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NYT’s The Mini Crossword Answers and Hints
Across
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A "PUB" is a traditional establishment where alcoholic beverages, particularly beer, are served—commonly poured by the pint. The clue directly references a location ("place") where this happens, making PUB the fitting solution.
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The answer is "USA" because the 2028 Summer Olympics will be hosted in Los Angeles, California, which is in the United States of America. "For short" in the clue indicates an abbreviation, and "USA" is the common abbreviation for the country.
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The answer "CLUBS" refers to one of the four suits in a deck of playing cards. Clubs are traditionally represented in black, aligning with the hint "Black suit." This clue cleverly uses the dual meaning of "suit" to connect playing cards with the color black.
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The answer "PSAKI" refers to Jen Psaki, who is a well-known political commentator and former White House Press Secretary. After her role in government, Psaki transitioned to providing political analysis and commentary, making her a fitting solution for the clue.
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The clue "Kick one's feet up" suggests resting or unwinding, metaphorically putting your feet up to relax. This aligns perfectly with the answer RELAX, which means to take it easy, rest, or not exert effort—matching the phrase's intent.
Down
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The clue "Sign of life" refers to a vital indicator of living beings, and PULSE fits perfectly as it represents the rhythmic throbbing caused by the heart's activity—something essential to life. It’s a direct and common way to confirm life in medical and everyday contexts.
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The clue refers to what a "regular patron" typically orders, which is often their routine or habitual choice. Adding "the" emphasizes this commonality, forming "the usual," a phrase commonly used to describe someone's standard or expected order. Therefore, the answer is USUAL.
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The answer "BABKA" refers to a sweet, braided loaf of bread with origins in Eastern European Jewish cuisine. It is traditionally made with a rich dough swirled with chocolate (or sometimes cinnamon). The "chocolate swirl" in the clue directly describes the loaf's signature characteristic, making BABKA the perfect fit.
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CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) is a lifesaving skill practiced on "dummies" or manikins during training. The "for short" in the clue hints at an abbreviation, fitting CPR. Manikins simulate emergencies for practice, making "skill practiced on dummies" a clever description for CPR.
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The answer "SIX" is correct because Tiger Woods achieved his first hole-in-one at the remarkably young age of six. This is a well-documented fact about his early golf career, showcasing his prodigious talent. The clue directly refers to the specific age at which this milestone occurred.
Today’s Game Difficulty
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!
Today’s NYT Mini Highlights
Today’s Tuesday Mini by Joel Fagliano balances quick everyday clues with a few that dig into pop culture and trivia. One theme that really stands out is the set of lifesaving related clues, which add a practical twist you don’t always see in a Mini. Paired with lighter entries about food, leisure, and sports, the puzzle feels well-rounded.
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.
For years, the Mini was free to play daily without a subscription. However, starting August 27, 2025, it became subscriber-only. This change has frustrated many fans, especially as the Mini had grown more ambitious, incorporating themes, wordplay tricks, linked clues, and even echoing entries from the Daily Crossword. In hindsight, these evolutions may have been the Times’ way of positioning the Mini closer to its flagship puzzle.
Here on our page, access is still free, and we also feature the most complete Mini archive and solving resources available anywhere.
We also offer a fresh daily game, Word of Fortune, inspired by Mini-style clues and blending features from other favorites: players must guess a single word from a clue, with the option to spin a wheel for letter hints.
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.