Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

This was a well-above-mid Monday crossword, the second by Max Schlenker, coming not too long after his debut on 5/5/26. The clues were zesty, which is just slightly to the left of "crunchy", and perfectly apropos for a Monday. There was no  Election Day theme  to speak of — so for those of you seeking a REFUGE from all the political news, the NYTimes crossword has your back.
Show notes imagery: KIRBY and the Forgotten Land, a game which no self-respecting Nintendo Switch owner should be without
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In a highly apt bit of Halloween scheduling — thanks, Will! — today's crossword was built by two of the scariest constructors on the NYTimes' roster, Erik Agard and Brendan Emmett Quigley. Fortunately, they did not put the pedal to the metal today — we'd rate the puzzle as about halfway between the speed of sound and the speed of light. We would also rate it a full and enthusiastic 5 squares on the JAMCR scale, for reasons that we lay out in today's episode.
Show note imagery: The magnificent Garden of the Morning Calm, in the Land of the Morning Calm, KOREA.
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Individually, Robyn Weintraub and Rafael Musa can write great crosswords, but put them together and we have the living embodiment of the axiom that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, i.e., today's puzzle. The clues were terrifically fun and thought provoking, in a word, fabulous; and the grid contained 6 very nice debut answers. We can't say enough about this crossword, but rather than rehash today's episode we'll just step aside and let you have at it.
Show note imagery: Oberon, the second largest moon of Uranus, as photographed by Voyager 2 in 1986. 
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We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com.

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Sam Ezersky usually shows up on Saturdays, so it's a bit of a surprise, and unnerving, to see him here on a Thursday. Fortunately, he left most of his heavy cruciverbial artillery at home, and shown up instead with an excellent but eminently solvable puzzle, with a very amusing theme. Deets inside.
Show note imagery: The quintessential TORY, Winston Churchill
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We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com.

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The old-time radio show "Lights Out" always opened with a fabulous bit of reverse psychology: "Lights Out brings you stories of the supernatural - and the supernormal, dramatizing the fantasies and the mysteries of the unknown. We tell you this frankly -- so if you wish to avoid the excitement and tension of these - imaginative plays, we urge you calmly, but sincerely, to turn off your radio - now."
We mention this as a public service so that susceptible readers will not be unduly affected by this crossword's (ever so slightly) scary theme, and, of course, because everyone should listen to at least one episode of Lights Out (ideally, with the lights out 😀).
The crossword itself was great: no surprise, since Daniel Grinberg was in charge. We have all the deets inside, so have a listen, and, as usual, send any feedback our way!
Show note imagery: The one, the only ... BENDER!!!
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We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com.

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