Best space_mule Podcasts (2025)

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Friday, November 14, 2025 - This crossword wasn't just great ... it was POG 🤔 14:06

Play Pause

1h ago14:06

14:06

Several clues in today's crossword gave both cohosts reason to pause. Most notably we had a debut at 6D, Aesthetic associated with classical literature and vintage fashion, DARKACADEMIA; we also had the mysterious 1D, Cool, in streaming slang, POG; and we were intrigued to discover 62D, ID whose lowest possibility is 001-01-0001, SSN. In addition t…

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Thursday, November 13, 2025 - 🎶 In the circle, the circle of life 🎶🦁 16:06

3h ago16:06

16:06

This was a tricky Thursday crossword and a magnificent debut for Kyle Perkins. Jean struggled and Mike strugggggled, to get to the happy music; both eventually persevered, but not before much gnashing of teeth had taken place. We have all the dental records inside, so have a listen (as one will, to dental records 🙄), and enjoy! Show note imagery: A…

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Wednesday, November 12, 2025 - It was a horse! Mule! Horse! Mule! ... 15:31

6h ago15:31

15:31

The father and daughter duo of Brad Wiegmann and Nicole Wiegmann have teamed up to create a wonderful connect-the-dots-er-squares puzzle-within-a-puzzle. Elizabeth Gorski, an NYTimes contributor with a whopping 219 crosswords to her credit apparently pioneered this approach: and the Wiegmann opus is a fine addition to the oeuvre. Besides the crossw…

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Tuesday, November 11, 2025 - Happy Veteran's Day! 6:36

1d ago6:36

6:36

This is the second Christina Iverson - Scott Hogan collaboration, and the first NYTimes crossword ever to include WORCESTERSHIRE as an answer. It usually takes us several takes before we can pronounce the word, and even more before we can spell it. We enjoyed 52A, Copenhagen's "The Little Mermaid", for one, STATUE (which for all the attention it ge…

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Monday, November 10, 2025 - Happy Veteran's Day Eve!! 7:18

1h ago7:18

7:18

This was an excellent crossword by a prolific cruciverbalist. It was a Monday, and as far as being fun and appropriate for novice puzzle solvers, a smashing success. We enjoyed the challenge of how to spell 9D, Shrub with bright flowers, AZALEA; the reappearance (for the second time in two days) of a by-gone internet pioneer, AOL; and the opportuni…

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Sunday, November 9, 2025 - Amie Walker swings for the fences! 19:11

6d ago19:11

19:11

If crosswords had moods, we'd classify this one as feisty. It took both cohosts, working independently as always, longer than usual to get to the happy music. But the journey is the reward, as they say, so rather than complain, we prefer to celebrate this, the fourth NYTimes crossword by Amie Walker. Deets inside. Show note imagery: A LORIS, in its…

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Saturday, November 8, 2025 - MANSAMUSA, the original golden boy 🙄 8:56

3h ago8:56

8:56

This was a good Saturday workout: not the hardest Saturday ever, but engaging, with some truly effervescent cluing. We covered the best-of-the-best in today's episode, but we would also like to note 26A, John Coltrane album whose title suggests making major progress, GIANTSTEPS (check it out, an awesome work); 46D, Pussyfoot: SNEAK; and the star of…

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Friday, November 7, 2025 - Today's crossword had an ENNEAD of debut entries (which, sadly, did not include ENNEAD🙄) 12:36

4d ago12:36

12:36

This was a challenging crossword for both cohosts, as both -- solving independently as is their custom -- ended up in the same area of the grid, temporary waylaid by the crossing of 40A, The Brady household, including Alice, e.g., ENNEAD, and 29D, "The Fall of the House of Usher" actress ___ Miller, TNIA. In the end, though, Jean managed to get thr…

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Thursday, November 6, 2025 - YOWZAH, what a crossword!! 12:53

1h ago12:53

12:53

For you polyglots out there, the NYTimes has written a love letter, cleverly disguised as a crossword -- today's, to be precise, a magnificent opus by Sam Brody. For the rest of us, the crossword was (for reasons that will be come clear once you've heard the podcast and/or seen the completed grid) a lot more challenging, which means, of course, a l…

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Wednesday, November 5, 2025 - All hail ANNA Lee Fisher, first mother in space! 13:14

7d ago13:14

13:14

The first author of today's crossword, Chad Hazen, had over 40 rejections before finally getting a crossword published -- but when he did get it published it was in the New York Times, so there is that. He was aided in his efforts by legendary crossword constructor Jeff Chen, an ideal person to have your six when the crossword deities conspire agai…

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Tuesday, November 4, 2025 - Make ROOM for the ROOMBA 15:08

7d ago15:08

15:08

This was a debut crossword by Patrick Hayden, and a very nice one, to boot. The theme was sly, and the author has a knack for writing novel clues for common answers. We covered many of them in the podcast, but we admired many more. For instance, we had 58A, What you eat, DIET; 52D, Metaphor for a bad goalie, SIEVE (awesome!); and 61D, Start of a br…

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Sunday, November 2, 2025 - A veritable ocean of white squares 😳 8:45

3d ago8:45

8:45

If you fear crosswords with large swathes of white squares, infrequently interrupted by a black square or two (and psychiatrists have a technical name for that: "normal"), you might want to give this crossword a bye. But if you do so, be warned: you'll be missing out on one of the best Sunday crosswords of the year, courtesy of Rafael Musa (adeptly…

1
Saturday, November 1, 2025 - All hail the PEOPLESELBOW! 💪🏽 16:36

4d ago16:36

16:36

This was a sweet Saturday crossword by Michael Lieberman, filled with his characteristically witty, and fresh clueing. We've covered the best in the podcast, but we also were enamored with 37D, Atypical, to Antonius, RARA; 24D, Settled a debt reluctantly, PONIEDUP 🐎; and 51D, One direction, EAST 😁. Show note imagery: An AGOUTI, looking for some Bra…

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Friday, October 31, 2025 - 'Allo, AYOEDEBIRI! 6:08

6d ago6:08

6:08

As we sidle up to the most challenging crossword of the week, aka Saturday, we expect the opening act -- Friday -- to help get us in the right frame of mind. Friday does not disappoint, as there were oodles of tricky (theme-free) clues to contend with. For instance, 34D, A smartphone has many of these, USES (ah, not APPS, got it!); 38D, The U.A.E. …

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Thursday, October 10, 2025 - A PARAGON of a Thursday crossword 16:19

6d ago16:19

16:19

If you needed to be reminded that the scariest day of the year is coming up tomorrow; and if yesterday's crossword didn't drive the stake (er, point) home, then today's surely will. Between the OREOS, bat(omorph)s and witches in the grid, and the suspiciously large number of pumpkins one is likely to encounter in the street, it is clear that Hallow…

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Wednesday, October 29, 2025 - Today's podcast, brought to you by the Bela Lugosi Fan Club 🧛🏽🫣 11:15

7d ago11:15

11:15

This was the perfect Halloween Eve's Eve crossword, suitably spooky and eminently entertaining. The theme was a stitch, and the supporting cast of clues was, well, quite supportive. We've covered the highlights in today's podcast; but as usual we link to the completely filled-in crossword, from xword.info, right here. Show note imagery: A delectabl…

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Tuesday, October 28, 2025 - The world definitely needs more SOFAFORTS 🤗 15:05

14d ago15:05

15:05

Jean found today's crossword to be a tad more difficult than usual; Mike found it almost, but not quite, impossible, thanks to the high density of pop-culture references in the bottom-left corner. We have the deets inside. In other news, it's Triplet Tuesday and -- how shall we put this charitably? -- Mike gave it the ol' college try. Show note ima…

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Monday, October 27, 2025 - We'll take a flier on how to spell FLYER 😀 12:44

17d ago12:44

12:44

This was Tarun Krishnamurthy's third NYTimes crossword: he now has two Mondays and a Tuesday under his belt. Today's opus had an endearing theme and provided us with an opportunity to dive into the FLIER v. FLYER debate. Based on extensive research, we can now conclude, unequivocally, that it should neither be spelled PHLIER (as that is a chemist w…

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Sunday, October 26, 2025 - A Titan might find a CHITON a bit tight on 'em 😉 17:12

10d ago17:12

17:12

The last few crosswords have been rather on the challenging side and while Will and co. (co, in this case, being collaborators Gary Larson and Doug Peterson) definitely did ease up a bit today, it was still not a walk in the park -- more of a jog uphill. As far as the slope of that hill, Jean would rate it about 2%, Mike estimated it was more like …

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Saturday, October 25, 2025 - Just in time for Halloween, a Very Scary Solve 🫣 17:54

17d ago17:54

17:54

Byron Walden has had 110 crosswords published in the NYTimes, of which 71 were Saturdays. If you are wondering why, then take a gander at today's grid, and peek at the podcast; Byron has served up a master class in how to write delectable, diabolically deceptive clues. Deets inside. Show note imagery: PHILO Farnsworth, the "Father of Television" an…

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Friday, October 24, 2025 - A brilliant Friday debut by Kelvin Zhou 12:53

19d ago12:53

12:53

It is hard to believe that today's crossword was a debut, but ... believe it! By turns elegant, hilarious, engaging and definitely taxing, both cohost were decidedly enamored with today's work. We have all the many reasons why inside, so have a listen, and let us know if you concur. In other news, in honor of the day, we have another Fun Fact Frida…

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Thursday, October 23, 2025 - Life would be perfect ... if only we could buy ALDOs at ALDI's 🙄😉 14:08

13d ago14:08

14:08

This were a lot of jewels in today's grid, including, well, JOULES (56A, Units equal to roughly a quarter of a calorie). We also were glad to learn the last name of 60A, Lou ___, "Mambo No. 5" singer, BEGA; and the full name of 45A, Star of NBC's "The Blacklist", JAMESSPADER. We confess, we haven't see The Blacklist, and wanted to plead "lack of ti…

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Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - A crossword you can count on, mais oui! 13:39

16d ago13:39

13:39

This was a gem of a Wednesday crossword. The theme was, as you might expect, unexpected: the rest of the grid, as you might also expect, excellent. We covered most of our favorites in today's episode, but we would also like to direct your attention to 11D, Whirling visual effects in video games, PORTALS; 39A, Bubbly bar, SOAP; and 5D, Electrorecept…

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Tuesday, October 20, 2025 - Winter in Wisconsin? Brrrrrrrrrring it on 😀 ☃️ 15:45

23d ago15:45

15:45

Spencer Leach's crosswords have appeared most frequently on Saturday*, meaning he likes to make 'em tough. Todays is his first Tuesday outing, and it is quite good. We'd say more, but since our footnote has mysteriously become almost as long as our usual show note, we'll wrap it up here and remind you to check out today's episode for the full 411 o…

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Monday, October 20, 2025 - All hail HAYAO Miyazaki, animator extraordinaire! 8:50

18d ago8:50

8:50

This was a nice Monday crossword, the 17th by Adam Aaronson, who is more partial to Saturday but we're glad to see him wander over to this half of the week. Jean tore through the puzzle so quickly her iPad caught fire, whereas Mike's was never at risk. The clues were mainly Monday fare, but we did have the fabulous 2D, End of some sentences, PAROLE…

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Sunday, October 19, 2025 - A crossword with just the right number of CRONUTs 😀 🍩 13:32

17d ago13:32

13:32

This was a truly epic Sunday crossword by Daniel Grinberg, one with a theme guaranteed to put a smile on your face and/or cause your jaw to drop in amazement at the artistry and effort that clearly went into today's puzzle. We have much more to say about this magnificent opus, so pull up a chair, go for a jog, whatever it is that you do while liste…

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Saturday, October 18, 2025 - Fasten your seatbelts, Samuel Smalley is baaaaaack! 17:59

19d ago17:59

17:59

This was Samuel Smalley's second crossword, and his second on a Saturday . He certainly seems to have internalized the make-it-as-tough-as-you'd-like spirit that distinguishes Saturday crosswords, and unquestionably knows how to peg the meter. There were 13 debut answers in today's grid, and virtually every single clue put up a fight. We have the d…

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Friday, October 17, 2025 - VOLARE! 6:04

20d ago6:04

6:04

This was a splendiferous Friday crossword by Karen Steinberg. It was not particularly difficult, but it was particularly fun to solve, and for that we are grateful! Check out today's episode for all the deets, and drop us a line -- we love feedback! Show note imagery: What may (or may not: we make absolutely no promises) be the correct set of rules…

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Thursday, October 16, 2025 - We choose ... the REDPILL! 20:05

21d ago20:05

20:05

This was an ingenious and entertaining crossword by Kareem Ayas, his 7th for the NYTimes. The theme was very (n)ice indeed, but the rest of the clues were not just there for show. We loved 34A, High lights?, AURORA; were delighted by the nostalgia-inducing 25D, What allows Neo to disconnect from the Matrix, REDPILL; and were amazed to discover the …

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Wednesday, October 15, 2025 - Ah, those halcyon, cerulean skies! 11:24

26d ago11:24

11:24

We find it difficult to resist a crossword with the word "cerulean" anywhere in it, or even in near it, when the constructors were working their magic. But it is not only for that reason that we have bestowed upon this fair opus a full 5 squares on the JAMCR scale. To find out what those other reasons are ... merely download today's episode (after …

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Tuesday, October 14, 2025 - Contemplating the RIGHTNESS of RIGHTNESS 🙄😉 12:55

22d ago12:55

12:55

This was an excellent crossword by Stella Zawistowski, her 24th for the NYTimes and her 7th Tuesday. There were some awesome clues in the grid, such as 28D, "A pox on thee!", FIE (a truly excellent insult 😀); 23A, Heavily edit with beauty filters, as a photo, in modern lingo, YASSIFY (how do scholars classify YASSIFY, anyways? 😉); and in retrospect…

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Monday, October 13, 2025 - YOSHI, Everyone's favorite pixel-based lifeform 😉 15:25

24d ago15:25

15:25

This was an intriguing debut crossword by Katherine Xiong. Both cohosts -- solving independently as usual -- found it to be a tad longer than one might expect for a Monday. That just means more time spent savoring the crossword, though, and so more a cause for celebration than anything else. Besides the crossword, we also have our JAMCOTWA (Jean An…

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Sunday, October 12, 2025 - FENNELBULBS: when LCDs just aren't bright enough 🙄😎 21:32

24d ago21:32

21:32

Both cohosts found today's puzzle to be particularly crunchy due to cruciverbial challenges in different areas of the grid. Jean struggled mightily in the southeast corner, while Mike was temporarily waylaid by his ignorance of sports -- and any pop culture references more recent than around 1850. Still, both eventually prevailed, and lived to tell…

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Saturday, October 11, 2025 - Another Sam Ezersky Thriller 13:58

26d ago13:58

13:58

Sam Ezersky crosswords can be quite thrilling, as he is renowned for making highly challenging puzzles. He certainly does not disappoint this Saturday, quite the contrary. However, he has managed to inject a lot of humor into the grid, making for an epically challenging but also quite entertaining solve: no slogs here. We have all the deets inside,…

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Friday, October 10, 2025 - Another fun-filled Friday frolic of a crossword 14:45

1M ago14:45

14:45

Colin Adams seems to have hit the sweet spot with Friday crosswords chock-full of cracklingly good clues. Besides those mentioned in today's podcast, we also have such notables as 14D, Locales for some residents, in brief, ERS (ah, those types of residents); 32D, Sch. that's home to Mike the Tiger (and his 15,000-square-foot habitat), LSU (we're su…

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Thursday, October 9, 2025 - Soyonora, LEONORA 🙄😀 11:32

1M ago11:32

11:32

This was Freddie Cheng's 18th NYTimes crossword. He mainly publishes earlier in the week, but he has had a crossword published on every day, no mean feat. Today's puzzle had some awesome cluing, including 28D, Way to go, ROAD; 53A, What Zuckerberg dropped from before "Facebook" in 2005, THE; and the bound-to-be-useful-someday-to-somebody clue 37D, …

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Wednesday, October 8, 2025 - Will you enjoy this crossword? Signs point to yes 🔮 13:50

1M ago13:50

13:50

This was an enjoyable Wednesday crossword, with a warm, uplifting, nostalgia-centric theme that both cohosts greatly appreciated. We were glad to see Jules VERNE in the grid for his 77th time, in 48A, Author of "L'Île Mystérieuse"; we were not at all surprised to see YAOA (Yet Another OREO Answer) at 60D, Double Stuf cookie; and we also appreciated…

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Tuesday, October 7, 2025 - TESCO: the best in-store prices, but delivery charges are insane 16:54

1M ago16:54

16:54

By MP

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Monday, October 6, 2025 - TEVAs, the favorite footwear of divas 🙄 12:48

1M ago12:48

12:48

By MP

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Sunday, October 5, 2025 - Once upun a crossword ... 13:14

1M ago13:14

13:14

For those who like puns, you are in for a treat; and for those who do not, you still are, because in a 21x21 Sunday grid there's room for all manner of entertaining / educational clues. If the name of today's constructor, John Kugelman, sounds familiar, that's because he has appeared in February, April, May, June, July and October of this year -- n…

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Saturday, October 4, 2025 - The lore and the allure of LORELEI 🧜🏾‍♀️ 14:51

1M ago14:51

14:51

This was an enthralling Goldilocks of a Saturday crossword: not too hard, not too easy, but just right. For that we can thank Ryan McCarty, edited by the seemingly indefatigable Will Shortz. There were oodles of great clues in the grid, and we have the full analysis right here - so please download, listen up, and enjoy! Show note imagery: an ELAND,…

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Friday, October 3, 2025 - Time for some cheery R&R with Rebecca (Goldstein) and Rafael (Musa) 11:30

1M ago11:30

11:30

Rebecca Goldstein and Rafael Musa are both great cruciverbalists, but together they are more than the sum of their (very impressive individual) parts -- as aptly demonstrated in today's crossword. From the amusing 56A, Something raised during Oktoberfest, BEERTENT (nice!), to the educational 5D, The first one was issued in 1936, for short, SSN, to …

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Thursday, October 2, 2025 - One bang up crossword! 13:43

1M ago13:43

13:43

This was a fine Thursday crossword by Aidan Deshong -- his 6th for the NYTimes. Jean tore through it, Mike ... did not. The theme, discussed within, was great. The clues were also fine -- 20A, Leveled the playing field, say?, MOWED (awesome!); 55A, Pin number, TEN (🎳😀); and 3D, What might come after many years?, AGO (not, as both cohosts originally…

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Tuesday, September 30, 2025 -- A joyous Tuesday crossword! 9:38

2M ago9:38

9:38

Today's crossword was a joy, for reasons that will become readily apparent as soon as you've either a) done the crossword, or b) listened to today's podcast. We don't want to spoil it too much; to say that there was a great pun in the grid is probably not too much of a spoiler, as that is oft the case. For all the deets, though, you'll definitely w…

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Monday, September 29, 2025 - A sweet, sweet debut 14:10

2M ago14:10

14:10

Today's crossword is a debut for Brian Keller -- and it checks all the boxes as far as Mondays are concerned. Fun theme? ✅ Not too hard? ✅ Interesting clues? ✅ 15x15 or thereabouts? ✅ In addition to a fine Monday, we've also hand-picked our JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award) for the last week, which goes to ... a crossword that …

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Sunday, September 28, 2025 - PEETS, when you need caffeine to get to the next Starbuck's 😀 17:33

2M ago17:33

17:33

A few weeks ago, we had an homage to Star Trek. Well, Rich Katz (ably guided by Will Shortz) has dug into the nostalgia vault once more, and came up with this fine ode to a 1990's sitcom whose name we will not mention in these show notes -- to preserve the element of surprise, as it were. Being a Sunday crossword, there were numerous notable clues.…

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Saturday, September 27, 2025 - A Saturday crossword so good we'll need a thesaurus to do it justice! 😍 8:28

2M ago8:28

8:28

This was a Saturday crossword where every clue looked like it was hand-crafted with passion and precision: if the Loeuvre is ever looking for a crossword to hang up next to the Mona Lisa, they could do worse than pick this one. Even after our extensive dive into the grid in the podcast, we couldn't squeeze in all the gems. For instance, 23A, They a…

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Friday, September 26, 2025 - Behold, a business of FERRETS! 16:39

2M ago16:39

16:39

Opinions were mixed on today's puzzle. Jean found it to be a large-ish challenge while Mike found more of it in his wheelhouse than usual for a Friday. Both agreed that it was an awesome crossword, though, with some sharp and interesting cluing. For instance, we had 39A, Pet food brand whose name reflects its founding in Allentown, Pa, ALPO; 37A, I…

1
Thursday, September 25, 2025 - Encore, encore! 11:01

2M ago11:01

11:01

Today's crossword was brrrrrrrillllllliiiiiiiiiaaaaaaaannnnnnnntttttttt -- that is to say, brilliant: but definitely a stretch 😀. To be more specific, thanks to the theme solving this crossword seemed virtually impossible, until ... it wasn't. We don't know how long it took to construct this, but it is genius writ large. Kudos to Jesse Goldberg for…

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Wednesday, September 24, 2025 - Let's do the CHARLESTON! 14:57

2M ago14:57

14:57

This was Peter A. Collins' 122nd NYTimes crossword, a very impressive statistic. The reason why he got to 122 is apparent everywhere you look in today's grid. From 8D, One who's given many instructions nowadays, SIRI, to 42D, Like the scent of some air fresheners, PINEY, and all the way to 25D, Lightheaded sorts?, BLONDES, this was a delightful pie…

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