Saturday, July 18, 2026 — Alright, DIEGOLUNA is in the grid!

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 [https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=7/22/2026]by Rebecca Goldstein*. It had everything that we want to see in a Wednesday crossword: a highly ingenious theme, clues that make you sweat, and a terrific payoff. This undoubtedly deserves 5 squares on the JAMCR scale, for reasons described herein. On a logistical note, we are going to be taking the next few days off for some R&R. If you haven't already subscribed to this podcast, this would be a great time to do so, so that when we come back — next Thursday — you can pick up where you left off. Show note imagery: Nope, those definitely aren't Betty Davis eyes ... more like Devon Rex eyes. ---------------------------------------------------- * or, there is a remote chance that your computer is on fire, in which case you should seek IT help immediately 😀 We love feedback! Send us a text... [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1174559/fan_mail/new] Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com. Also, we're on FaceBook [https://www.facebook.com/JeanAndMikeDoTheNewYorkTimesCrossword], so feel free to drop by there and strike up a conversation!

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 goes to 62A, Things assayers assay, ORES; the "Most-Fun-Answer" award has to go to 17A, "Easy-peasy!", BADABINGBADABOOM 😀; and the "Most-Intriguing-Clue" award surely belongs to 6D, Japanese city that's home to the Chinese Sofukuji Temple, NAGASAKI. As tradition dictates, we have in addition to our usual crossword analysis another Triplet Tuesday™️ segment, with Mike in the hot seat this time around. Did he manage to elude the banana peel, or did he do a verbal pratfall on his way to ignominious failure? Today's episode has all the answers. Show note imagery: The astonishing Chinese Sofukuji Temple, built in 1629 (but you  wouldn't know it!) We love feedback! Send us a text... [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1174559/fan_mail/new] Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com. Also, we're on FaceBook [https://www.facebook.com/JeanAndMikeDoTheNewYorkTimesCrossword], so feel free to drop by there and strike up a conversation!

Monday, July 20, 2026 — Gee, this Crossword's Got GLEE 🙄

It is our suspicion that Eric Rollfing, author of today's fine crossword [https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=7/20/2026], probably solves every NYTimes Connections puzzle without any mistakes, because he seems to be quite adept at identifying commonality among highly disparate items. This is not the first time he's used this approach, but it's always novel and fun to get two puzzles for the price of one. Besides the crossword, we've picked our JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award), another irresistible masterpiece by ... nope, no spoilers! Check out the podcast to find out if your favorite got the nod. Show note imagery: This is not your grandfather's GLEE club. Oh, wait, maybe it is ... 😉 We love feedback! Send us a text... [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1174559/fan_mail/new] Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com. Also, we're on FaceBook [https://www.facebook.com/JeanAndMikeDoTheNewYorkTimesCrossword], so feel free to drop by there and strike up a conversation!

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 is back [https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=7/19/2026] with another impressive, non-linear theme.  We have the full analysis inside, as well as a timely bit of listener mail explaining a clue that we wrestled with yesterday. Enjoy! Show note imagery: An Olympian participating in the 2024 Paris Canoe/Kayak Slalom We love feedback! Send us a text... [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1174559/fan_mail/new] Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com. Also, we're on FaceBook [https://www.facebook.com/JeanAndMikeDoTheNewYorkTimesCrossword], so feel free to drop by there and strike up a conversation!

Saturday, July 18, 2026 — Alright, DIEGOLUNA is in the grid!

This was a crunchy Saturday crossword [https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=7/18/2026], 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. We smiled our way through 57A, What might add a bit of flavor to a salsa?, BONGO; celebrated the debut of 33D, Actor who plays the title role on TV's "Andor", DIEGOLUNA; and groaned slightly upon solving 4D, Super man?, MARIO. This marks Ryan Judge's 7th NYTimes crossword: hopefully puzzle # 8 is already in the hopper. Show note imagery: Gustav Klimt's THEKISS We love feedback! Send us a text... [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1174559/fan_mail/new] Contact Info: We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com. Also, we're on FaceBook [https://www.facebook.com/JeanAndMikeDoTheNewYorkTimesCrossword], so feel free to drop by there and strike up a conversation!