August 7, 2025 • 19 mins
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Hello, Puzzlers! Puzzling with us today: friend-of-the-podcast and the creator of Black Crossword, Juliana Pache!
Join host A.J. Jacobs and his guests as they puzzle–and laugh–their way through new spins on old favorites, like anagrams and palindromes, as well as quirky originals such as “Ask AI” and audio rebuses.
Subscribe to The Puzzler podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
"The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs" is distributed by iHeartPodcasts and is a co-production with Neuhaus Ideas.
Our executive producers are Neely Lohmann and Adam Neuhaus of Neuhaus Ideas, and Lindsay Hoffman of iHeart Podcasts.
The show is produced by Jody Avirgan and Brittani Brown of Roulette Productions.
Our Chief Puzzle Officer is Greg Pliska. Our associate producer is Andrea Schoenberg.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello puzzlers. Before we start puzzling today, I wanted to
let you know we are cooking up some big plans
for the puzzler community, and in order to ensure that
it's what you want, we need your input. So we've
put together a short survey, which you can find in
the show notes. It's really quick, just three minutes, but
(00:22):
it will be a huge help in letting us know
what you want so that we can deliver just that.
Thank you, Hello puzzlers. Let's start with a quick puzzle.
This intro puzzle is about triple doubles, not the triple
doubles you find in basketball. These are the word nerd
(00:44):
version of triple doubles. I'm looking for words that have
three sets of double letters, like Tallahassee, the capital city
of Florida. Tallahassee has two l's, two s's, and two
e's triple double letters. I'll give you a hint to
a couple of triple doubles. There are two that are
(01:06):
states states in the United States of America. Uh, there
are many that are not states. So my challenge is
to name as many as you can during the break,
and we'll talk about the answers and do some more
puzzling when we return. Hello Puzzlers, Welcome back to the
(01:30):
Puzzler Podcast. The Smelling Salts for your swooning puzzle heroin.
I am your host, A J. Jacobs, and I am here,
of course, but chief puzzle Officer Greg Kliska Greg.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Very old time melodrama.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Yeah, well we're gonna get melodramatic here.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Smelling has double L and swooning has a double L
and puzzle yeah, so maybe you've got them all in
that long.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
But we're looking for single words. Well, first, let's start
with the hints. So there are two states that have
triple doubles.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Greg, Mississippi, that's right, two double s's and a double
P and Tennessee that and a double E exactly and
very close to each other, not far from Tallahassee either.
Right there.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
There are a couple of psychological states that have triple doubles.
I don't know of any other literal states. But do
you know the one I'm talking about?
Speaker 2 (02:31):
SS one of them, but not happiness that's only got
two doubles, not depressiveness that also only has two doubles, loominesssness.
I don't know what do you got?
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Well, we got aggressiveness. Okay, cheerlessness. Uh, we've got Now
what's the one with that we're both referring to with?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Well, the classic triple double is the word bookkeeper exactly
got the two o's, the two k's, and the two
e's right.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Right in there. And that's the only one I could
find that has them right in a row. Maybe if
people can find others, I am all for it. Oh wait, no, no,
I thought for a second committee, but committee has that
I messing it up. Pomp t anyway, send in your
triple doubles. We are now the reason I've brought this
(03:26):
whole speaking Yeah, luck.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Get ready for this seg I'm excited.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
All right. We have a guest who is back for
a second time, and maybe she'll have a third time
next year. But she's here for a double dip, a
double dip of puzzling goodness. She is the creator of
Black Crossword, which is a free daily mini crossword puzzle
with an emphasis on words and people from black culture,
(03:53):
and she has a new book of the same name.
Please welcome back, Juliana Jay Welcome Julia.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Hey, guys, I'm so excited to be back. Thank you
for having me.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
We are delighted to have you and congrats on the
new book.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Thank you so much. Yeah, I'm excited. It's it's similar
to the first one, but it has bigger puzzles, so
it has middies. So the sizes vary from six from
six by six to eight by eight.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Excellent, all right, middies. I don't know if I've ever
heard a middi A.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Yeah, it's bigger than a mini but smaller than a maxie.
That makes sense because the first book was all minis right, Juliana,
it was all five.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
By fives, yes, yep. So I'm able to use some
longer letter counts, some bigger words, more culturally rich.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Love it well. Later in the episode, you're going to
give us some clues from Black Crossword, and we're excited
for that. But as always, we're going to do a
quick puzzle with you first, and today we are going
to do some I rhymes. You might know I rhymes
like E y E rhymes. These are words that look
(05:03):
like they should rhyme, but don't, Like lemon and demon,
they both end emn, so they should rhyme if English
were not insane, but they don't, so they're pronounced differently,
and I'll be cluing these two word i rhymes. So
if the answer were lemon demon, a clue might be,
(05:24):
this is a devil hiding in your sour yellow fruit,
a lemon demon. Or here's another example, this is a
black crossword creator Juliana's short term computer memory. That would
be pache cash ca c G.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
Oh wow, okay, yes, okay, I see what you did there.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Yeah, that was a tricky one. So that's why it
was an example. But here are your real ones. Are
you ready?
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (05:58):
All right?
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Someone who jumps first into the Nile or the Mississippi
might be called a diver. Yeah you got that. That's
half fifty percent there, And Nile and Mississippi are both
types of river is, so say it all together.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Okay, God diver diver and river ver river diver, river diver.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Love it. This is a bizarre citrus fruit. A bizarre
citrus fruit often used in marmalade. So it's described in
the dictionary as a reddish yellow round it is it
guava no much less much less obscure, just like right
(06:54):
down the middle fruit not apples, but oranges, egg exactly,
so bizarre, a bizarre one orange.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
So a word that looks like it should rhyme with
orange that ends with the same letters, but it means bizarre.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
It is oh strange strange orange.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Oh wow, okay, strange orange.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
See I yeah, I never think about those words together.
That's so interesting.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
That's why it's a strange orange.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Exactly. All right, Well, we got a couple more. This is, uh,
the spit of a leading lady in an opera. So
this is.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
If she is another word for spit we're looking for.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
You, Yes it is. And then a leading lady or
Mariah Carey diva, Yeah, exactly, diva saliva or saliva.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Mariah Carey could kind of be a saliva diva. I mean,
if you're sitting in the front row, right, she's probably
spitting all they all are.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Absolutely, the vocals are working, right.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
You got to bring a little plastic green coat when
you're sitting in the front row. All right? How about
a an Italian ice cream made from a red fruit
not a vegetable technically, even though we often think of
it as a vegetable, but this is a red free
(08:31):
so it's a it's a fruit, sure it is.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
It's a flavor of Italian ice.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Yeah, I'm made up one.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
I don't think you would order this flavor, even if
if they made it. I'm not even sure anyone would
order it.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
That is true. It is the I mean it is uh.
It's a condom.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
It's an ingredient in many many Italian sauces and pasta sauces.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Ma rnara, for instance, I believe, is it vodka sauce.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
It would be well, what's what's the vegetable or fruit
in vodka sauce?
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Tomato?
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Yeah, that's it, tomato, tomato.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
There were tomato ices.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
No, well, in all world, in the puzzler world, there
are in this rhyming I rhyming world. So this is yes,
you got tomato, so you're fifty percent.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
There's the Italian ice word for Italian ice cream, gelato.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Yeah, exactly, tomato gelato.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Of course.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Now if you say tomato, if you.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Said tomato, it would rhyme tomato.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Tomato gelato. If this were a British.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Podcastine Heppin would have made.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Those tomato gelatto. All right, we got one more and
then it's time for you to stump us. How about
this is what it might be called if you eat
ribbi or t bone for one hundred days straight. You
(10:08):
might be on a one of these. So ribi and
t bone are type Oh go ahead, well you've got
ribi and t bone are types of exactly. And when
you do like you do Black Crossword every day for
a month, you are on.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
A You're on a streak.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Yes, exactly, and you just did it. So put them together.
You got steak strike. They should rhyme. It should be
steak straight or steek streak. But because the English language
is so wacky, we've got steaks streaked. There you go, well,
well done, Well done, Juliana. All right, well now let's
(11:01):
talk about Black Crossword.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
Now.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
We talked a little about the origin story last time,
but just remind us, how did you come up with
black Crossword?
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Yes, so I started Black Crossword. Well, I launched Black
Crossword in January twenty twenty three. A couple months prior
to that, I was doing the New York Times Mini
and I wondered if there was a daily mini puzzle
that focused on black culture, and I assumed that it
already existed. So I did a bunch of googles. I
(11:30):
couldn't find anything, at least not anything current or what
I was looking for. So I just decided to start
it myself. So I taught myself how to make crossword puzzles,
and then I launched in January twenty twenty three. And
then I came out with my first book of puzzles
(11:51):
with HarperCollins last year in August twenty twenty four, and
then the second one just came out on June third.
So the first one was mini, the second one that
just came out is MIDI Puzzles. Yeah, and it's been
it's been going great. It's been fun. It's been exciting
to include certain words in use, certain terms that I
probably otherwise wouldn't see in mainstream crossword puzzles.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
So yeah, well we yes, it is super fun and
we want you to stump us. Now, I know that
this might be embarrassing for me, but it'll be educational,
which is most important. So I'm fine with being embarrassed
with my lack of knowledge as long as I learn.
(12:36):
So with that said, uh, let's let's go at it.
Greg and I are ready to attempt.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
All right, Maybe maybe I'll start with an easy one.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Thank you hopefully appreciate that.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
All right, This one is three letters I blank you,
which translates to I'm impressed in slang, I blank you.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Interesting, I blank you.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
Well, I immediately think of what my kids say, because
although they are you know, very white New York children,
but you know all that we're constantly co opting slang
from black culture, right, especially black like black drag culture
has brought so many words and through.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
The gay community and into the you know, into the
into mainstream white culture. And so then my kids are
you know, come up with this stuff all the time.
But I hear them say this isn't I.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
See you, it's I see you.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Yep, that's correct, Yes, yep, you know, I see.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
I do feel like that one hasn't permeated throughout, like
it hasn't made its way into mainstream culture in a way. Actually,
I would say that one, I feel like is kind
of nineties, two thousands coded.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Oh yeah, its day, and.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
It had its day. I don't know if the gen
Z population is really using it. I would say, uh,
probably millennial, which is which is myself and older maybe
would be more familiar with it.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
But interesting, I like that you've got you've got sort
of vintage and then new and classic. All right, what
else you want? We're ready for more.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
Okay, this one actually might actually be easier than that one. Okay,
so this is seven letters. Don't drink the blank, which
translates to avoid being deceived.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Oh that is I think, Well, I don't know. Is
it kool Aid?
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (14:53):
Yeah, ah, very good, very good, even though as as
some might, no, it was not kool aid that they
served at down with Jim Jones Cult. Uh what it
was like an off brand kool Aid? Does anyone remember
what it was? You know what I'm talking about?
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Well? Sure, right, yeah, I was Congressman Leo Ryan was
in there, right, he was my parents congressman.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Actually, Andrea, would you look up what the off brand
kool aid was that they actually drank at Jim Jones Cult.
Flavor A thank you flavor.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
I don't drink the Favorite People's Temple. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Such a crazy story and a big feature of the
an episode of the Studio, which is all right, let's
go I want I want another, and then we have
you back tomorrow, so we'll have even more tomorrow. But
let's finish up with with another one.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
All right, hmm, let's do this one. So this one
is seven letters and the clue is protagonist in Tony
Morrison's The Bluest Eye.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Oh oh yeah, I got.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
That is a good one. I weirdly, I just read.
I was reading. I didn't read the whole thing, but
my kid had it and I picked it up and
I was like, this is an amazing use of language,
and then for some reason I didn't.
Speaker 3 (16:29):
So it's good for a good use of language.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Yeah, it's crazy.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
What's the first letter? Give us the first letter?
Speaker 4 (16:35):
P all right, don't well we see this how you
saw a crossroad? You do the crossings? Give us the
fourth letter?
Speaker 3 (16:43):
Okay, see, I'll give you the second letter. Okay, the
second letter is well, actually no, let me give you
the third letter.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Okay, c.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Pioria. Well I'm beautiful, lovely.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Well that is super fun. We've got more to come
next time. Before we go, Juliana, I have a extra
credit for the folks at home. This is clothes used
to hide someone's identity on a big ship. So they're
on a big ship and they want to stay undercover,
(17:28):
so they choose this type of clothes. And that is
an I rhyme. So it looks like it should rhyme,
but it will not. Thank you again, Juliana, everyone can
check out Black Crossword online or in the book to
books to us.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
Yes, the website is black Crossword dot com.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Excellent. While you're online. You finish that, go over to
our Instagram feed at Hello Puzzlers, where we post original
puzzles and other fun stuff. And we'll meet you here
tomorrow for more puzzling puzzles that will puzzle you puzzlingly.
Speaker 5 (18:13):
Hey puzzlers, it's Greg Pliska up from the puzzle ab
with the extra credit answer from our previous episode. Once again,
we had Jonathan Mark Sherman and we played blank and Blank,
where every answer is a title of the form blank
and blank, and the clues I gave are also in
that form and have the same initials as the title.
(18:36):
For your extra credit, I gave you two clues to
the same play. They were Asps and Crowns or Alexandria
and Caesar, And of course that is the great Shakespeare
play Anthony and Cleopatra. She commits suicide with an asp.
She's from Alexandria or play takes place in Alexandria. And
(18:58):
of course Anthony is descended from Caesar, I believe, and
there are other Caesar characters in the play. It's considered
in some ways to be.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
A sequel to the play Julius Caesar. Anyway, thank you
for playing with us, for being so clever and smart.
We have fun with you every day. Catch you next time.
Hello puzzlers. Before we start puzzling today, I wanted to
let you know we are cooking up some big plans
for the puzzler community, and in order to ensure that
it's what you want, we need your input. So we've
put together a short survey, which you can find in
the show notes. It's really quick, just three minutes, but
(00:22):
it will be a huge help in letting us know
what you want so that we can deliver just that.
Thank you, Hello puzzlers. Let's start with a quick puzzle.
This intro puzzle is about triple doubles, not the triple
doubles you find in basketball. These are the word nerd
(00:44):
version of triple doubles. I'm looking for words that have
three sets of double letters, like Tallahassee, the capital city
of Florida. Tallahassee has two l's, two s's, and two
e's triple double letters. I'll give you a hint to
a couple of triple doubles. There are two that are
(01:06):
states states in the United States of America. Uh, there
are many that are not states. So my challenge is
to name as many as you can during the break,
and we'll talk about the answers and do some more
puzzling when we return. Hello Puzzlers, Welcome back to the
(01:30):
Puzzler Podcast. The Smelling Salts for your swooning puzzle heroin.
I am your host, A J. Jacobs, and I am here,
of course, but chief puzzle Officer Greg Kliska Greg.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Very old time melodrama.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Yeah, well we're gonna get melodramatic here.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Smelling has double L and swooning has a double L
and puzzle yeah, so maybe you've got them all in
that long.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
But we're looking for single words. Well, first, let's start
with the hints. So there are two states that have
triple doubles.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Greg, Mississippi, that's right, two double s's and a double
P and Tennessee that and a double E exactly and
very close to each other, not far from Tallahassee either.
Right there.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
There are a couple of psychological states that have triple doubles.
I don't know of any other literal states. But do
you know the one I'm talking about?
Speaker 2 (02:31):
SS one of them, but not happiness that's only got
two doubles, not depressiveness that also only has two doubles, loominesssness.
I don't know what do you got?
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Well, we got aggressiveness. Okay, cheerlessness. Uh, we've got Now
what's the one with that we're both referring to with?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Well, the classic triple double is the word bookkeeper exactly
got the two o's, the two k's, and the two
e's right.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Right in there. And that's the only one I could
find that has them right in a row. Maybe if
people can find others, I am all for it. Oh wait, no, no,
I thought for a second committee, but committee has that
I messing it up. Pomp t anyway, send in your
triple doubles. We are now the reason I've brought this
(03:26):
whole speaking Yeah, luck.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Get ready for this seg I'm excited.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
All right. We have a guest who is back for
a second time, and maybe she'll have a third time
next year. But she's here for a double dip, a
double dip of puzzling goodness. She is the creator of
Black Crossword, which is a free daily mini crossword puzzle
with an emphasis on words and people from black culture,
(03:53):
and she has a new book of the same name.
Please welcome back, Juliana Jay Welcome Julia.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Hey, guys, I'm so excited to be back. Thank you
for having me.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
We are delighted to have you and congrats on the
new book.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Thank you so much. Yeah, I'm excited. It's it's similar
to the first one, but it has bigger puzzles, so
it has middies. So the sizes vary from six from
six by six to eight by eight.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Excellent, all right, middies. I don't know if I've ever
heard a middi A.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Yeah, it's bigger than a mini but smaller than a maxie.
That makes sense because the first book was all minis right, Juliana,
it was all five.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
By fives, yes, yep. So I'm able to use some
longer letter counts, some bigger words, more culturally rich.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Love it well. Later in the episode, you're going to
give us some clues from Black Crossword, and we're excited
for that. But as always, we're going to do a
quick puzzle with you first, and today we are going
to do some I rhymes. You might know I rhymes
like E y E rhymes. These are words that look
(05:03):
like they should rhyme, but don't, Like lemon and demon,
they both end emn, so they should rhyme if English
were not insane, but they don't, so they're pronounced differently,
and I'll be cluing these two word i rhymes. So
if the answer were lemon demon, a clue might be,
(05:24):
this is a devil hiding in your sour yellow fruit,
a lemon demon. Or here's another example, this is a
black crossword creator Juliana's short term computer memory. That would
be pache cash ca c G.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
Oh wow, okay, yes, okay, I see what you did there.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Yeah, that was a tricky one. So that's why it
was an example. But here are your real ones. Are
you ready?
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (05:58):
All right?
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Someone who jumps first into the Nile or the Mississippi
might be called a diver. Yeah you got that. That's
half fifty percent there, And Nile and Mississippi are both
types of river is, so say it all together.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Okay, God diver diver and river ver river diver, river diver.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Love it. This is a bizarre citrus fruit. A bizarre
citrus fruit often used in marmalade. So it's described in
the dictionary as a reddish yellow round it is it
guava no much less much less obscure, just like right
(06:54):
down the middle fruit not apples, but oranges, egg exactly,
so bizarre, a bizarre one orange.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
So a word that looks like it should rhyme with
orange that ends with the same letters, but it means bizarre.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
It is oh strange strange orange.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Oh wow, okay, strange orange.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
See I yeah, I never think about those words together.
That's so interesting.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
That's why it's a strange orange.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Exactly. All right, Well, we got a couple more. This is, uh,
the spit of a leading lady in an opera. So
this is.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
If she is another word for spit we're looking for.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
You, Yes it is. And then a leading lady or
Mariah Carey diva, Yeah, exactly, diva saliva or saliva.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Mariah Carey could kind of be a saliva diva. I mean,
if you're sitting in the front row, right, she's probably
spitting all they all are.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Absolutely, the vocals are working, right.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
You got to bring a little plastic green coat when
you're sitting in the front row. All right? How about
a an Italian ice cream made from a red fruit
not a vegetable technically, even though we often think of
it as a vegetable, but this is a red free
(08:31):
so it's a it's a fruit, sure it is.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
It's a flavor of Italian ice.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Yeah, I'm made up one.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
I don't think you would order this flavor, even if
if they made it. I'm not even sure anyone would
order it.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
That is true. It is the I mean it is uh.
It's a condom.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
It's an ingredient in many many Italian sauces and pasta sauces.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Ma rnara, for instance, I believe, is it vodka sauce.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
It would be well, what's what's the vegetable or fruit
in vodka sauce?
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Tomato?
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Yeah, that's it, tomato, tomato.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
There were tomato ices.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
No, well, in all world, in the puzzler world, there
are in this rhyming I rhyming world. So this is yes,
you got tomato, so you're fifty percent.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
There's the Italian ice word for Italian ice cream, gelato.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Yeah, exactly, tomato gelato.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Of course.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Now if you say tomato, if you.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Said tomato, it would rhyme tomato.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Tomato gelato. If this were a British.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Podcastine Heppin would have made.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Those tomato gelatto. All right, we got one more and
then it's time for you to stump us. How about
this is what it might be called if you eat
ribbi or t bone for one hundred days straight. You
(10:08):
might be on a one of these. So ribi and
t bone are type Oh go ahead, well you've got
ribi and t bone are types of exactly. And when
you do like you do Black Crossword every day for
a month, you are on.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
A You're on a streak.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Yes, exactly, and you just did it. So put them together.
You got steak strike. They should rhyme. It should be
steak straight or steek streak. But because the English language
is so wacky, we've got steaks streaked. There you go, well,
well done, Well done, Juliana. All right, well now let's
(11:01):
talk about Black Crossword.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
Now.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
We talked a little about the origin story last time,
but just remind us, how did you come up with
black Crossword?
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Yes, so I started Black Crossword. Well, I launched Black
Crossword in January twenty twenty three. A couple months prior
to that, I was doing the New York Times Mini
and I wondered if there was a daily mini puzzle
that focused on black culture, and I assumed that it
already existed. So I did a bunch of googles. I
(11:30):
couldn't find anything, at least not anything current or what
I was looking for. So I just decided to start
it myself. So I taught myself how to make crossword puzzles,
and then I launched in January twenty twenty three. And
then I came out with my first book of puzzles
(11:51):
with HarperCollins last year in August twenty twenty four, and
then the second one just came out on June third.
So the first one was mini, the second one that
just came out is MIDI Puzzles. Yeah, and it's been
it's been going great. It's been fun. It's been exciting
to include certain words in use, certain terms that I
probably otherwise wouldn't see in mainstream crossword puzzles.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
So yeah, well we yes, it is super fun and
we want you to stump us. Now, I know that
this might be embarrassing for me, but it'll be educational,
which is most important. So I'm fine with being embarrassed
with my lack of knowledge as long as I learn.
(12:36):
So with that said, uh, let's let's go at it.
Greg and I are ready to attempt.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
All right, Maybe maybe I'll start with an easy one.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Thank you hopefully appreciate that.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
All right, This one is three letters I blank you,
which translates to I'm impressed in slang, I blank you.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Interesting, I blank you.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
Well, I immediately think of what my kids say, because
although they are you know, very white New York children,
but you know all that we're constantly co opting slang
from black culture, right, especially black like black drag culture
has brought so many words and through.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
The gay community and into the you know, into the
into mainstream white culture. And so then my kids are
you know, come up with this stuff all the time.
But I hear them say this isn't I.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
See you, it's I see you.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Yep, that's correct, Yes, yep, you know, I see.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
I do feel like that one hasn't permeated throughout, like
it hasn't made its way into mainstream culture in a way. Actually,
I would say that one, I feel like is kind
of nineties, two thousands coded.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Oh yeah, its day, and.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
It had its day. I don't know if the gen
Z population is really using it. I would say, uh,
probably millennial, which is which is myself and older maybe
would be more familiar with it.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
But interesting, I like that you've got you've got sort
of vintage and then new and classic. All right, what
else you want? We're ready for more.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
Okay, this one actually might actually be easier than that one. Okay,
so this is seven letters. Don't drink the blank, which
translates to avoid being deceived.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Oh that is I think, Well, I don't know. Is
it kool Aid?
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (14:53):
Yeah, ah, very good, very good, even though as as
some might, no, it was not kool aid that they
served at down with Jim Jones Cult. Uh what it
was like an off brand kool Aid? Does anyone remember
what it was? You know what I'm talking about?
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Well? Sure, right, yeah, I was Congressman Leo Ryan was
in there, right, he was my parents congressman.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Actually, Andrea, would you look up what the off brand
kool aid was that they actually drank at Jim Jones Cult.
Flavor A thank you flavor.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
I don't drink the Favorite People's Temple. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Such a crazy story and a big feature of the
an episode of the Studio, which is all right, let's
go I want I want another, and then we have
you back tomorrow, so we'll have even more tomorrow. But
let's finish up with with another one.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
All right, hmm, let's do this one. So this one
is seven letters and the clue is protagonist in Tony
Morrison's The Bluest Eye.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Oh oh yeah, I got.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
That is a good one. I weirdly, I just read.
I was reading. I didn't read the whole thing, but
my kid had it and I picked it up and
I was like, this is an amazing use of language,
and then for some reason I didn't.
Speaker 3 (16:29):
So it's good for a good use of language.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Yeah, it's crazy.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
What's the first letter? Give us the first letter?
Speaker 4 (16:35):
P all right, don't well we see this how you
saw a crossroad? You do the crossings? Give us the
fourth letter?
Speaker 3 (16:43):
Okay, see, I'll give you the second letter. Okay, the
second letter is well, actually no, let me give you
the third letter.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Okay, c.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Pioria. Well I'm beautiful, lovely.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Well that is super fun. We've got more to come
next time. Before we go, Juliana, I have a extra
credit for the folks at home. This is clothes used
to hide someone's identity on a big ship. So they're
on a big ship and they want to stay undercover,
(17:28):
so they choose this type of clothes. And that is
an I rhyme. So it looks like it should rhyme,
but it will not. Thank you again, Juliana, everyone can
check out Black Crossword online or in the book to
books to us.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
Yes, the website is black Crossword dot com.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Excellent. While you're online. You finish that, go over to
our Instagram feed at Hello Puzzlers, where we post original
puzzles and other fun stuff. And we'll meet you here
tomorrow for more puzzling puzzles that will puzzle you puzzlingly.
Speaker 5 (18:13):
Hey puzzlers, it's Greg Pliska up from the puzzle ab
with the extra credit answer from our previous episode. Once again,
we had Jonathan Mark Sherman and we played blank and Blank,
where every answer is a title of the form blank
and blank, and the clues I gave are also in
that form and have the same initials as the title.
(18:36):
For your extra credit, I gave you two clues to
the same play. They were Asps and Crowns or Alexandria
and Caesar, And of course that is the great Shakespeare
play Anthony and Cleopatra. She commits suicide with an asp.
She's from Alexandria or play takes place in Alexandria. And
(18:58):
of course Anthony is descended from Caesar, I believe, and
there are other Caesar characters in the play. It's considered
in some ways to be.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
A sequel to the play Julius Caesar. Anyway, thank you
for playing with us, for being so clever and smart.
We have fun with you every day. Catch you next time.
Hosts And Creators
Greg Pliska
A.J. Jacobs
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