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NYT’s The Mini Crossword Answers and Hints
Across
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The clue "Church tower topper" directly refers to the pointed, tapering structure often seen crowning church towers. A SPIRE is an architectural feature commonly used in churches to symbolize pointing towards the heavens, fitting the description perfectly.
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In Monopoly, adding a "HOTEL" to a property like Boardwalk increases its rent significantly, often to $2000 when landed on by another player. This clue uses wordplay referencing the game's mechanics, where developing properties with hotels leads to much higher rents.
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The solution is YUCCA because it is a genus of perennial plants belonging to the agave family (Agavaceae). Known for their sword-shaped leaves and robust growth, yuccas are closely related to agaves and often grown in arid regions, fitting the clue perfectly.
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The answer "CHAT" fits because "informal discussion" refers to a casual, friendly conversation, which is exactly what a "chat" is. The clue uses straightforward language with no puns or wordplay, linking directly to the casual nature of a chat.
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HYPE is the answer because "P.R. buzz" refers to the excitement or publicity created by public relations efforts. HYPE captures this idea as it signifies exaggeration or promotion used to generate interest or attention, aligning with the concept of buzz in marketing or P.R. contexts.
Down
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The answer "SHY" fits because someone who is shy might struggle with social interactions, especially when meeting new people on the intimidating first day of school. “Having trouble making friends” suggests hesitation or timidity, which aligns with the behavior of a shy person.
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The clue "Holder of a baby kangaroo" refers to the unique feature of kangaroo anatomy. A baby kangaroo, called a joey, resides and grows in its mother’s pouch after birth. The pouch serves as the nurturing and protective space for the baby, making POUCH the correct answer.
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The answer is ITCHY because wool sweaters are known for their coarse texture, which often irritates the skin and causes an itchy sensation. The clue directly describes a characteristic commonly associated with wool sweaters, making ITCHY the perfect match.
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A sports write-up after a game summarizes the highlights, key plays, and outcomes, essentially "recapping" the event. The word RECAP is short for "recapitulation," fitting perfectly as it describes the purpose of such a write-up—reviewing the game's main points concisely and clearly.
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The clue "Make happy" directly aligns with the meaning of "elation" or a state of joy. "Elate" is a verb meaning to fill with happiness or uplift someone’s mood, making it a perfect match for the clue. It fits logically and succinctly!
Today’s Game Difficulty
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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!
Today’s NYT Mini Highlights
This Thursday’s Mini, by Sam Ezersky (the editor behind Spelling Bee), had an interesting twist: the Down clues felt way easier than the Across ones. It’s a clever setup, the Down clues gave you a nice footing, while the Across ones were trickier and required a bit more thought. Ezersky’s puzzles often sneak in little challenges. Even in a tiny grid, there’s smart structure and a bit of misdirection, just like in Spelling Bee.
Today's Tricky Wordplay
Here's what caught our attention today:
- Church tower topper
- Boardwalk addition that raises rent to $2000
- Plant in the agave family
- Holder of a baby kangaroo
- Make happy
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
- Today's Wordle
- Connections Hint Today
- NYT Crossword Answers Today
- Strands Answers Today
- Spelling Bee Hints
- Connections Sports Edition (The Athletic)
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.