Fill Me In

Latest Episodes:

Fill Me In #297: 3-Down! May 25, 2021

Show notes

This week, Ryan and Brian talk about ass (no, actually, like the ways it's been clued in puzzles), read a selection from a relatively old play (also actually, yes), and take great joy in being (not actually) featured in a recent #NYTXW! There's a new contest crossword, which you can download at http://bit.ly/fmi297con, and you should check out our twice-weekly Twitch stream at https://www.twitch.tv/nextdoorcomics on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 4pm PT / 7pm ET.

Stuff to click:

"In the Plain Air"
7xwords.com (specifically Emily Flynn's, but the whole site is great)
Redhead64's Obscure Puzzle Blog (and specifically, the quadruple cross)
Sunday puzzles in the Washington Post, courtesy of Evan Birnholz

If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki.

And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our Patreon. We shout out the names of our patrons on the first new episode of each month!

Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doesn't matter! Please consider leaving us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. This will help new listeners find our show, and you'll be inducted into the Quintuple Decker Turkey Club.

Drop us a note or a Tweet or a postcard or a phone call — we'd love to hear from you.

Helpful links:

Apple Podcasts link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fill-me-in/id1364379980
Google Play link: https://player.fm/series/fill-me-in-2151002
RSS feed: http://bemoresmarter.libsyn.com/rss
Contact us: Email (fmi@bemoresmarter.com) / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Google Voice (315-510-9892)

We're putting these words here to help with search engine optimization. We don't think it will work, but you probably haven't read this far, so it doesn't matter: baseball, crossword, crosswords, etymology, game, hunt, movies, musicals, mystery, oscar, pizza, puzzle, puzzles, soup, trivia, words

Fill Me In #296: Tomorrow's lunch today. May 18, 2021

Show notes

This week, Ryan and Brian discuss at least five musicals, one obsolete baseball player, and whether you like it or not, a sandwich. Also, Oracle II: Return of the Oracle! There's a contest crossword, which you can download at http://bit.ly/fmi295con, and you should check out our twice-weekly Twitch stream at https://www.twitch.tv/nextdoorcomics on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 4pm PT / 7pm ET.

Stuff to click:

Contact the USA Today folks and tell them they have an amazing crossword and a not-at-all-amazing web page and app
Sporcle's "Sunday Puzzle" (with a really weird URL)
Blaseball (which we don't understand yet)
The Wall Street Journal contest puzzle (which is over, yes, we know)

If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki.

And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our Patreon. We shout out the names of our patrons on the first new episode of each month!

Drop us a note or a Tweet or a postcard or a phone call — we'd love to hear from you.

Helpful links:

Apple Podcasts link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fill-me-in/id1364379980
Google Play link: https://player.fm/series/fill-me-in-2151002
RSS feed: http://bemoresmarter.libsyn.com/rss
Contact us: Email (fmi@bemoresmarter.com) / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Google Voice (315-510-9892)

Fill Me In #295: I like the vegetables. May 11, 2021

Show notes

This week, Ryan and Brian discuss the serenity of board games, the genius of Jack Lemmon, and the quality of celery. There's a new contest crossword, which you can download at http://bit.ly/fmi295con, and you should check out our twice-weekly Twitch stream at https://www.twitch.tv/nextdoorcomics on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 4pm PT / 7pm ET.

Stuff to click:

If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki.

And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our Patreon. We shout out the names of our patrons on the first new episode of each month!

Drop us a note or a Tweet or a postcard or a phone call — we'd love to hear from you.

Helpful links:

Apple Podcasts link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fill-me-in/id1364379980
Google Play link: https://player.fm/series/fill-me-in-2151002
RSS feed: http://bemoresmarter.libsyn.com/rss
Contact us: Email (fmi@bemoresmarter.com) / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Google Voice (315-510-9892)

Fill Me In #294: For the benefit of people. May 04, 2021

Show notes

Brian has returned from the UNDERWATERTOILET (16)! This week, Ryan and Brian talk about raisins, tough blogs, and other things that are better than Split Decisions. There's a contest crossword, which you can download at http://bit.ly/fmi293con, and you should check out our twice-weekly Twitch stream at https://www.twitch.tv/nextdoorcomics on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 4pm PT / 7pm ET.

Stuff to click:

If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki.

And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our Patreon. We shout out the names of our patrons on the first new episode of each month!

Drop us a note or a Tweet or a postcard or a phone call — we'd love to hear from you.

Helpful links:

Apple Podcasts link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fill-me-in/id1364379980
Google Play link: https://player.fm/series/fill-me-in-2151002
RSS feed: http://bemoresmarter.libsyn.com/rss
Contact us: Email (fmi@bemoresmarter.com) / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Google Voice (315-510-9892)

Fill Me In #293: She's not duplicitous like you are. Apr 27, 2021

Show notes

Other than Brian sounding like he recorded this episode from an underwater toilet (he didn't, but sorry for the audio quality), we've got a great show this week – post-ACPT conversations with champion Tyler Hinman (@thatpuzzleguy on both Twitter and Twitch) and our very own field reporting rapport-er, Katja Brinck (@katjabrinck on Twitter). No puzzle spoilers, but plenty of insight to the full scope of the weekend. Oh, and we have a new contest crossword, which you can download at http://bit.ly/fmi293con.

If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki.

And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our Patreon.

Drop us a note or a Tweet or a postcard or a phone call — we'd love to hear from you.

Helpful links:

Apple Podcasts link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fill-me-in/id1364379980
Google Play link: https://player.fm/series/fill-me-in-2151002
RSS feed: http://bemoresmarter.libsyn.com/rss
Contact us: Email (fmi@bemoresmarter.com) / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Google Voice (315-510-9892)

Fill Me In #292: Achy, sweaty, like my eyes were uncomfortable. Apr 20, 2021

Show notes

Wait, didn't you specifically ask for a nearly 2-hour episode for the ACPT weekend? Well, too bad - we're giving you one anyway. Highlight: 48 minutes with Ben Zimmer. Lowlight: Probably the rest. There's a contest crossword (you can download it at http://bit.ly/fmi290con), and you should check out our twice-weekly Twitch stream at https://www.twitch.tv/nextdoorcomics on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 4pm PT / 7pm ET.

Stuff to click:

Sid Sivakumar's puzzle in The Juggernaut
The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament
Anya Seton vs. Anne Sexton - who ya got?
The guy from Nebraska who calls boneless wings "trash"
Arnold Zwicky's Blog: Resembloid Composites
Scripps Spelling Bee breaking news!

If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki.

And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our Patreon.

Drop us a note or a Tweet or a postcard or a phone call — we'd love to hear from you.

Helpful links:

Apple Podcasts link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fill-me-in/id1364379980
Google Play link: https://player.fm/series/fill-me-in-2151002
RSS feed: http://bemoresmarter.libsyn.com/rss
Contact us: Email (fmi@bemoresmarter.com) / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Google Voice (315-510-9892)

Fill Me In #291: It depends on how you look at it. Apr 13, 2021

Show notes

This week, Ryan and Brian question fictional alter egos, disagree on a puzzle theme, and reach a conclusion about hot dogs. There's a contest crossword (you can download it at http://bit.ly/fmi290con), and you should check out our twice-weekly Twitch stream at https://www.twitch.tv/nextdoorcomics on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 4pm PT / 7pm ET.

Stuff to click:

If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki.

And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our Patreon.

Drop us a note or a Tweet or a postcard or a phone call — we'd love to hear from you.

Helpful links:

Apple Podcasts link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fill-me-in/id1364379980
Google Play link: https://player.fm/series/fill-me-in-2151002
RSS feed: http://bemoresmarter.libsyn.com/rss
Contact us: Email (fmi@bemoresmarter.com) / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Google Voice (315-510-9892)

Fill Me In #290: But if you went there to ski, it's not the best. Apr 06, 2021

Show notes

This week, Ryan and Brian feel super old, don't understand bean memes, and fail to pronounce names accurately. There's a new contest crossword (you can download it at http://bit.ly/fmi290con), and you should check out our twice-weekly Twitch stream at https://www.twitch.tv/nextdoorcomics on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 4pm PT / 7pm ET.

Stuff to click:

If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki.

And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our Patreon.

Drop us a note or a Tweet or a postcard or a phone call — we'd love to hear from you.

Helpful links:

Apple Podcasts link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fill-me-in/id1364379980
Google Play link: https://player.fm/series/fill-me-in-2151002
RSS feed: http://bemoresmarter.libsyn.com/rss
Contact us: Email (fmi@bemoresmarter.com) / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Google Voice (315-510-9892)

Fill Me In #289: The goal is going to be to tolerate hot sauce while solving a cryptic crossword puzzle. Mar 30, 2021

Show notes

This week, Brian screws up his microphone input (sorry, viewers), and it almost sounds as bad as the first series of the show, ca. 2009. Also: a new grid from Sid, a new song from a-ha, and a new word for the spelling bee. There's a contest crossword from Sid Sivakumar (you can download it at http://bit.ly/fmi288con), and you should check out our twice-weekly Twitch stream at https://www.twitch.tv/nextdoorcomics on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 4pm PT / 7pm ET.

Stuff to click:

"The Sun Always Shines on T.V."
Round Britain Quiz (BBC link, Wikipedia link)
Ricky Cruz's Digital Release
Paolo Pasco's Who's Zoomin' Who?
Maia McCormick's Coping Strategies

If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki.

And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our Patreon.

Drop us a note or a Tweet or a postcard or a phone call — we'd love to hear from you.

Helpful links:

Apple Podcasts link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fill-me-in/id1364379980
Google Play link: https://player.fm/series/fill-me-in-2151002
RSS feed: http://bemoresmarter.libsyn.com/rss
Contact us: Email (fmi@bemoresmarter.com) / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Google Voice (315-510-9892)

Fill Me In #288: The goal is the sauce, not the chicken. Mar 23, 2021

Show notes

This week, Brian and Ryan strategize how to get fried chicken into what is allegedly a no-chicken zone in California, spend more time than usual talking about crosswords (hello, super long episode), but the highlight of the day is a chat with Ben Zimmer! There's a contest crossword from Sid Sivakumar (you can download it at http://bit.ly/fmi288con), and you should check out our twice-weekly Twitch stream at https://www.twitch.tv/nextdoorcomics on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 4pm PT / 7pm ET.

Stuff to click: