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NYT’s The Mini Crossword Answers and Hints
Across
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KFC, short for Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a global fast-food chain known for its fried chicken. It offers large nugget packages, including a 50-piece option, which directly matches the clue mentioning "Fast-food chain that sells 50-piece nuggets."
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The answer "HALO" fits because a halo is traditionally depicted as a glowing circular ring above the head of an angel in religious and artistic representations. The clue directly refers to this imagery, making "HALO" the logical solution.
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The clue "Queen or king" describes a member of royalty, as both a queen and a king are monarchs. The word ROYAL directly relates to anything associated with royal authority or status, making it the fitting solution.
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The clue “Separately” could suggest several options like alone, individually, asunder, but the cleanest synonym is APART, meaning “not together” or “in a divided manner.” It’s a direct, straightforward match.
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The answer "MIKES" refers to microphones, essential accessories in karaoke bars. They amplify singers' voices during performances. The casual use of "mikes" as a shorthand for microphones aligns with the informal vibe of karaoke. Thus, "Karaoke bar accessories" cleverly points to MIKES.
Down
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The answer is KAYAK because it is a type of boat commonly used on lakes ("lake craft"), and its spelling is the same forward and backward, making it a palindrome, as the clue specifies ("palindromic name").
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The answer "FLARE" fits because flares are commonly used as distress signals for vehicles, especially on roads, to alert others of a breakdown or hazard. They emit bright light and are highly visible, making them effective in such situations. The clue directly implies this type of safety tool.
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The Indianapolis N.F.L. team is named the Colts, a professional football team in the National Football League. The clue directly references this specific team, making "COLTS" the straightforward and correct answer.
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The answer is HOPI because the Hopi are a Native American tribe indigenous to northern Arizona. They are known for their rich traditions, cultural heritage, and ancestral connection to the land, particularly within the Hopi Reservation and surrounding areas. The clue directly refers to their identity.
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The answer "RAM" fits the clue "Hard-headed animal" for two reasons: 1) A ram is a male sheep known for its hard head, used in headbutting during fights. 2) The term "hard-headed" playfully describes its physical toughness and stubborn behavior, aligning with this animal's traits.
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
Ian Livengood’s Monday Mini mixes straightforward entries with a few spots that could trip you up. The food clue about a massive nugget order looks like it’s pointing to the obvious chain, but the letter count says otherwise. A clue about a queen or king nudges you toward royalty, but you might first think of insects, or even mattress sizes. Karaoke gear raises a spelling decision that’s easy to overthink. And the Indigenous peoples clue leans on some regional knowledge of Arizona. Otherwise, plenty of smooth, approachable fills.
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
- Today's Wordle
- Connections Hint Today
- NYT Pips Today - Hints & Solutions
- 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.