Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

Today's crossword, a debut (huzzah!) by Dario Salvucci, was one of those puzzle-in-a-puzzle challenges that we just adore. In this case, one had to decipher some emoticon-like clues to get the correct answer. Jean cottoned on to the theme fairly quickly, and Mike, alas, had to piece it together after the fact. Still, the crossword was a gem, and kudos to Dario for such a fine work.
Show note imagery: Toronto's 401, not so much a highway as an oozing parking lot, at least at certain times of the day/week.
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Today's crossword leveraged a hilarious line from a very well-known sitcom, and with just the slightest change in syllabification, turned it into the foundation of a terrific theme. Sheer genius from the gifted minds of Hanh Huynh and Ted Mayer. Deets inside.
Show note imagery: DELHI, land of 16+ million people and —  inevitably and indubitably — the best curry restaurants on the planet!
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It's been almost 2 years since Nate Cardin last graced the pages of the NYTimes, and from our perspective that's almost 2 years too long. But he's back now, and in excellent form, with a wry theme and some amusing other clues. We were buoyed by the juxtaposition of 53A, Beyond well-done, BURNT, and 56A, Exceptionally good, in Gen Z slang, FIRE (a GUCCI of a clue, in our opinion 😀). We also were cheered by the appearance of both 57A, "Very funny!", HAHA, and 66A, "Say cheese!", SMILE. We did both while solving this excellent puzzle.
Besides the crossword, we have a Triplet Tuesday segment for your enjoyment and edification: see if you can beat Mike and seize the Triplet Tuesday crown (or possibly tiara, or babushka, we're still working that out 😀).
Show note imagery: The SHAKESHACK is hopping!
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The Cardinal Rules of Crossword Construction:
Rule # 1: never repeat an answer in the grid
Rule # 2: ignore rule 1 if it'll make for an especially awesome  crossword
We are pleased as punch to report that the authors of today's crossword — John Ewbank and Colin Thomas — have taken great pains to adhere to the  aforementioned cardinal rules, and the result of that adherence is most gratifying: check out the podcast to find out why.
In addition, it's Monday, and we therefore have a new JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award) to announce. No spoilers, but if it were a poem it would be fair of face. 😉
Show note imagery: Punxsutawney Phil, ready for his photoshoot
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Both cohosts found today's crossword, a collaboration between Lance Enfinger and John Kugelman, to be a real workout (mentally, of course: physically they were pretty much doing their best mannequin imitations throughout the entire process). The theme was intriguing, to put it mildly: and the clues were definitely crunchier than usual for a Sunday, making the happy music, when it did at last arrive, particularly gratifying. Deets inside.
Show note imagery: It's Seabiscuit and Jockey George Woolf in the lead, War Admiral and jockey Charles Kissinger right behind, a real nail-, er hoof-biter!
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We love listener mail! Drop us a line, [email protected].

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