Fill Me In #525: I had it with the back side to me.
Fill Me In
This week, it's truly the highlight of any Fill Me In Season, because Ben Zimmer joins Ryan and Brian to talk about the 2025 Word of the Year! There's still plenty of the same slop there's always been, but jump ahead to about the 31-minute mark if you're just here for The Barnacle. Stuff to click: Ben Zimmer on , , and If you get bored (how could you?!), write something for the . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our . Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doesn't matter! Please consider leaving us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. This will help new listeners find our...
info_outline
Fill Me In #524: I can’t think and see at the same time.
Fill Me In
This week, Ryan is off doing Ryan things, so Shannon Rapp (aka Norah Sharpe, an expert in sconces; the name is fake but the puzzles are real) steps in for discussions of crosswords, sandwiches, and thunder gods -- yup, even without Ryan, the topics still don't really change. Stuff to click: If you get bored (how could you?!), write something for the . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our . Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doesn't matter! Please consider leaving us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. This will help new listeners find our show, and you'll be...
info_outline
Fill Me In #523: The power of the preposition.
Fill Me In
This week, Ryan and Brian continue to suffer from bronchial ailments despite having both gotten all the appropriate vaccines. To be clear, we still believe in vaccines! Things we don't necessarily believe in: whether we should move to Malta, whether Hello Kitty is a cat, and whether the host of a murder mystery party should be a critical part of the story. If you get bored (how could you?!), write something for the . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our . Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doesn't matter! Please consider leaving us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. This...
info_outline
Fill Me In #522: A quasi fictionalized version of what i saw that day.
Fill Me In
This week, Ryan and Brian attempt to launch into 2026, but Brian is exhausted from a trip to Portugal and Ryan has "a throat thing." All that plus recording the show on a Friday just means that the year is off to a stumblier start than anyone expected. If you get bored (how could you?!), write something for the . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our . Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doesn't matter! Please consider leaving us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. This will help new listeners find our show, and you'll be inducted into the Quintuple Decker Turkey Club. Drop us...
info_outline
Fill Me In #521: Smaller in people, bigger in land.
Fill Me In
This week, Ryan and Brian don't really recap 2025 -- but it is the last show of the year. With that, we all wish you a happy holiday season, and look forward to continuing our weekly delivery of top*-tier, high*-quality, information-packed* podcast content in 2026! *not any of those things If you get bored (how could you?!), write something for the . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our . Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doesn't matter! Please consider leaving us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. This will help new listeners find our show, and you'll be inducted into the...
info_outline
Fill Me In #520: Some Mexico is the same amount of north as some Texas.
Fill Me In
This week, Ryan and Brian dig deep into butts, shoulders, clams, and Caesars. How do you take yours? Try out the , and win either a puzzle subscription or a brand new car*. If you get bored (how could you?!), write something for the . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our . Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doesn't matter! Please consider leaving us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. This will help new listeners find our show, and you'll be inducted into the Quintuple Decker Turkey Club. Drop us a note or a DM or a postcard or a phone call — we'd love to hear from...
info_outline
Fill Me In #519: It’s a conversation ender.
Fill Me In
This week, Ryan and Brian dive into , question the motivations of the , and to the "get what it's called" rule. All that, plus there's a brand new . If you get bored (how could you?!), write something for the . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our . Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doesn't matter! Please consider leaving us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. This will help new listeners find our show, and you'll be inducted into the Quintuple Decker Turkey Club. Drop us a note or a DM or a postcard or a phone call — we'd love to hear from you. Helpful links: ...
info_outline
Fill Me In #518: Ump for Anatevka
Fill Me In
This week, Ryan and Brian don't know which cities are fictional, which currencies are spelled which way, or how much a baseball is worth. There's a , and here's a link to the next season of . If you get bored (how could you?!), write something for the . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our . Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doesn't matter! Please consider leaving us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. This will help new listeners find our show, and you'll be inducted into the Quintuple Decker Turkey Club. Drop us a note or a DM or a postcard or a phone call —...
info_outline
Fill Me In #517: Not if it happens in Hebrew.
Fill Me In
This week, Ryan and Brian learn about nicknames, heavy metal music, and history from 1981. All that, plus a new , a new from Scott Weiss, and a brand new If you get bored (how could you?!), write something for the . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our . Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doesn't matter! Please consider leaving us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. This will help new listeners find our show, and you'll be inducted into the Quintuple Decker Turkey Club. Drop us a note or a DM or a postcard or a phone call — we'd love to hear from you. Helpful links:...
info_outline
Fill Me In #516: Up until a zillion o’clock in the morning.
Fill Me In
This week, Ryan and Brian talk about vacations and children and fanfic, oh my! This is your reminder to always get what it's called ... plus, there's a (it's a standard crossword)! If you get bored (how could you?!), write something for the . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our . Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doesn't matter! Please consider leaving us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. This will help new listeners find our show, and you'll be inducted into the Quintuple Decker Turkey Club. Drop us a note or a DM or a postcard or a phone call — we'd...
info_outlineThis week, Brian is joined by Shannon Rapp for a super-sized episode with an insider's recap of the Midwest Crossword Tournament, hefty sandwiches (including cheese preferences and Shannon's Mount Rushmore), and a non-NYT Thunder Round with puzzles from the LA Times, Apple News, Universal, USA Today, and Fireball!
Stuff to click:
- Daily Crossword Links, for all the puzzles in the Thunder Round
- MidwestGridfest.com
- People Magazine puzzles
If you get bored (how could you?!), write something for the Fill Me In wiki. And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our Patreon.
Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doesn't matter! Please consider leaving us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. This will help new listeners find our show, and you'll be inducted into the Quintuple Decker Turkey Club.
Drop us a note or a DM or a postcard or a phone call — we'd love to hear from you.
Helpful links:
- Apple Podcasts link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fill-me-in/id1364379980
- Google Play link: https://player.fm/series/fill-me-in-2151002
- Amazon/Audible link: https://www.amazon.com/item_name/dp/B08JJRM927
- RSS feed: http://bemoresmarter.libsyn.com/rss
- Contact us: Email (fmi@bemoresmarter.com) / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
We're putting these words here to help with search engine optimization. We don't think it will work, but you probably haven't read this far, so it doesn't matter: baseball, crossword, crosswords, etymology, game, hunt, kealoa, movies, musicals, mystery, oscar, pizza, puzzle, puzzles, sandwiches, soup, trivia, words