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NYT’s The Mini Crossword Answers and Hints

Across

  • The answer is LORIS because the Slow Loris is a type of primate known for its large eyes and slow movements. The clue provides a direct description, with "Slow" hinting at its name and "primate with big eyes" describing its physical traits.

  • The answer is ALICE because the quote is from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. In the story, Alice encounters the Cheshire Cat, known for its mischievous grin, and remarks on the impossibility of seeing "a grin without a cat." Alice is the title character.

  • The answer is BISON because the American bison was designated the national mammal of the United States in 2016 due to its cultural and historical significance, symbolizing the country’s wildlife and heritage. It’s an iconic species deeply tied to U.S. plains and Native American history.

  • "R.S.V.P." is used for responding to invitations, typically for gatherings or occasions. These are commonly referred to as "events," like parties, weddings, or meetings. The clue directly aligns with the meaning, as an event is what you would R.S.V.P. to attend. Hence, the answer is EVENT.

  • The answer is LESS because it is often confused with "fewer" in usage. "Less" is used for uncountable quantities (e.g., "less water"), while "fewer" applies to countable items (e.g., "fewer apples"). This linguistic mix-up fits the clue perfectly.

Down

  • The answer is LABEL because most garments include a small fabric tag sewn inside, typically at the neckline or waist, called a label. These labels commonly contain care instructions, such as washing, drying, or ironing guidelines, to help preserve the garment.

  • Tapenade is a spread or dip commonly found in Mediterranean cuisine, traditionally made with finely chopped or pureed ingredients. The main ingredient is olives, typically black or green, which form the base of the dish. Hence, "OLIVE" is the correct answer to this clue.

  • The clue "Gets up" directly corresponds to the verb "rises," as both describe the action of moving to a higher position, such as standing from a seated or lying position. The present tense of "gets up" matches the present tense of "rises," making it the perfect solution.

  • The clue "Array on a touchscreen" refers to the grid or arrangement of symbols displayed on devices like smartphones or tablets. These symbols, known as ICONS, represent apps, tools, or functions. The word "array" hints at their organized layout, making ICONS the perfect answer.

  • The clue "Email status" straightforwardly describes the state of an email after it has been successfully delivered. Once an email is dispatched, its status is "SENT," making SENT the correct and logical answer. This aligns with how emails are tracked in most email applications.

Today’s Game Difficulty

2.2 / 5
Easy

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Hit a roadblock solving today's NYT The Mini? Lady Puzzle is happy to lend a hand. Click her for hints, reveal the entire puzzle, uncover squares one by one, or explore clue answers. Whatever solving style you prefer, this is your go-to tool for finishing NYT's The Mini Crossword!

All Past NYT Mini Puzzles

Today’s NYT Mini Highlights

This Monday Mini by Wyna Liu, the creative editor behind Connections, offers a smooth but thoughtful start to the week. It touches on animals, classic literature, food, and digital life. A couple of clues require a second look, but overall, it’s an elegant and accessible grid, true to Wyna’s knack for balancing fun with a touch of challenge.

Today's Tricky Wordplay

Here's what caught our attention today:

What is NYT The Mini Crossword?

NYT The Mini Crossword is a compact version of the New York Times Crossword puzzle. Usually 5 x 5, with larger grids on Saturdays, it offers mid-week equivalent difficulty clues with no progression over the week. It is accessible to anyone with or without a New York Times account. You can play it on nytimes.com/crosswords, The New York Times Games app (iOS and Android), and the Play tab of the New York Times News app. Games and All Access Subscribers can solve past Mini Crossword puzzles in the archive.

Daily Availability

Puzzles are accessible the evening before the publish date. Weekday and Saturday puzzles: 10 p.m. EST the previous day. Sunday puzzles: 6 p.m. EST on Saturday.

Today's NYT Puzzle Guides by LadyPuzzle Pro

How to Play - Features and Tips

Fill white squares with letters to form intersecting words or phrases by solving clues in Across and Down columns. Read our guide to NYT Mini Mastery to learn how to read the different types of clues.  Successfully completed puzzle triggers music and a congratulatory message.

Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Arrow keys: Change direction within the same square, move in the direction of the arrow, jump back to the first blank in the word, or jump to the next clue.
  • Spacebar: Clear the current square, advance, or toggle between Across and Down.
  • Backspace (Delete on Macs): Remove words or a letter from a word.
  • Tab key: Jump to the next clue.
  • Shift + Tab keys: Jump to the previous clue.
  • Escape: Enter Rebus mode.
  • Pen and Pencil Modes. Switch between pen and pencil modes by selecting the respective icon. Letters in pen mode are black; in pencil mode, gray.

Letter Colors

Black: Default pen mode entries.
Gray: Pencil mode entries.
Blue: Confirmed letters with Check.
Mini Timer

Time your solving with the timer displayed above the puzzle. Pause/resume using the respective buttons. The timer restarts if the entire puzzle is cleared. Option to hide the timer in Puzzle settings.

In-game Help

  • Reveal: Unveil correct letters for a square, answer, or the entire puzzle.
  • Check: Verify correctness. 

The answers you get using help are marked with a red triangle in the upper right-hand corner of the box while those confirmed with a check become blue.

Leaderboards

It’s an additional social resource provided by NYT. You can add friends (up to 100 invitees) to track daily completion and compete.

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