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This marks Rafael Musa and Rebecca Goldstein's 4th NYTimes crossword collaboration, and it is a fine piece of work. Being a Friday, it was themeless, but there were oodles of admirable clues in today's grid. We particularly enjoyed 36D, Be a hero, say, COSPLAY (bravo!); 17A, Going against the grain?, GLUTENFREE (magnifique!); and the groan-worthy 26A, Fare way to go?, BUSRIDES (oy!) — but the rest of the grid was equally eloquent. We eagerly anticipate RM and RG's next collaboration.
Show note imagery: The world's longest river, the Nile, meandering through CAIRO
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Welcome to Jean and Mike to the New York Times crossword. Hi, I'm Jean and I'm Mike
And today we are doing the crossword for Friday March 20th
2026
so on the first day of spring and a day in which there is a lot of melting action taking place on the streets
Great, mm-hmm. Just been great. Did this crossword melt your heart?
No, didn't even was cold as ice
No, no, I don't think I want to associate it with any type of weather. Okay
But how did you find it? I thought it was a good puzzle. Mm-hmm
I am sure that people on Word and Play probably said it was too easy. Yes. Did they say that? There were hundreds of people
Many of many of whom were equipped with pitchforks. Oh, no, folks. And torches too easy. They said
I would never say a puzzle is too easy or too hard, you know, they're just a puzzle and and you can take it
Whatever way you want. Yeah, but I would never just say oh, that was too hard. Mm-hmm
It shouldn't have done that or oh, that was too easy
It wasn't enough of a
Just think that's so funny. I have lots of crosswords that that come to mind that have been too hard
But
No, I I mean if they want to make the crossword harder just do it when they're more tired. Yeah
That's right. I haven't alarm go off at two in the morning and then let's just see how mentally acute they are
That is right. That's right. But no, it was a fun fun puzzle. Mm-hmm
And it had some fun clues. Yes. I enjoyed I enjoyed the clues and who who was it by it was by
Raphael Musa and Rebecca Goldstein. Yes
Rebecca Goldstein she always does a good puzzle, I think
But but no, I thought it was fun. Right
Yeah, and you know, it did take me less time and it usually takes on a Friday
I did it with our daughter. So of course that always cuts it on the time too, but I don't know she does and vice versa
I think but um, but yeah, no, we had fun solving it. Mm-hmm
I usually find a way to make enough mistakes to keep the crossword interesting and not solved in two sort of time
Yes, uh, for example 31 across farm female isn't that a cow?
And apparently the answer here was sour. I guess they're both female farm females
There are many different kinds of females on a farm. Yes
In fact, there was another one that crossed that 27-down farm female. Yeah, are you? Uh-huh
But I went for cow and didn't give it up. Well a cow
Is female right? Right. I'm pretty sure yeah, but
And again is a female
We see I already had the own the w
So it's just that matter of that first letter and because seven down the answer turned out to be the answer for seven down
With the clue being things that send people into hiding surprise party. Yeah, that was one of my babies
It was quite good, but you see I had that scene there. So I thought it had something to do with price parties
And I was trying to figure out what's a price party? It's sort of like where the Tupperware people come by and try and sell you stuff
So and I you know, I didn't know that as of surprise would turn out to be surprise parties
Came out of five across political commentator Piker Hassan Hassan. Yeah, I didn't know. I never heard that
Yeah, it's like come on. How am I supposed to know? I guess I guess they're like an influencer on some social media site
Probably like has 10 million views every day anyway. I did not recognize the name but not for me
Yeah
Ministers so uh-huh. So that was sort of sort of tricky. Um
Let's see we had some good I liked 10 across like a workhouse horse shod. Yes, that was certain cute
And then 11 down Zillow data at first. I thought it was gonna have something to do with housing
Yeah, but it turned out to be home sales right
So I mean do people sell homes or don't they sell houses? It's the physical building
That's the house right. Yeah, it's the home because
They're hanging their hat there. Yeah, I don't know
I mean, they're used interchangeably in real in real estate speak. I mean
They're trying to find you your dream home right at your dream house. I want my dream house
A little more generic, but I'll make you think oh, yeah, this is mine. Yes, it does have that cozy
Feel to it. So
I the one next to it was funny 12 down dramatic outerwear for the theater and I put
Opera cape. I said I know this one. It's opera cape
Because because we've had it before it was opera cape but it turned out it was opera coat
Yes, I'm wearing one right now by the way. No, you're not. Yes, I am. This is my opera coat
listeners can't tell the advantages of doing a podcast
That is a debut incidentally opera coat. Oh, okay. Even if opera cape has shown up. Yes
I know the cape has shown up
I like the one next to it 13 down very old-fashioned sort. I'm like, okay
Like some stead gentle moon or something like that dinosaur dinosaur. Yes. That was good
I thought it might have related to the drink old-fashioned. Oh
Because those are you know, that's a very popular drink up in Wisconsin at the
Separal club. So that's it's a
Comment drink that you get the dinner of an old-fashioned and old-fashioned, but no, it was
Funny if they served you a dinosaur. Yeah, who's your old-fashioned
Serve a little umbrella head a little dinosaur
In that area we had 28 across law with an individual mandate provision for short
ACA right the what the American care actor something
Um
Affordable care affordable care act there we go. Yeah, yeah, Obamacare. That's whatever right sure. Obamacare
Yeah, I you know, I completely forgot about it. It doesn't show up in the news hardly at all anymore. So
No, but need that we had a terrific one giant Jesus. Yes
And I'm thinking of that statue in Rio we thought of that too, but it's like it's it's got a longer name
Yeah, I didn't know what the name was but right
But it was aloo. Yes, the giant uh-huh. He was a great baseball player
That was a fabulous I think the whole crossword was worth it. He's oops. Yeah, yes
Yeah, but yeah, that was the best. That was the best
Although I also liked um
41 across philosophy of a devil's advocate Satanism. Yeah
That was also pretty good. Uh-huh
I enjoyed 33 across it went the whole length of the puzzle and it was words before confirming something
Just so we're clear
Yes
Those are good words to say people are clearing something
And you know, once you see the answer you think of course, uh-huh
Yeah, it certainly didn't come to me right away. No, uh-huh
I had to warm up with a lot of crosses
Like 29 down drinking game pub trivia. Yep
We had 23 across world capital split by the world's longest river
So I forgot and thought the world's longest river was the Amazon
And so I was trying to do something with Rio de Janeiro and fitted into five letters. Yeah, it wasn't going well
No turned out it was Cairo. That's right. I bet you knew that right away. No
What did you think was the longest river? I thought the Amazon really? Oh good. I don't like that
There's some seeing something
I don't know but yeah, the Nile is longer
I wonder how it compares to the Mississippi. Well, it might not be not. Maybe it's a different river and there's a lot of rivers
They go to Africa. Oh, no, it's gotta be that. I mean the Nile is the big one, right? I mean that just
In in each of that thought it was the biggest river, but I don't know my geography of rivers in Africa
So I don't know my geography of rivers around here. All I know is we're gonna have a large one in our backyard
Sometimes see
20 across let's see pesos or euros denaro
I probably need that explain to me
Well denaro means money oh
I see and that would be the language of Spanish correct. That's right. Yeah, once again my lack of Spanish
Does me in although I mean I didn't get it through the crosses very good
So I've got 42 down was funny viral
2010s dance that Hillary Clinton performed on TV
Nene yes, I wish I could have seen that did you do that like during one of her committee
appearances
Mrs. Clinton will you please answer the question and Nene
And then she just started going to a little dance there. Yeah, that would be that would be something to see
Yeah, and then probably get hauled away by the bailiff or whoever manages those things
So I'm trying to think and in the 2010s
She was yes, she would have been secretary of state there. So maybe she did it in some foreign country and thinking that we wouldn't know about it right
Oh, anyway, I thought that was very interesting. Yes, yeah, so yeah, just a fun fun class
One last one and then we'll wrap it up 45 down
that was
poker hand known as a Wayne Gretzky. Yes, 9s 9s because apparently 2 9s. He was number 99. Oh really
I thought I thought probably had something to do with his uniform right yeah
So if you have 2 9s you have a Wayne Gretzky there you go
And I want to look this up on on poker zone and they have like 10 million words
They're this huge vocabulary of of of poker terminology
Just like there's no way I could do I couldn't play poker because I wouldn't know
A Wayne Gretzky from a bobby haul. I don't know who knows
Anyway, that is it for the crossword. Okay, but it is Friday
Which means it's time for fun fact Friday
That was a very spring-like rendition
I'm thinking spring here. Yes, all right
Do you have a fun fact for fun for fun? I do have some fun facts
We had a themed puzzle about the eyes of March on the eyes of March, right?
Eyes of March and and they they looked at
Caesar as in Caesar salad as well as Caesar as in Julius Caesar. Yes, so I have found five
Key facts about Julius Caesar and five key facts about Caesar salad
So anyway Julius Caesar who was born in 100 BC and died in 44 BC
Of course was a Roman general and dictator and here are five key facts about him
He was kidnapped by pirates at age 25
He was captured by Sicilian pirates and they said his ransom at 20 talents
But he insisted he was at worth at least 50
And nice after he was released he hunted them down and had them crucified. Oh, he conquered gall
He conquered gall and actually he kind of ruled in gall with he co-ruled with this other guy named Pompeii
But he conquered gall and in spite of all those great asterisks and obelis. I was about to say
That said, you know, they never let him come. There's this one little gall-ish village
That he never got but he actually had conquered all of gall
Yeah, I think that's true carry on he crossed the Rubicon the Rubicon river in 49 BC
He defied the Senate and his co-leader Pompeii by marching his army across the Rubicon river into Italy
Which was considered a forbidden act and triggered the civil war against Pompeii and the Senate
Which eventually I guess he won because it led to his dictatorship
But that phrase crossing the Rubicon is used
Still today meaning going to the point of no return
You know they've crossed the Rubicon
He created the calendar the Julian calendar the 365 year sick day year with one leap year every four years
We did that and of course he was assassinated on theites of march
So
By the senators who did not like his dictatorship?
Okay, so some facts about Caesar salad. Oh good
It was created by
Caesar
Cardini or his brother Alex
um
And 1924 wait a minute it could have been are you saying it could have been the Alex salad?
Yes, because it was not named after Julius Caesar. It was named after his creator Caesar Cardini
I think they chose well because I think it's easier to say Caesar salad than Alex salad
Yeah, you have to stop after that X and reload the tongue as it were
You wonder if that caused a rip between them
Anyway, it was during prohibition and he he created it in Mexico
For American tourists no doubt going down there to drink because they couldn't drink in the US or have a salad
Maybe they were going down for that the original version did not include anchovies
Which you know it's kind of a common
Ingredient in Caesar salad. Mm-hmm. The savory flavor came from Worcestershire sauce
Which does have anchovies
But not the real thing
Okay, um it was dubbed the most talked about salad in the early 1950s
Oh, and it does provide nutrients like vitamin A
But it is very high in calories
550 plus due to the dressing and all the cheese that is in it. Wow
It has a raw egg in the dressing which carries a minor risk of seminella
And because it was invented on the 4th of July
It
For the July is also known as the National Caesar salad day
Huh the largest Caesar salad ever created weighed over three tons
Wow, that's one big salad
That has been quite the wedding party. Yes
Anyway, so a few facts about Caesar and Caesar. Well, thank you. You are welcome
I am now seized of the need to study up on this. Uh-huh. Very good
But I won't do it now because that is it for today's podcast
Thanks everyone for listening. Yes
We will be back again with our cutting edge analysis of what might be a more difficult Saturday quest for it
It will be mm-hmm. We'll be back to talk about that tomorrow. Bye. Bye

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword
