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.
Sunday, April 19, 2026 — Looking for an AHA! moment? Michael Lieberman has got just the ticket 😀
This was a perfect Sunday crossword by Michael Lieberman. Mike (cohost, not constructor 😀) needed to resort to pencil and paper (!) to help visualize the theme, and thoroughly enjoyed the sheer tactile-ness of it all. We have all the deets inside, so have a download and a listen, and let us know what you think!
Show note imagery: Some delicious RASTA pasta
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Saturday, April 18, 2026 - NEON!, Ask for it by name, accept no substitutes! 😉 😀
This was a very nice Saturday crossword by Jesse Cohn, almost exactly one year since he last published on a Saturday. The clues were interesting / challenging / suitably obscure, as one would hope. Several stood out, including 12D, Blitzed, SAUCED; 26A, Metros in the 1990s, GEOS; and 27D, Relatives of ottomans, HASSOCKS. All in all this was a fine addition to the Saturday pantheon; we give it a full and enthusiastic 5 squares on the JAMCR scale.
Show note imagery: NEON, the 5th most common element in the universe — quite fortunate, because no matter what your species, you can ne...
Friday, April 17, 2026 - it is our CIVICDUTY to report that this was an awesome crossword!
Friday crosswords have a lot of weight on their shoulders: they need to be entertaining (of course); themeless (by convention); and ramp up the difficulty to just the right level so that Saturday doesn't see like a quantum leap from Thursday. We are pleased to report that Rachel Fabi's latest crossword checks all the boxes.
To confirm that, be sure and check out today's episode, available ... right now!
Show note imagery: Negative Nancy, not to be confused with whining Willy!
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Thursday, April 16, 2026 - 🎵Two for tea, and tea for two 🎶 🫖☕️
This was a terrific crossword by Rafael Musa — who usually works the Friday side of the street — and Sala Wanetick. The theme was ingenious and, as we discuss in today's episode, almost impossible to miss.
Speaking of miss, we hope you won't miss this or any future episodes: click on follow / subscribe / whatever on your podcast-supplying app of choice to ensure that such a calamity does not befell you!
Show note imagery: a NOSEEUM, member of the family Ceratopogonidae, most definitely not to scale (whew!)
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Wednesday, April 15, 2026 - Oh, frabjous day! Adam Wagner is back with another ab fab puzzle!
We are definitely Adam Wagner fans, and our idol does not disappoint today. The theme is inspired, the clues perfect for a Wednesday, and the entire puzzle is suffused with a lively and cheery spirit that put a smile on our faces. We approve, and give it an often sought but rarely delivered 5 squares on the JAMCR scale.
Show note imagery: Members of SKATEPUNK band Blink-182
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Tuesday, April 14, 2026 — It's Tax Day Eve: do you know where your tax return is? 😱
Mark Diehl is certainly a veteran crossword constructor — his first NYTimes crossword was published in 1984! He hasn't lost his touch, though: this was a terrific Tuesday with a boffo theme.
Besides the crossword, it's Triplet Tuesday™️, and the spotlight's on Mike. Will he rise to the challenge or, tragically, go down in flames? Tune in to find out!
Finally, we have an inspirational piece of listener mail about that most elusive and valuable of commodities — grit — the internal kind that keeps you driving forward, striving for success (as measured, in this context at least, by the cheery...
Monday, April 13, 2026 - AESOP, still winning new fans after 2500 years 😀
This was a splendid Monday crossword, arguably slightly crunchier than usual, but still definitely on the Monday side of the scale. A few of those crunchier clues included 46D, Afghan language, PASHTO (🤔); 28A, "There's ___ in 'team,' but there is one in 'win'", NOI (😀); and 53D, City NE of Manchester, LEEDS (🇬🇧).
In addition to the crossword, we have also selected our JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award), and we are sure that you'll agree that ... the crossword in question definitely came out last week 😉.
Show note imagery: A collection of AESOP's fables ( most likely not sig...
Sunday, April 12, 2026 - Oh, paradise! PARADIDDLE is in the grid 😍
We did not know, until several hours ago, that PARADIDDLE was a word. But now that we do, we're going to try and work it into conversation whenever, and however, we can. That will not be easy, alas, because PARADIDDLE is the answer to 73D, Basic drumming pattern: the opportunities to deploy it will likely be few and far between.
Speaking of musicians, we were also thrilled to learn of the existence of 54D, Hip-hop artists with unintelligible lyrics, MUMBLERAPPERS. We put that right up there with PARADIDDLE as a life-changing discovery, and personally want to thank...
Saturday, April 11, 2026 — A classy crossword (you can tell: it has MASERATIS in the grid 😀)
Our intrepid cohosts, solving independently as usual, took very different crossword solving journeys in tackling this, Kareem Ayas' tenth NYTimes opus. Jean found it a walk in the park; Mike found it more of a free solo event, in which one false move could be fatal (to his streak 😀). Both cohosts did succeed. Jean's time was quite good; Mike's time was impressive, simply because of the sheer number of digits in it. Deets inside.
Show note imagery: Some MASERATIS — we'll take three, please 😀 🤑
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Friday, April 10, 2026 — Dale Chihuly, glass artist extraordinaire!
Dale Chihuly is an incredibly gifted artist, but AFAWCT he has never appeared in the grid of the NYTimes crossword. Consequently, it was most gratifying to at least see his name in a clue, specifically 29A, Like the glass in many a Dale Chihuly sculpture, FUSED.
Today's episode includes a bit more about Dale, as well as, oh, yes, the rest of the crossword, and a terrific Fun Fact Friday segment. So, have a listen, and, as always, please tell others about us on social media.
Show note imagery: Dale Chihuly's Mendota Wall, a brilliant wo...
Thursday, April 9, 2026 - A scrumdiddlyumptious Thursday crossword!
Today's grid is sweet — literally, thanks to all those delicious, disguised dessert items. Fortunately, they are the virtual kind, and therefore highly unlikely to wreck your diet.
In addition to the terrific themed clues, we LOLed at 67A, Oil bigwig?, ARTCURATOR (awesome!); were amazed by 42A, Amundsen who went to the South Pole 15 years before he flew over the North Pole, ROALD (who knew?); and chuckled at 28D, Cold-weather coat, FROST (😀).
Show note imagery: a RHINO, the second most massive mammal on Earth, just out for an afternoon stroll.
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Wednesday, April 8, 2026 — RaPUNzel definitely would've approved of this crossword 🙄
This was a fine debut crossword by Philippe Monfiston. It had oodles of interesting clues, a score of bad (by which we mean good 😀) musical puns, and was just the right degree of difficulty for a Wednesday. We approve, 5 squares on the JAMCR scale.
Show note imagery: The Long Room of the Old Library at TRINITY College, erstwhile home of Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, Mary Robinson, Mary McAleese and many, many more.
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Tuesday, April 7, 2026 — This crossword definitely has our vote!
Kudos to Adryel W. Robles Ojeda for getting their very first crossword published in the NYTimes. We found it both fun and fast. We liked all the clues in today's puzzle, but among those that we did not already cover in today's episode, three stood out: 49A, Sharp or flat location on a piano, usually, BLACKKEY (makes sense); 37D, 3 to 1 are good ones, ODDS (cute); and 42A, Most common word in English, THE (not, as we initially guessed, HEYIMWALKINHERE 😀 ).
Show note imagery: Harry HOUDINI, about to do something extremely ill-advised.
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Monday, April 6, 2026 — It's been 5 years, but the BATSIGNAL is back!
BATSIGNAL has appeared a total of 4 times in the NYTimes crossword — once in 2014, twice in 2020, and today. The real BATSIGNAL shows up much more frequently in DC Comics, and continues to this day to serve as a means of summoning the caped crusader, who we would argue really needs to slip a cellphone into the ol' utility belt.
A quick check reveals that, in one paragraph, we have covered exactly one clue, and at this rate these show notes would be approximately 25 pages long. We therefore propose to simply mention, en passant, that this was an excellent Mo...
Sunday, April 5, 2026 - Let's hear it for Baaaaaahd Advertising 😀 🐑
This was Samuel A. Donaldson's 42nd NYTimes crossword, and it is joyous, with effervescent clues and answers that richly reward the diligent solver. The themed answers were particularly fabulous, but we were also fans of 86D, Manage moguls, say, SKI; 74A, Place to store magazines, ARMORY; and 104A, Monopolist's portion, ALL (brilliant!). There were more (of course), check out today's episode for all the deets.
Show note imagery: The gorgeous Manila skyline
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Saturday, April 4, 2026 - Was this a fine Saturday crossword? YESINDEEDY!
This was Royce Ferguson's third Saturday NYTimes crossword, and it was highly enjoyable. It was not a walk in the park, but neither was it the "scale El Capitan by one's teeth" type of puzzle that it could have been — and for which we are grateful.
There were terrific clues in the grid, such as 26D, Crystal and Rock, notably, OSCARHOSTS (😀); 42A, What isn't anyone's fault?, LET (😀 😀); and a gimme for the musically inclined, 53D, F or G, but not H, NOTE (😀 😀 😀)
Show note imagery: Artemis II, a most excellent example of a SPACESHOT
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Thursday, April 2, 2026 - A crossword guaranteed to provide at least 50% of an AHA! moment 🤣
We are always partial to crosswords with KAZOO in the grid, but that is not the only reason why we are so enamored with today's puzzle. No, they had us at the theme — perfect for a Thursday — and kept us engaged with such great clues as 63A, School with a larger-than-life bronze statue of Henry VI, ETON (um, ok); 46A, One side in a "Holy War" rivalry in college football, UTES (vs??? Sure, leave us hanging 😉); and the itch inducing 65A, Irritating "cloud", GNATS (natch!).
Show note imagery: Come to think of it, that does look like a backw...
Wednesday, April 1, 2026 - Today's crossword was one fool the ages 🙄
If you forgot that today was April 1st, fear not — the NYTimes Crossword is here just in the nick of time to remind you. They do it, unsurprisingly, in a surprising and highly amusing way. We'll say no more on the subject, but rather exhort you to download today's episode, where we haul out the ol' magnifying glass to give the puzzle a careful once-over.
Show note imagery: A lovely SNÖDROTTNING pillowcase, from IKEA
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Tuesday, March 31, 2026 - All hail the SITSKI!
This was a well-crafted Tuesday crossword (and not just because of 52A, Cloudy craft beer, HAZYIPA). No, there were many other clever clues that contributed to this assessment, including 10D, "Aaron Burr, ___" ("Hamilton" number), SIR (one of our faves!); 8D, Establishment where a D&D party might refuel and pick up new leads, TAVERN (cute!); and 28D, Potatoes, in Indian cuisine, ALOO (yum!!).
Show note imagery: Taiki Morii, one of the best para alpine skiers in the world, caught mid-flight aboard his SITSKI.
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Monday, March 30, 2026 - We don't want to be too MODESTO, but we figured out MODESTO 🙄
Gary Cee's crosswords have appeared 41 times in the NYTimes since 2009, mainly on Mondays and Tuesdays — he knows the territory well. This crossword had a "predictable" Monday theme — but predictable only in the sense that we knew it would be great. We found a few other nuggets in the grid, so join us for another glorious Cruciverbal Panning Session (CPS)™️.
In addition to the crossword, we've picked out our JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award), and we're sure you'll agree that ... we either got it right or we got it wrong. 😀
Show note imagery: The MO...
Sunday, March 29, 2026 - When should we stop making puns about roundabouts? Oh, roundabout now 🙄
This was a crunchy Sunday crossword, with much of the crunch coming from Michael and Oliver Schlossbergs' dizzyingly brilliant theme. As fans of both crosswords and roundabouts, we were absolutely delighted by today's fare. Check out today's episode for all the deets.
Show note imagery: Gertrude EDERLE, the first woman to swim the English Channel. She did so in 14h34m, demolishing the old record of 16h33m.
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Saturday, March 28, 2026 - The Queen of Saturdays is Back!
Katie Hoody, the Queen of Saturdays, is back again with an excellent example of the genre. In today's puzzle, the clues were deliciously deceiving, but the amount of pop culture sufficiently tamped down to give pop-culture-challenged solvers like Mike a fighting chance.
Just to give you a taste of Katie's talents, take a gander at 3D, Add to a columbarium, say, INURN (ye gads!); 48D, Former M.L.B. team with the mascot Youppi!, EXPOS (yippee!); and 41A, Start of a Christmas carol in Latin, ADESTE (a reminder, in case you needed it, that this is a S...
Friday, March 27, 2026 - Siri's great, great, great, grandfather, R.U.D.I. 😀
Today's crossword, a fine effort by Zachary David Levy, will not induce neuralgia, aka BRAINFREEZE, rather just the opposite: it will cause those billions of neurons to put in time-and-a-half in order to get through this challenging but ultimately highly rewarding Friday crossword. Deets inside.
Besides the crossword, we have one of the shortest Fun Fact Friday segments on record, and an absolutely awesome piece of listener mail / feedback about yesterday's puzzle, by itself worth the listen.
Show note imagery: R.U.D.I., thinking it over ...
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Thursday, March 26, 2026 - A crossword that will make you soar, not sore 😀
Yesterday's crossword was all about sequels, and today's crossword is itself a sequel — the second for constructor Alex Murphy. That could be coincidence, or it could be another example of Will Shortz's untamable genius: we're betting on the latter.
While the foundation of today's crossword was a splendid theme, it was supported by some other great clues. We loved 3D, See 4-Down, HALF, and 4D, Double 3-Down, ONE. The debut at 47D, Some online discounts, EBATES, also tickled our fancy. Finally, we certainly chuckled at 24D, Hold it!, REIN (cute!).
Show note imagery: Billy IDOL, who...
Wednesday, March 25, 2026 - 🎵 Jeepers creepers, where'd you get those peepers, jeepers, creepers, where'd you get those I's 🎶 🙄
While Mike often has no idea what's going on with the theme, it is a blue moon day indeed when Jean also fails to get the gist of the thing. While the moon is currently set, we feel fairly confident that when it rises — at 3:35 AM, so we will not be personal witnesses to the event — it will appear blue.
But blue does not capture our mood when working on today's crossword, because even though we did not immediately suss out the theme, our failure to do so did not significantly impede our progress. Three cheers for the...
Tuesday, March 24, 2026 - A fabulous crossword, a Triplet Tuesday miracle, and much, much more!
Today's crossword, by Killian Olson, was funny, punny, and a subtle reward for those of you who paid attention in Art Appreciation 101. We loved it, and today's episode spells out why.
In honor of Tuesday, we have another Triplet Tuesday segment, and it is historic — as well as hysteric(al) — so be sure and check it out!
Show note imagery: The Buffet, by PAULCEZANNE
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Monday, March 23, 2026 - Alright, varmint, reach for the SKYE 😀 🐕
There's a lot of pressure resting on a Monday crossword's black-and-white shoulders: welcome and educate new solvers, retain and entertain experienced ones, and above all, don't be boring. Today's crossword, a debut by Matthew Luter, bears that burden well, as today's podcast makes (we hope!) abundantly clear.
Beyond the crossword, we've picked our JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award) for last week. Did we pick your favorite? Let us know in the usual way.
Show note imagery: Look, up there in the sky, it's ... um, a SKYE 😀 😉
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Sunday, March 22, 2026 - A Spectacular Sunday Saga!
The very talented Alex Eaton-Salners is back with a cheery Sunday crossword engineered to lift your spirits (if they are sagging) or elevate you to almost Elysian heights (if you are already in a good mood) — and the good news, he succeeds magnificently. The proof is in the pudding ... er, podcast 😀
Shownote imagery: Nauru, purportedly the world's least visited country
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Saturday, March 21, 2026 - An Elegant Saturday Solve
Today's crossword was replete with awesome clues — pretty much all of them were fresh, imaginative, and entertaining. We covered a slew of them in today's episode, but even though we used our "end-of-class-but-we-want-to-slip-in-one-more-slide" delivery style, we didn't have time to cover them all. We regret, in particular, not being able to squeeze in 36D, Stuck under a blanket, perhaps, SNOWEDIN (bravo!); 33D, They've been played!, ROLES (brava!); and as we can definitely attest based on this week's weather in NE Wisconsin, 27A, It's not nice to walk in this, SLEET.
Besides our analysis of today's crossword, the ic...
Friday, March 20, 2026 - Rafael Musa and Rebecca Goldstein, Together Again!
This marks Rafael Musa and Rebecca Goldstein's 4th NYTimes crossword collaboration, and it is a fine piece of work. Being a Friday, it was themeless, but there were oodles of admirable clues in today's grid. We particularly enjoyed 36D, Be a hero, say, COSPLAY (bravo!); 17A, Going against the grain?, GLUTENFREE (magnifique!); and the groan-worthy 26A, Fare way to go?, BUSRIDES (oy!) — but the rest of the grid was equally eloquent. We eagerly anticipate RM and RG's next collaboration.
Show note imagery: The world's longest river, the Nile, meandering through CAIRO
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Thursday, March 19, 2026 - Welcome to EUROPA, a *very* popular tourist destination (um, in the 2080s) 🚀
Today's crossword was full of surprises. The theme? A surprise. The correct spelling of DADAIST? A surprise (at least to Mike). The fabulous 51D, Nation whose name sounds like a plea for seconds, SAMOA? Unsurprisingly, based on the lead-up to this sentence, a surprise.
The only thing that we were not surprised by, at all, is that John Kugelman has crafted another fine Thursday crossword. That was completely expected.
Show note imagery: EUROPA, the smallest of Jupiter's Galilean moons, a possible source of alien life in its vast oceans, and a very popular tourist destination, w...
Wednesday, March 18, 2026 - A cracking good Wednesday crossword
Adam Vincent has turned in an ab fab Wednesday crossword. The theme was highly amusing, and the rest of the clues equally awesome. We cover a lot of them in today's podcast, because they definitely deserve their 15 minutes.
Show note imagery: Oreos that change color when dipped in milk? Truly we live in an age of wonders 😀
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Tuesday, March 17, 2026 - Finally, MADISON gets its 15 minutes of fame!
MADISON, Wisconsin is a wonderful city that has received many accolades over the years, but one has always eluded it: recognition in the NYTimes crossword. We are pleased to report that those sorrowful years are now in the past, for in today's crossword Kiran Pandey has chosen to clue it as "Midwest capital named for a president", and in consequence Wisconsinites are dancing in the streets (but slowly: it's 17° out and dropping fast).
In other news, we have another Triplet Tuesday segment for your listening pleasure. This time Jean's the interrogator, so to see how the interrogatee f...
Monday, March 16, 2026 - ☃️ 🎵 Snowbody knows, the trouble we've seen, snownobody knows at all 🎶
This was a superb and somewhat crunchier than usual Monday crossword, a side-effect perhaps of an excellent, and about as NYTimes-ish as you can hope for, theme. For all those reasons we are delighted to give this a full five squares on the JAMCR scale.
In addition to today's crossword, we've picked out our JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award), so to find out who, and why, download today's episode and have a listen.
Show note imagery: Downtown ORONO, Maine
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Sunday, March 15, 2026 - Beware, ARSENE Lupin is lurking in the grid 😱🇫🇷
Today's crossword was a real deal — two themes for he price of one. But, here's the kicker (and the reason why this puzzle was worthy of the NYTimes): the two themes were slyly related in a way that we will not spoil here, but let you discover on your own, in today's episode.
Show note imagery: ARSENE Lupin, gentlemen thief and nemesis of Herlock Sholmes (really!)
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Saturday, March 14, 2026 - GOTTA like a crossword with GOTTA and ATTA 😉
Kameron Austin Collins (aka KAC) has a reputation for writing streak-killing crosswords. Today, however, KAC is playing against type — and the result is a tough, doable puzzle that doubles as a master class in how to write great clues.
We've covered our favorites on today's podcast, but here are a few more for your consideration. First, we have 33A, Hip places, BELTLINES (nice!); 32D, Tanning target, PELT (oh, that kind of tan); and the short, sweet, and somewhat cryptic 26A, Flutter, BATS. A fine crossword, most definitely deserving a 5 out of 5 on the JAMCR scale.
Sho...
Thursday, March 12, 2026 - One HARDCORE Thursday crossword!
Today marks Joe Marquez's sixth NYTimes crossword. Having started in 2023, that amounts to about 2 crosswords per year — not too shabby! This particular puzzle was particularly non-shabby, with a wry theme and a slew of entertaining clues. We were impressed by 54D, Be important, COUNT (we know you do, listeners!); bedazzled by 51D, Hurricane or mudslide, DRINK (ha!); and suitably perplexed by 12D, Carry the ball in volleyball, e.g., ERR (got it!).
Show note imagery: Black opal, a rare gem that is suspiciously colorful
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Wednesday, March 11, 2026 - Eureka!
Today's crossword was an homage to proponents of the "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade" philosophy, and it made for an awesome theme — tales of happy accidents that led to some critically acclaimed discoveries/inventions.
We don't want to spoil the suspense by mentioning those particular accidents here, but fortunately, history is replete with examples of the genre. So while the author, John Guzzetta, couldn't work Superglue, pacemakers, x-rays, and plastic-eating enzymes into the grid, these, too, were discovered/invented by accident.
Show note imagery: Henry Coover Jr (right), the (accidental) inventor of Superglue™️
We...
Tuesday, March 10, 2026 - Mmm, give me a bowl of that ol' BABAGHANOUJ 😋
Just like the dish in the title, today's crossword was yummy. We found the theme delicious, the clues tangy, and like all good crosswords it left us wanting more. Just to give you a taste, we had 34A, Hardwood tree ... or what's left after it burns, ASH (nice one!); 30D, Something a Möbius strip lacks, END (true, dat); and 48A, Word with shift or skeleton, KEY 😀.
In addition to the crossword, we have a Triplet Tuesday segment for your edification and entertainment — with Jean in the hot seat tonight.
Show note imagery: BABAGHANOUJ, hummus's first...
Monday, March 9, 2026 - May we have the envelope, please?
This was a fine Monday crossword, straightforward but with a wry theme and clues that spanned a wide gamut of years. For instance, 3D, Bobby, Peter or Greg, to Carol Brady, STEPSON (circa 1969); 46D, Beats by ___ (headphone brand), DRE (est. 2006); and 67A, "___ gratia artis" (classic MGM motto), ARS (roared into life in 1924). So, regardless of what your generation is, there are at least some clues in today's puzzle that you'll read and say, GEE, I know that one.
In honor of Monday we have another JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award) to bestow, and best...
