Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

This was a superb and somewhat crunchier than usual Monday crossword, a side-effect perhaps of an excellent, and about as NYTimes-ish as you can hope for, theme. For all those reasons we are delighted to give this a full five squares on the JAMCR scale.
In addition to today's crossword, we've picked out our JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award), so to find out who, and why, download today's episode and have a listen.
Show note imagery:  Downtown ORONO, Maine
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Today's crossword was a real deal — two themes for he price of one. But, here's the kicker (and the reason why this puzzle was worthy of the NYTimes): the two themes were slyly related in a way that we will not spoil here, but let you discover on your own, in today's episode.
Show note imagery: ARSENE Lupin, gentlemen thief and nemesis of Herlock Sholmes (really!)
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Kameron Austin Collins (aka KAC) has a reputation for writing streak-killing crosswords. Today, however, KAC is playing against type — and the result is a tough, doable puzzle that doubles as a master class in how to write great clues. 
We've covered our favorites on today's podcast, but here are a few more for your consideration. First, we have 33A, Hip places, BELTLINES (nice!); 32D, Tanning target, PELT (oh, that kind of tan); and the short, sweet, and somewhat cryptic 26A, Flutter, BATS. A fine crossword, most definitely deserving a 5 out of 5 on the JAMCR scale.
Show note imagery: William Pitt "the Younger", a Whig wearing a wig 🙄
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Today marks Joe Marquez's sixth NYTimes crossword. Having started in 2023, that amounts to about 2 crosswords per year — not too shabby! This particular puzzle was particularly non-shabby, with a wry theme and a slew of entertaining clues. We were impressed by 54D, Be important, COUNT (we know you do, listeners!); bedazzled by 51D, Hurricane or mudslide, DRINK (ha!); and suitably perplexed by 12D, Carry the ball in volleyball, e.g., ERR (got it!). 
Show note imagery: Black opal, a rare gem that is suspiciously colorful
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Today's crossword was an homage to proponents of the "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade" philosophy, and it made for an awesome theme — tales of happy accidents that led to some critically acclaimed discoveries/inventions. 
We don't want to spoil the suspense by mentioning those particular accidents here, but fortunately, history is replete with examples of the genre. So while the author, John Guzzetta, couldn't work Superglue, pacemakers, x-rays, and plastic-eating enzymes into the grid, these, too, were discovered/invented by accident.
Show note imagery: Henry Coover Jr (right), the (accidental) inventor of Superglue™️
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