
Friday, September 11, 2026 — Robyn Weintraub Is Back, and We Are Better for It!
Jean & Mike Do The New York Times CrosswordShow Notes
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 Ro...
More from Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword
This was an excellent and challenging Friday crossword by Katie Hoody, who is well known for her excellent and challenging (predominantly Saturday) puzzles. Today's might've been nominally on Friday, but both cohosts thought it was "Saturday-ready", with a sea of sneaky clues engineered to entrap the unwary. Besides those mentioned in today's episode, we had clues like 26A, Band at a Jimmy Buffet concert?, LEI (wow!); 30A, With whom one pools pounds for quarters, FLATMATE (brilliant!!);...
Today's crossword was an awesome bit of work by David J. Kahn, a highly accomplished crossword constructor who first published in the NYTimes in 1994. The puzzle in question was — depending on which cohost you talk to — either a tad on the challenging side, or staggeringly, breathtakingly difficult. Regardless, both loved it, for a multitude of reasons elaborated upon in today's episode. In addition to the crossword, we have a spot of excellent listener mail for your enjoyment, so ... enjoy! ...
Although your cohosts — currently sporting their higher-ed caps while writing this — are staunchly against grade inflation, they don't feel the slightest twinge of guilt at giving today's crossword an A+, as it was earned. Deets inside. Show note imagery: Tusky, mascot for the Utah Mammoth, an NHL team as of April 18, 2024. We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, [email protected]. Also, we're on FaceBook, so feel free to drop by the...
Today marks the NYTimes debut for crossword constructor David Falkowski, and a fine debut it is. The theme was smile-inducing, as were, come to think of it, the rest of the clues in today's puzzle. Nicely done, David! But wait, there's more! We have a Triplet Tuesday segment, and Jean's in the hot seat. Check out today's episode to see if she aced the test or went down in flames. Show note imagery: A GRANARY, engineered to keep out rats, pests, mold and the letter I. We love feedback! Send us...
Both cohosts found today's crossword to be a jot crunchier than the typical Monday fare in places. It started off almost comically easy, but then seemed to put up more resistance in the middle of the grid. We found it endearing, and the theme in particular quite amusing. Besides the crossword, we have chosen our JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award), and we can say, with 100% confidence, that it was one of the crosswords of the previous week. 🙄 Check the episode for mor...