Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

Thursday, October 15, 2026 — You Can't Hide from the Ides 🙄

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

Show Notes

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 crosswor...

More from Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

Oct 22, 2026

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...

Oct 21, 2026

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...

Oct 20, 2026

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...

Oct 19, 2026

Today marks Peter Gorman's debut Sunday crossword. He has now published every day of the week except Friday and Saturday, but, based on how quickly he was able to get to 5 — his first crossword appeared in February of 2025 — we expect him to knock those out in short order. In the meantime, we have this fine puzzle to savor, with a rebus-ish theme and lively cluing throughout. Nicely done, Peter! Show note imagery: LORELEI — the UNESCO World Heritage Site version, not the siren who lured...

Oct 18, 2026

Saturday crosswords are, by tradition — at least since Will Shortz took over as editor — the toughest puzzles of the week, and today's definitely qualified. Both cohosts had to labor mightily to get to the happy music, but the journey was a joyous one. There were many, many delightfully deceptive clues in today's puzzle, just as it should be. Deets inside. Show note imagery: The Netflix series CHEFSTABLE We love feedback! Send us a text... Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, ...

See all episodes →