Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

Steven Jopek is making his debut in the NYTimes, so kudos, congrats, huzzah, etc., etc. Although after the fact the crossword seemed like a typical Monday, during the solve it seemed to put up just a bit more resistance than usual, although, of course, YMMV*.
One thing that stood out: we were impressed by the progression represented by 44A, She, in Portuguese, ELA, 40D, Actor Idris, ELBA, and 57A, Jazz great Fitzgerald, ELLA. It's that attention to detail that gets you, well, published in the NYTimes.  😀 
We've also picked our JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award) for the week, and had to reach waaaaay back to find it. How far back? Let's just say that we are currently seeking chiropractic treatment to recover from the effort. Medic!
Show note imagery: ANGELFALLS, Canaima National Park, Venezuela, the world's tallest waterfall.
*or if you're on the Metric system, YKMV

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Today's puzzle marks Jill Singer's debut Sunday NYTimes crossword, which playfully pays homage to a now passé form of coinage. We'll let you mull over that cryptic hint, or, if you can't wait, simply download today's episode, where all will be revealed. 
Show note imagery: One of our favorite stores, which, if you stretch it a lot, is indeed related to today's theme
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Today's crossword was, by Saturday standards, quite straightforward. But since a) Friday's crossword was a real battle royale, and b) today's clues were suitably amusing/intriguing/educational, we are not complaining, quite the contrary. Our analysis waits within, so have a listen, and, as always, please let us know what you think!
Show note imagery: A Box Jellyfish, in search of a Lens Crafters that offers quantity discounts
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We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com.

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This, Adryel W. Robles Ojeda's second NYTimes crossword, was uber difficult, thanks to a plethora of relatively obscure names, abetted by some rather cryptic crosses: we loved it (as today's podcast makes clear). 
As an example of the cryptic crosses, we had 29D, Diamond wear, MITT (nice one!); 49A, Especially ornate, ROCOCO (we definitely had to dredge that out of long-term storage); and 7D, Sport similar to pétanque, BOCCE (a clue that helped ...not at all 😀, which was surely the point). 
tldr: this was a delightful piece of work, definitely worth 5 squares on the JAMCR scale.
Besides the crossword, we have a Fun Fact Friday segment which may be of particular interest to those of you suffering from, well, just about any malady at all (although remember, we are not medical doctors, and under no circumstances, whatsoever, should you listen to us as opposed to persons who are, you know, qualified 😉).
Show note imagery: The Schaezlerpalais' Festival Hall, in Augsburg: it doesn't get much more ROCOCO than this!
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We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com.

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Most of the time, Thursday themes do something unexpected with the answers, but occasionally the twist involves the clues. Hoang-Kim Vu has provided a sparkling example today, and apart from our Yoda reference in the title, we'll provide no spoilers here, but fear not — we will take a deep dive into that theme, and of course take a gander at the rest of the grid, in today's podcast.
Show note imagery: Some MIT Mystery Hunt contestants, ready to start Sherlocking
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Contact Info:
We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com.

Also, we're on FaceBook, so feel free to drop by there and strike up a conversation!