Friday, April 17, 2026 - it is our CIVICDUTY to report that this was an awesome crossword!

About this episode

The episode discusses the quality and challenges of the Friday crossword created by Rachel Fabi.

Friday crosswords have a lot of weight on their shoulders: they need to be entertaining (of course); themeless (by convention); and ramp up the difficulty to just the right level so that Saturday doesn't see like a quantum leap from Thursday. We are pleased to report that Rachel Fabi's latest crossword checks all the boxes. To confirm that, be sure and check out today's episode, available ... right now! Show note imagery: Negative Nancy, not to be confused with whining Willy! We love ...

People in this episode

Hosts: Jean, Mike

Topics covered

• crossword puzzles
• entertainment
• difficulty levels
• themed crosswords
• podcast discussion

Keywords

• crossword
• Friday crossword
• Rachel Fabi
• puzzle difficulty
• podcast

More episodes of Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

• Friday, June 12, 2026 —A Quality Friday Crossword! · June 12, 2026 · 18 min
• Thursday, June 11, 2026 — Alas, Poor ARAL Sea, We Barely Knew Ya! · June 12, 2026 · 12 min
• Wednesday, June 10, 2026 — 🎶 NARITA, we just met an airport named ... NARITA 🙄🎶 · June 11, 2026 · 15 min
• Tuesday, June 9, 2026 — Rebecca Goldstein Is at the Helm, Brace for Extreme Wit and Whimsy 😀 · June 10, 2026 · 11 min
• Monday, June 8, 2026 —Now, Where's That BELETE Key Gotten To? 😀 · June 9, 2026 · 15 min
• Sunday, June 7, 2026 — A Rorschach Test of a Crossword 🤔 · June 8, 2026 · 22 min