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Overview[]
- Early in Season 9, Ryan and Brian bring Jim Horne back to the show (he first appeared in S1E26, and his second appearance in S9E407 -- a span of 381 episodes -- is the longest hiatus between appearances). Big changes to XWordInfo prompted the interview.
Highlights[]
- S9E407: Interview with Jim Horne, discussing the past, present, and future of XWordInfo.com
Interviews and Guests[]
- S9E407: Jim Horne
- S9E408: Ben Zimmer cohosts with Brian
- S9E410: Francis Heaney, Scott Weiss
- S9E411; Shannon Rapp, Taylor Johnson, Steve Mossberg
- S9E413: Ben Zimmer cohosts with Brian
- S9E415: Shannon Rapp, Will Eisenberg
- S9E423: Ben Zimmer cohosts with Brian
Episodes[]
| Num | Date | Title | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 406 | 8/29/23 | I'm just trying to stay within myself. | Psst! — we forget that we’ve said things on the show before. But, *ahem* — we don’t mind repeating ourselves! Best way to complain is to write us email. We love it. Today: The Sound of Music, the words of Cody Bellinger, and please join everyone on Crosscord! |
| 407 | 9/5/23 | The internet is an umbrage machine. | This week, Ryan and Brian welcome Jim Horne back to the show. Jim created XWordInfo.com, and now with major changes happening, shares his perspectives, stories, and highlights. And for a bit of nostalgia, you can listen to Jim’s last FMI interview in 2008! |
| 408 | 9/12/23 | We're trying to get Zoom-bombed, and it's not working! | This week, Ben Zimmer (30D!) joins Brian for discussions of #gridspotting, the Bryant Park tournament, and the Baby Mets. ALSO: Brian is not shy to perpetuate conspiracy theories about Will Shortz’s alter ego, and contrary to the episode’s title, we did actually get Zoom-bombed. |
| 409 | 9/19/23 | Not as cool a monkeys! | This week, Ryan is back in spite of his overwhelming TikTok fame, and rejoins Brian for an episode like literally every other – musicals, baseball, some crosswords, and a somewhat disappointing Kealoan accomplishment. |
| 410 | 9/26/23 | It was confusing and also not confusing at the same time. | This week, Francis Heaney and Scott Weiss stop by to discuss escape rooms, logic puzzles, and their fantastic new book, "Escape Room Logic Puzzles." Also: Ryan looks for redemption in a new Kealoa that may have some of you drooling with hunger. |
| 411 | 10/3/23 | You’re relegated down, and you’re uplegated up. | This week, the geniuses behind Lemonade Disco – Taylor Johnson, Steve Mossberg, and Shannon Rapp – visit the studio to discuss their efforts in puzzles, publishing, and punctually putting out prompted content. Also, Kealoa, which is just a little bit of this and a little bit of that. |
| 412 | 10/10/23 | The foofier, the taddier. | This week, Ryan and Brian learn a bit about Drake’s Drum and a tad about Clayton Kershaw, and present a Harvest Round like nothing you’ve ever heard. Because it’s never been a thing. Also, Peter Gordon wrote a book called Word Solitaire, and here’s a link to buy a copy! |
| 413 | 10/17/23 | Irreversible binomials. | This week, Ryan is at ComiCon, so Ben Zimmer sails through to join Brian in talks of gridspotting, baseball+word nerdery, and potential new FMI clubs. All that plus a new Contest of Now, courtesy of Shannon Rapp and Will Eisenberg! |
| 414 | 10/24/23 | It is not doing the thing that hot dogs does. | This week, Ryan reports on Back to the Future (the musical), attempts multiple foreign languages, and bemoans the Dodgers. Also, Brian is present for the episode. All that plus a Contest of Still Going On, courtesy of Shannon Rapp and Will Eisenberg! |
| 415 | 10/31/23 | Here we go, Cheerios, let’s ruin your life. | This week, Brian actually IS in the episode (and so is Ryan) -- and so are special guests Shannon Rapp (tnifbtpar) and Will Eisenberg to talk about their recent contest puzzle, Paul McCartney, and bringing the fam back together for a Kealoa reunion. All that, plus a surprise Thunder Round of AVCX puzzles from the last few weeks of October. |
| 416 | 11/7/23 | It’s not just a different tempo, it’s a whole new song. | This week, Ryan and Brian revisit non-related sauces and homeowner miseries, and everything Brian thought he knew about Sweeney Todd is apparently meaningless. PSA: No matter what the kids say, candy corn is actually delicious. |
| 417 | 11/14/23 | There's nothing less scary than an inactive volcano. | This week, Ryan and Brian talk crosswordese in great detail with David Bukszpan, author of "Crosswordese," a brand new book taking a deep dive into the vocabulary you all write into grids each and every day. Plus a #NYTXW Thunder Round, and we go wading into a new avian Kealoa. |
| 418 | 11/21/23 | Their names seem like phonetic anagrams of each other. | This week, Ryan and Brian don't know the size of a trilobite, the origin of a certain pasta dish, the difference between Sharon Stone and Madonna, nor what they're doing in the C Rundle, but Decker Math is still a core value, and for that, they shout a unified cry of victory. |
| 419 | 11/28/23 | We have a lot of alternative grains. | This week, Ryan and Brian bicker about soup, banter about a sign in Florida, and dig into a fresh Kealoa like the good little nerdy geeks they are. They also say Paul McCartney's name nine times (sorry), and present a brand new contest sudoku (!) from Jaime Stearns! |
| 420 | 12/5/23 | All the same stories, none of the same characters. | This week, Ryan and Brian remember the Oscars, are riddle-color blind, and have questions about beer. If you feel the same way, vote aye (or yea). There's also a brilliant contest sudoku from Jaime Stearns! |
| 421 | 12/12/23 | I don’t know what the table is. | This week, Ryan and Brian rank desserts, learn about The Waldos, and (at the time of recording) know more about Pablo Picasso than Shohei Ohtani. There's also a fascinating Shcrödinger puzzle from Israel, merch from Long Island, a lot less music (but a better arrangement of it) to welcome Paul McCartney, and as everyone knows, it takes six to samba. |
| 422 | 12/19/23 | Puddle to Mamaragan to plasma to ocean. | This week, Ryan and Brian learn more about a very specific librarian (boy oh boy is this amazing!), investigate Oz-adjacent cinema, and take a lesson in musical modality with a new spin on Kealoa. |
| 423 | 1/2/24 | Remember when we talked about Jotto the last time? We're going to do it again in two years. | Happy New Year! To celebrate, Ryan has gone AWOL, so we're delighted to bring Ben Zimmer back into the studio. We've got announcements and teasers and puzzles and Lingo and ... does anyone have a Hebrew word list? |
| 424 | 1/9/24 | Now don't you wish you'd traded it for Paul McCartney? | January! Again! Ryan's back for a Kealoa he wishes he could avoid, and Ben Zimmer returns with a Word of the Year recap. There's some saucy language (courtesy of the WOTY content), so let this be your warning. |
| 425 | 1/16/24 | Schtick in your thirties becomes lifestyle choices in your fifties. | Friends, viewers, countrymen, loan us your ears? Ryan and Brian take turns in two different quizzing hot seats and a surprise audio segment includes MLB predictions and new developments in breakfast namesakes. |
| 426 | 1/23/24 |