The phrase "Oh, for heaven's ___!" is an idiomatic expression often completed as "sake," meaning "for the sake of heaven" or "for goodness' sake." It's an exclamation of emphasis, frustration, or plea, commonly used in casual speech, fitting the conversational tone of the clue.
5Ending for "cine" and "multi," in movie theater namesPLEX????✨ See Why
The answer is PLEX because "cineplex" refers to a multiplex-style cinema complex, and "multiplex" denotes a theater with multiple screens. "PLEX" is the shared suffix for both terms, fitting seamlessly as the ending for “cine” and “multi” in the context of movie theater names.
6Pelvic boneILIUM?????✨ See Why
The clue "Pelvic bone" directly refers to a specific bone in the pelvic region of the human skeleton. The ilium is the largest of the three bones composing the pelvis (the other two being the ischium and pubis), making "ILIUM" the precise and correct answer.
8
"This will ___!" ("Unacceptable!")
NOTDO?????✨ See Why
The clue "This will ___!" ("Unacceptable!") mimics a spoken reprimand or exclamation, often completed with "not do" to express disapproval or rejection of something inadequate or unacceptable. "NOTDO" fits the blank grammatically, aligns with the context, and matches the tone of the statement.
9Excited cry from a kid on the [circled letters] WHEE????✨ See Why
The circled letters spell SLIDE, setting the scene. A kid zooming down a slide is likely to shout something excited, and WHEE fits that perfectly.
Down
1What a ballerina might do on one toeSPIN????✨ See Why
The answer "SPIN" fits because ballerinas often perform pirouettes, which involve spinning on one toe (en pointe) as part of their dance movements. The clue describes this graceful and precise motion, making "SPIN" an accurate and concise solution.
2PermitALLOW?????✨ See Why
The clue "Permit" serves as a synonym for the answer "ALLOW." Both words mean to give permission for something to happen or to approve. It’s a straightforward definition-based clue with no puns or additional wordplay involved.
3Richards of the Rolling StonesKEITH?????✨ See Why
The clue refers to Keith Richards, the legendary guitarist of The Rolling Stones, one of the most famous rock bands in history. "Richards" points to his last name, and his first name, KEITH, is the straightforward answer. This clue uses a direct reference to a well-known figure.
4Radiate, as energyEXUDE?????✨ See Why
The answer "EXUDE" means to ooze or emit, often naturally or effortlessly. In this context, radiate refers to something being expressed or projected outward, similar to how energy or a quality like confidence might flow outward from a person or object, tying directly to the definition of EXUDE.
7Stooge with a bowl cutMOE???✨ See Why
The answer is MOE because Moe Howard was a member of The Three Stooges comedy group, famously recognized for his distinct bowl-shaped haircut. This clue directly references his iconic look and role as part of the classic slapstick trio.
Solving today’s NYT Mini Puzzle and stuck on the 4-letter answer to the Ending for "cine" and "multi," in movie theater names clue? Don’t worry—Lady Puzzle Pro has you covered! Whether you want the answer right away, revealed letter by letter, or this wordplay seems too puzzling, keep reading for the explanation.
Ending for "cine" and "multi," in movie theater names Answer Explained
The answer is PLEX.
This clue is all about recognizing naming patterns. Think of words like Cineplex or Multiplex, both are movie theater chains or formats. The clue is essentially asking: What do the words “cine” and “multi” often end with when you’re talking about theaters? And that’s PLEX. It’s short for complex, as in a building with many screens or theaters in one place. This one might stump you if you don’t have context from U.S. movie culture or don’t think to break down words like that. But once you recognize the “cine + plex” structure, it clicks fast. It’s a nice bit of morphological wordplay — building whole words from recognizable chunks.
Now that you've cracked the 5A Ending for "cine" and "multi," in movie theater names clue, you're one step closer to completing today’s Mini Puzzle! If you're still stuck on other clues, don't worry—we've got you covered. Explore more NYT Mini crossword answers right here, or check out our tools for solving the NYT Crossword, Connections, or Strands.
Today’s NYT Mini Highlights
A fun and slightly trickier Friday Mini from Christina Iverson! The use of circled letters added a layer of visual play that felt more like something out of the Daily Crossword. A couple of clues made clever use of quotation marks to signal wordplay or alternate meanings, which added a playful twist and required a little extra thought. Overall, a satisfying solve with just the right mix of straightforward and sneaky.
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.
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 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.