Crossnerds

Latest Episodes:

EXES & NOS | Don't be a duck Mar 24, 2022

Show notes

Happy Spring, sweet (and bitter) peas! 🌱 Your favorite average-but-clean wee lasses celebrate the season by coming for the bloggers and continuing to review New York Times crossword puzzles (from 3/14/22 - 3/20/22). Discussed:

Brooke's new Tinder bio
Littering is bad
... as is toxic crossword commentary
Mini vs. fun-size
Knowing
The brassiere cup debate (it's CUP for grabs?)
Patti Varol at the LAT crossword 🎉

Links

"After You've Gone" by Joyce Bryant
Portia Lundie on being a Black female constructor (WaPo)
Women's History Month crosswords collection in the Washington Post
Erica Hsiung Wojcik on the Expanded Crossword Name Database (NYT Gameplay)
Ryan McCarty's McGrids

Enjoying "Crossnerds"? Give us five ⭐️s in Spotify! Comment in Apple Podcasts! @ us on Twitter! Support us on Patreon! Or just keep listening. Or all. Ideally all. But we'll take any. Please and thank you!

PARLOR TRICK | Heal the [cross]world Mar 12, 2022

Show notes

So, all the things, mm? Alllllll the things. Anyway, here is another episode, featuring, as usual, Rebecca and Brooke's reviews of the New York Times crossword puzzles (2/28/22 - 3/6/22). Also discussed:

What's in a crossword theme?
Whenfore a question mark clue?
Teresa Teng
Unchecked squares.

CINEMAGRAMS | Yes SHIRRee Mar 01, 2022

Show notes

Another week (2/21/22 - 2/27/22), another seven New York Times crossword puzzles reviewed! Also featuring:

Kelly "Wintertime" Kapow!ski and the Rugrats grandpa ("new LOU, who dis")
Rebuses
Chocolate v. candy
Theme queries and the crossword submission process.

Check out These Puzzles Fund Abortion Too and donate here!

PARDON MY FRENCH | Down the RAT HOLE Feb 24, 2022

Show notes

Grab some refreshing ADES and Cool American-flavoured snackies and settle into this stripped-down sesh of Classic R&B: Rebecca and Brooke reviewing the last week of New York Times crossword puzzles (2/14/22 - 2/20/22). Discussed:

Holes (rabbit, rat, worm, and on a green)
Non-solver fans of this podcast(???)
The history of TEA as "gossip"
What makes a theme "tight"
Narrative crosswords, such as Kim Vu's affecting AVCX
ALTE
Ableism

SCI-FI SHOWDOWN | It's a triomph Feb 13, 2022

Show notes

Well, well, well, if it isn't our favorite puzzlemaker/film critic/bowl made with love and erotic spirits, Kameron Austin Collins! Buckle up for Rebecca, Brooke, and Kam taking down the last week of New York Times crossword puzzles (1/31/22 - 2/6/22, which includes Kam's 2/5 stunner of a puzz).

Discussed:

Wereproblems
-onyms
Tasers (Batman Returns stun gun scene)
ENRON clues
Kitchen items (PARERs, peelers, mashers, bowls)
The art of appearing effortless
High beams in NJ: literally everybody, all the time

And continued PSA: RiRi is still only worth 25 points.

Enjoying "Crossnerds"? Give us five ⭐️s in Spotify and comment in Apple Podcasts! @ us on Twitter! Support us on Patreon! Or just keep listening. Or all. Ideally all. But we'll take any. Please and thank you!

Medley Week #1 | Chaotic good Jan 27, 2022

Show notes

Hang on to your aardwolves, you're going on an xword xventure: Crossnerds' first-ever MEDLEY WEEK [emphasis on the "eeek"]!!! We've selected seven luscious puzzles from seven gorgeous professional crossword outlets that are *not* the New York Times:

Don't worry, we still love you, NYTXW. We'll be back with the usual next time.

PLAYING THE HITS | Whoomp there it is Jan 21, 2022

Show notes

That's one small step for man, one glaring lack of steps for non-menkind: i.e., another week (1/10/22 - 1/16/22) of New York Times crossword puzzle reviews. That's ANO from me! Featuring:

Circular nose breathing
Tails
[Unrelated] Baby's barnyard bovines
Dataaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

COLOR MIXING | I Bega your pardon Jan 06, 2022

Show notes

Season 7 2022 LET'S GOOOOOOO! Let's get through today, every day. Together! With Rebecca and Brooke. Who, this week, review New York Times crossword puzzles from 12/27/21 - 1/2/22! Including:

KISSING BUTT
The heroic efforts of the NYTXW Editorial Team
OAT clues
LOU clues
Vague clues
Shout out to all the pears; and
Beating the "Sunday 140-word cap" trap.

Adam A-aronson's other-other AA plus-plus puzzle puzzle is here.

SEASON TO TASTE | Accept all cookies Dec 26, 2021

Show notes

Wrap up 2021 with a bow and these BIBIMBangin' reviews of the New York Times crossword puzzles published 12/13/21 - 12/19/21! Rebecca and Brooke also talk about list themes and a puzzle's purpose. YAY ME! Yay WE.

Ross Trudeau's essay, The Necessity of Filling Certain Boxes, is on his puzzle blog, Rossword Puzzles.

There's a new game in town | TNY's Liz Maynes-Aminzade Dec 24, 2021

Show notes

Is the Big Apple big enough for two major crossword puzzle outlets? Liz Maynes-Aminzade, the first-ever Puzzles & Games Editor at The New Yorker, drops in to Xnerds HQ to celebrate the magazine's inaugural Cartoons & Puzzles issue (December 27, 2021) and its new(ish) foray into puzzles and games.

TNY's digital offerings include the Name Drop trivia game. Subscribe to its crosswords newsletter for forthcoming goodieeees!

Enjoying "Crossnerds"? Give us five ⭐️s in SPOTIFY and comment in Apple Podcasts! @ us on Twitter! Support us on Patreon! Or just keep listening. Or all. Ideally all. But we'll take any. Please and thank you!

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