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NYT’s The Mini Crossword Answers and Hints
Wordle
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The Crossword
Connections Sports
Word Salad Answers
Contexto Answer
Blossom Answer
Betweenle Answer
Conexo AnswersAcross
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This clue plays on word association. “The Bun Also Rises” is a pun on Hemingway’s title, hinting at a bakery. “The Bun” evokes bread, and “rises” refers to the rising process in baking.
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OLIVE is the solution because olive oil is a widely known type of oil often served as a dip with bread, especially in Mediterranean cuisine. It's commonly paired with herbs or balsamic vinegar, making it a popular and fitting answer for the clue.
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"Throw in the ___" refers to the phrase "throw in the towel," which means to give up or surrender. The origin comes from boxing, where a towel is thrown into the ring to signal defeat. Thus, the answer "TOWEL" completes the idiom.
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The answer is CHINA because "fine" dishware often refers to "fine china," which is a high-quality, elegant porcelain used for special occasions like dinner parties. The clue suggests this association, as "fine" emphasizes the refined nature of this type of dinnerware.
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The clue "Very quick" directly matches the meaning of HASTY, which describes something done with excessive speed or urgency. HASTY conveys promptness or rapidness, making it an appropriate synonym for "very quick." No wordplay or special hints apply here—this is a straightforward definition-based clue.
Down
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The clue "Bungle, as plastic surgery" uses the word "bungle" as a synonym for a mistake or error. "BOTCH" means to mishandle or ruin something, often through clumsiness. In the context of plastic surgery, a "botched" procedure aligns perfectly with the clue's meaning.
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Hawaii is nicknamed the "Aloha State" because "Aloha" is a Hawaiian word commonly used as a greeting or farewell, symbolizing love, peace, and compassion. It reflects Hawaii’s culture and spirit, making ALOHA the correct answer for this clue.
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The answer "KIWIS" works because it refers to both fuzzy fruits (kiwi fruits with their brown, fuzzy skin) and flightless birds (kiwis, native to New Zealand, known for their small size and inability to fly). The clue's double meaning ties these two together seamlessly.
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The clue "4 x 400-meter race, e.g." describes an example of a specific type of occurrence or competition in athletics. The 4 x 400-meter race is a relay, which falls under the general category of an "EVENT" in sports, making "EVENT" the correct answer.
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The 4 x 400-meter race is a type of relay race in track and field. In a relay, each of the four runners completes a 400-meter segment (one lap) before passing a baton to the next runner, making "RELAY" the accurate answer.
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
This Friday Mini by Christina Iverson is a delightful puzzle with a unique theme—every answer is five letters long! The grid incorporates a mix of food, geography, and clever idioms, giving solvers a variety of fun topics to work through. The consistent word length adds a satisfying rhythm to the solving experience.
Today's Tricky Wordplay
Here's what caught our attention today:
- Owner of a shop called The Bun Also Rises, most likely
- Throw in the ___
- Bungle, as plastic surgery
- 4 x 400-meter race, e.g.
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.