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NYT’s The Mini Crossword Answers and Hints
Across
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The clue "Perch for a family photo" suggests a location where a framed photo might be placed. A shelf is a common spot in a home where framed family photos are displayed, making "SHELF" the fitting answer.
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The answer is CAROL because Carol Burnett is a famous comedian, actress, and singer who hosted The Carol Burnett Show, a hugely popular variety show that aired from 1967 to 1978. The clue directly references her surname and significant TV legacy.
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The answer is AGAVE because mezcal, a distilled alcoholic beverage from Mexico, is made from the fermented sap of various agave plants. Agave is a succulent native to Mexico, and its core (piña) is roasted and distilled to produce mezcal, making it the primary plant associated with this drink.
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The clue "Deceptive ploys" directly defines RUSES, as ruses are strategies or tricks intentionally designed to mislead or deceive someone. The plural form matches the plural clue, making RUSES the correct and complete solution.
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The clue "You've gotta be kidding me!" is in quotes, signaling a spoken reaction. "YEESH" expresses disbelief, annoyance, or exasperation, making it a fitting match for the informal tone of the phrase. This word mimics how someone might exclaim in reaction to something absurd or frustrating.
Down
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The clue "How a leap of faith might feel" describes the emotional experience of taking a significant risk or uncertain action, such as trusting something or someone without guarantees. This naturally evokes feelings of fear or unease, making SCARY an apt answer.
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The Hague is the administrative capital of the Netherlands, often referred to as "The Hague" in English. While Amsterdam is the official capital, The Hague hosts the Dutch government, parliament, and the royal residence, making it the "seat of government" in the clue.
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The clue hints at a unique ability of pencils contrasted with magic markers. Pencils use erasable graphite, allowing mistakes to be erased easily, while magic markers use permanent ink that cannot be removed. The answer, "ERASE," captures this distinguishing feature, emphasized by the playful wording of the clue.
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The clue "Holds dear" refers to cherishing or valuing something or someone deeply. The word "LOVES" perfectly matches this definition, as to love is to hold something or someone dear, expressing strong affection or care. Thus, LOVES is the solution.
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The phrase "___ and blood" commonly appears as "flesh and blood," a traditional expression symbolizing human beings or familial kinship, emphasizing physicality and shared ancestry. In this context, "kin" specifies family relations, solidifying FLESH as the correct answer.
Today’s Game Difficulty
Hard
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Rate This Solver
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
Today’s Sunday Mini, constructed by Tracy Bennett, better known as the editor of Wordle, was a real twist: every single entry is a five-letter word and the grid has no black squares at all. That unusual setup made the solve feel tighter and trickier than usual, and the cluing leaned on the hard side, with lots of little misdirects. The puzzle pulls in a wide range of themes, from language quirks and everyday objects to cultural touchpoints and even a dash of geography. A clever concept, but definitely a tougher Sunday 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
- 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.