th century about 43D, Under a parasol, say, SHADED; something very last century about 33D, "Midnight Cowboy" con man, RATSO; and something very this century, and orthographically suspicious, about 34D, Cringeily cute, TWEE.
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Wednesday, October 7, 2026 — In the Great ROTI v. NAAN Contest, ROTI Scores Again!!
Listeners may recall that the appearance of ROTI or NAAN in the grid immediately drives us to xwordinfo.com to check out the number of times each has appeared in a crossword. As a consequence of today's fine puzzle, ROTI is up by one, so ... yay, ROTI! 😀
We consider ourselves to be up by much more than that, for this was a wonderful Wednesday crossword with some sharp cluing. A few entries that stood out were: 18A, Well-manored men?, EARLS (ha!); the debut 3D, Sly reply to "You can't possibly know that!", OHBUTIDO (uh, oh!); and the very...
Tuesday, October 6, 2026 — Adam Vincent's Got Our Number!
This was definitely a Tuesday crossword, and we say that not just because of the calendar. The clues were slightly trickier than yesterday's, but still eminently doable with a little cogitation (and a few well-placed crosses). While not everyone is familiar with, say, 14A, Classical Persian poet, RUMI; 64D, Bank with a lion in its logo, ING; or 30A, Who said "Revolutions are the locomotives of history", MARX — the crosses were pretty straightforward (although, as usual, YMMV, depending on what's in your wheelhouse).
In addition to our cutting-edge crossword analysis, we have a hilarious Triplet Tuesday™️ segment that y...
Monday, October 5, 2026 — Ah, Those Tsky Tusky animals 🐗🙄
It's been a hot minute since Chase Dittrich's last NYTimes crossword, but he's here now with a fine Monday effort. The theme was engineered for Monday solvers, and while most of the answers were common enough, there were a few that neither cohost had heard before — always a good thing.
Being a Monday, we have another JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award) segment for your listening pleasure. But we don't want to spill the beans here, so — in a display of willpower — we won't! Rather, you are welcome, nay, heartily encouraged, to check out the episod...
Sunday, October 4, 2026 — 🎶 Mercy Sakes Alive, Looks Like We Got Ourselves a Convoy! 🚛🚚 😀
Kathryn Bale's absolutely fabulous debut crossword is in honor of a holiday that we had no idea existed until tackling Kathryn's puzzle. In our defense, the holiday first came into existence in 2020, and its appearance in today's crossword appears to be the first time it's been mentioned anywhere in the NYTimes. What is that holiday, you ask? Check out today's episode and all will be revealed!
Show note imagery: A pair of SPRINTCARS, based on a 410-cubic-inch, methanol-fueled engine, vroom!
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Saturday, October 2, 2026 — KAC Is Back with a Chef's Kiss of a Saturday Crossword 😘
Kameron Austin Collins, aka KAC, specializes in tough Friday and Saturday crosswords. Today's is a perfect example, with cunning clueing everywhere you look in the grid. We can't say enough good things about it, but we gave it the ol' college try in today's episode, so ... enjoy!
Show note imagery: DIANFOSSEY, a real primatologist's primatologist!
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Friday, October, 2, 2026 — Finally, Epictetus Gets His 15 Minutes of Fame!
This was a perfectly crafted crossword to wrap up the work week — not too hard, not too easy, but juuuuust right. It included some awesome clues, for example:
57A, Figure with three faces, in Dante, SATAN (not, as Mike originally theorized, CERBEBUS); 44D, Beads for an athlete, SWEAT (cool! ... which is sort of the point); and 59A, They're stretched out before some workouts, MATSAnd there were others, which we explore at length in today's podcast.
To top it all off we have a tasty FFF (Fun Fact Friday) segment for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!
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Thursday, October 1, 2026 — Do Not Rebel, But Rather, *Revel*, For RAVEL is Back! 🙄😉
Jill Singer's fourth NYTimes crossword was a great way to start October, with a legion of edutaining clues — and if that's not a real portmanteau, let's just call it slang and move on 😀. We certainly were educated and entertained by 9D, Great Basin tribe, PAIUTE; likewise by the very witty 48A, Is long ago?, EST; and, more edu- and less -taining, 9A, Some instructors, for short, PROFS.
Show note imagery: The Queen of Salsa, CELIA Cruz (no relation to TED, AFAWK). And if you are unfamiliar with Ms. Cruz, don't walk, run to your favorite music app and be...
Wednesday, September 30, 2026 — A Crossword with a Lot of PANACHE
Unsurprisingly, themed crosswords rise and fall on the strength of their themes. In this case the theme causes the crossword to rise, but there are a slew of other clues in the puzzle that make it soar. Besides the awesome ones covered in today's episode, there was a clue written for onomatopoeia-ists: 57A, Pie-in-the-face sound, SPLAT; another for the math majors in the crowd: 42D, Trig function that can output every real number, TAN; and a brilliant one for fans of all things Norse: 29D, God whose name has one "I," fittingly, ODIN.
tldr: A fabulous crossword...
Tuesday, September 29, 2026 — Hanh Huynh Hits a Plakata!! (Fear Not, We'll Explain 😀)
This was a fine Tuesday crossword by Hahn Huynh. The theme was novel, and the supporting cast of characters elsewhere in the grid were plentiful and suitably perplexing. We had to rule out several obscure answers before solving 1D, Address ending that's not .com, .org or .gov, EDU (not MIL nor BIZ, and definitely not INFO). It took us a HOTMINUTE to figure out 25A, Pretty long time, in an idiom, HOTMINUTE (😀). And we could see two ways to go with 57A, Pitcher's asset, ARM (the right way), and AIM (the not-so-right way).
We also have a spl...
Monday, September 28, 2026 — We'd Never Lead You Down The Garden Path ... But this Crossword Might😱😉
This, Helen Chen's second NYTimes Crossword, slung a lot of slang (which for the sake of argument let's pretend is grammatically correct 🙄), but it was all for a very good cause, as today's episode will reveal.
In addition to the crossword, we have chosen our JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award), and we've awarded it to a gifted constructor for a highly challenging piece of art. Deets inside.
Show note imagery: A scrumpdillyicious Girl Scout SAMOA
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Sunday, September 27, 2026 — A Crossword Engineered to Make Your Head Spin!
Adam Wagner's 35th NYTimes crossword was a doozy that just might make you dizzy, so strap in before you try it! And once you have, come back right here to check out our analysis of this spectacular piece of work. We won't divulge the theme right here, but merely note that it was such an attention getter that a slew of other marvelous clues got lost in the glare.
Among the many worthies were 26A, Turned into an internet gag, MEMED; 8D, Have a spring in one's step, PRANCE; and 64D, Univ. course that's in demand, ECON — all...
Saturday, September 26, 2026 — 🎶 🎸 Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting ... Clever Crossword Constructors Like Brian Callahan 😀
Now this was a Saturday crossword, and there are two key tells that give it away. First, of course, the calendar never lies — it's Saturday. Secondly, the clues were deliciously devious, definitely pegging the difficulty meter in multiple areas. We have clue-by-clue coverage inside, so have a listen, and, if you like what you hear, please spread the word among your friends/family/colleagues/random strangers you meet in the streets 😀.
Show note imagery: Frangipane, a delicious almond-flavored cream
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Friday, September 25, 2026 — Rafael Musa's Back with Another Baffling (but Fabulous!) Friday Crossword
We would venture to guess that today, Friday, is Rafael Musa's favorite day of the week. He certainly knows how to construct Friday-level crosswords, with just the right ratio of confoundment to merriment. Today's puzzle is a case in point.
In addition to the crossword, we also have a delightful Fun Fact Friday🥳 segment for your listening pleasure.
All that's available right now, and it's all yours in 3 easy steps:
Download today's episodeTap/click/press playEnjoy!Show note imagery: Jordan's capital AMMAN, formerly known as Philadelphia
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Thursday, September 24, 2026 — Another CFTA (Crossword For the Ages)!! 🎉
The NYTimes crossword has its standards (as in an expectation of excellence: no dreck allowed) and its standards (rules/conventions that must be followed). We are pleased to announce that its standards (former) remain as high as ever, and that its standards (latter) have been temporarily set aside, resulting in the glorious puzzle that it is our privilege to discuss today.
Years from now, we predict that people will be able to recall the exact couch/sofa/recliner/chair they were sitting in when they tackled this crossword: yes, it's that good. Deets inside.
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Wednesday, September 23, 2026 — An OBOE's a "Sprightly Companion"? Um, Okaaaaay ... 🤔🧐
There were several quite intriguing clues in today's grid. Your cohosts found 62A, Instrument also called the "sprightly companion", OBOE, to be the intriguiest* of the lot. Mike's curiosity was piqued by 33D, Jay's reticent partner of filmdom, SILENTBOB, while Jean was at least mildly surprised by 3D, "Star Wars" series starring Diego Luna, ANDOR. Both found 4D, Music genre named for its voluminous dos, HAIRMETAL, to be Wednesday-worthy cluing. Indeed, the entire crossword was of a high caliber — exhibit A being today's podcast on that very subject.
Show note imagery: The Sprightly Companion, an instruction manual for...
Tuesday, September 22, 2026 — A WONDERful Tuesday Crossword 😉❤️
The name "Erik Agard" has been known to cause crossword solvers to quake in their boots, because the esteemed gentlemen has crafted some very challenging puzzles in his time. Since today's was a Tuesday crossword, however, Erik did manage to dial it down appropriately, and turn in this fine homage to one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century. No revealers here, but we will say that the artist in question has won 25 Grammy awards (more than any other male solo artist), and has sold over 100 million records to date. Now that's a strong work ethic!
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Monday, September 21, 2026 — 🎶 🫖 Tea, For Two, and Two For Tea 🫖 🎶
Today's crossword was a great start to our puzzle-solving week. The theme was très amusant, as the French like to say, definitely worth the price of admission. The clues were designed for novice crossword solvers, but still had a certain joie de vivre (as the French also like to say) about them — we're looking at you, 31A, Hair parter, COMB; 27D, Paves the way?, TARS; and speaking of French, 58D, French possessive, SES. C'est bon!
Show note imagery: The gloriously beautiful Emerald Isle, EIRE
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Sunday, September 20, 2026 —Tracy Gray Shows Off Her Crossword Super Powers
Tracy Gray has had 38 crosswords published in the NYTimes, including 13 Sundays. We'd call today's work a typical TG puzzle, except for the fact that there is no such thing: her creations are all unique. The only thing that they have in common is a bevy of novel clues, and a theme that you probably didn't see coming. We discuss the latter, at length, in today's episode. Just to give you a taste of the former, we present for your consideration 100A, Part of SCOTUS, THE (a fabulous way to clue a somewhat ordinary answer); 103D, State with only three...
Saturday, September 19, 2026 — Playing a Ukitar's Easier When Wearing a Unitard? Riiiiight ... 🙄
This was a lively Saturday crossword, thanks in part to Hannah Slovut's talent at working exciting new answers into the grid: there were a total of 10 debuts, not too shabby at all.
Even the non-debut answers were exciting. There were at least 4 that neither cohost had ever heard of before, for which we are quite grateful.
There's more inside, so have a listen, and please don't forget to leave us a 5-star review wherever you get your podcasts.
Show note imgagery: Ventriloquist Shirley Dinsdale and Judy Splinters — jointly awarded the first Emmy award ev...
Friday, September 18, 2026 — A Splendiferous Way to Wrap Up the Workweek
Ryan Mathiason's third NYTimes crossword, and his first Friday, was an elegant piece of cruciverbial magic. We like clues that educate —13A, Modern tech aid whose design was inspired by a Go board, QRCODE; clues that make us think — 31D, Act like yourself, perhaps?, DOACAMEO, and especially clues that allow us revel in the joys of English — 40A, Two in a row?, FOES. There were, manifestly, many such clues in today's puzzle. For that reason we are proud to give Ryan's oeuvre a full 5 squares on the JAMCR scale.
After a highly analytical, um, analysis of the crossw...
Thursday, September 17, 2026 — 🎉 Woo-hoo, 250,000 Downloads and Counting!! 🎉
According to BuzzSprout, our podcast has had over 250,000 downloads, and so, to celebrate, we're ... going to do another podcast 😀
Your cohosts had slightly different impressions of today's crossword. Jean, who used her wits to power through the top of the crossword despite the total absence of down clues in the region, found it to be a major challenge. Mike, who completely ignored the top of the crossword until the rest of the grid was filled out, found it ... considerably easier.
For all the color commentary, check out today's episode (and get us to 250,001 downloads 😀).
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Wednesday, September 16, 2026 — Bonjour, BASENJI!
Today's crossword was an homage to a state that seems to be bursting at the seams with National Parks, and that state would be ... [REDACTED BY ORDER OF THE SPS (SPOILER PREVENTION SOCIETY)].
In addition to the theme, we found much joy in today's grid. We covered the highlights in today's episode, but we also were quite fond of 21A, Big bang cause, TNT; 55A, Canine guard?, RETAINER; and 65D, In medias _______, RES.
Show note imagery: a BASENJI, the Cutest Dog Ever™️
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Tuesday, September 15, 2026 — All Cohosts Present and Accounted For, Suh!
There was cause for much celebration at JAMDTNYTC HQ, as the J of the aforementioned podcast made her triumphant return to the studio. She chose an auspicious day to do so, because the crossword was awash with theme clues, which she spotted with unnerving accuracy.
We also have a Triplet Tuesday™️ segment for your enjoyment.
Show note imagery: Ah, yes, we remember the dreaded EDITWARS of aught-six,
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Monday, September 14, 2026 — 🎶 Daylight Come and Me Wanna Go ... Solve a Crossword 🎶🙄🍌
Today's crossword — a joint effort by Andrea Carla Michaels and Dena R. Verkuil — had a lot of appeal, and if that generates peals of laughter, then this sentence will have done its job!
Being a Monday, the puzzle was straightforward: its mission was to entertain and entice, not (as sometimes happens later in the week) confound and confuse. As today's episode can attest, it succeeded on all fronts.
Show note imagery: SHEL Silverstein and Johnny Cash, writer and singer, respectively, of "A Boy Named Sue".
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Sunday, September 13, 2026 — Hey, It's a Tiny Escape Room 😀
Today's crossword — a very nice piece of work by Henry Lin-David and Frank S. David — featured an adorable, tiny escape room! You can't miss it — it's right in the center of the grid — and you also can't escape it, because the room is entirely walled off from the rest of the grid by black squares. This is only the 31st time, in the entire history of the NYTimes crossword, that the puzzle has included a disconnected region (it's hard to have crosswords if words don't cross!), but it is all for a very good cause. Check out today's episode for all t...
Saturday, September 12, 2026 — An *Effervescent* Saturday Crossword!
It's not often that we get to haul "effervescent" out of long-term storage, dust it off, and plant it where it needs planting, but today is one of those days, for the crossword, by Adam Wagner and Michael Lieberman, was terrific. The puzzle was not the hardest Saturday we've seen — in part because the Pop Culture Meter was close to 0 — but the clues were just delights, every one of them an intricate work of a master crossword constructor / punster. Deets inside.
Show note imagery: MOTHRA and Godzilla, in such a frightening battle that they scared all the colo...
Friday, September 11, 2026 — Robyn Weintraub Is Back, and We Are Better for It!
Considering that this is Robyn Weintraub's 37th Friday crossword(!), she has certainly earned the sobriquet, the Queen of Fridays. We hope she wears her crown at a jaunty angle, in honor of the many jaunty clues in today's puzzle. We enjoyed the bait-and-switch of 6D, Sounds of fall?, THUDS; the spirited defiance implied in 13D, "Keep Commerce Human" website, ETSY; and the somewhat esoteric (at least from Mike's perspective), 23D, Fabric related to chambray, DENIM.
TLDR; Another fine Robyn Weintraub puzzle, worth every one of the 5 squares, on the JAMCR scale, that we hereby bestow upon it.
Thursday, September 10, 2026 — Simeon Seigel, aka "Mr. Thursday", Strikes Again!! 🥳😱
Today's crossword, by Simeon Seigel, featured another "puzzle-within-a-puzzle", and we loved it, from 1A, TikTok stars, to many, IDOLS, all the way down to 61A, Filler akin to "like ..." or "I mean ...", YKNOW — and everything in between.
A few non-themed clues stood out, among them 6A, Locale for an old flame?, WICK (very nice!); 53D, Completely savage, PAN (we were not ready for that one!); and the "duh, of course"-inducing 27A, New Year's date, concisely, ONEONE. There were more, and they are in today's episode, so check it out and then let us know what you thi...
Wednesday, September 9, 2026 — Argh, It's Write Crosswords Like a Pirate Day!
Our cohosts had very different experiences, solving today's puzzle. Jean cruised through it like the QE2 on a serene summer's day; Mike's journey was more reminiscent of the Vasa's, thanks to a series of stupefying own goals, although he did eventually emerge from the depths, sputtering and muttering oaths like "what the deuce!". Details of the full saga are one click away, so download, listen up, and ... enjoy!
Show note imagery: The Vasa, a 17th century Swedish warship that sank in Stockholm harbor just as it was beginning its maiden voyage.
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Tuesday, September 8, 2026 — A Terrific Tuesday Debut! ❤️
We are pleased to report that Sunny Maharjan has joined the elite pantheon of NYTimes crossword constructors. This, his debut, is a gem. It was a quick solve (especially for Jean), but the theme was a hoot and a half (which we conjecture is a well-known adage, somewhere — we just don't know where). What we do know is that the rest of the grid had some abfab clues, such as 67A, College, to Aussies, UNIS; 15D, Shape of conchiglie pasta, SHELL (ok, now we know); and 1D, Jaguar's home, JUNGLE (not, as Mike originally theorized, GARAGE).
Beyond th...
Monday, September 7, 2026 — Alas, Poor Muzak, We Hardly Knew Ya'!
For the of you who are feeling nostalgic for Muzak, you have two choices: this crossword, or Urgent Care 😀. We recommend the former, because Jeff Chen and Stephan Prock have put together a wonderful Monday offering, as we discuss in today's episode.
We are also pleased to announce our JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award) for this week, namely [REDACTED: SEE PODCAST FOR ALL THE DEETS].
Show note imagery: Regardless of how you spell it, ODES(S)A is one cool city!
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