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NYT’s The Mini Crossword Answers and Hints
Across
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CPR, short for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, is a life-saving skill taught at lifeguard training. It involves chest compressions and rescue breaths to maintain blood flow and oxygen supply in emergencies like drowning or cardiac arrest, which lifeguards may encounter. The clue specifies "for short," matching the acronym CPR.
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“Bop it!” clues HEAD in the sense of bop your head to music — a rhythmic, upbeat motion. It ties neatly into the Mini’s playful theme built around the classic reflex-game commands “Bop it! Twist it! Pull it!”, where each phrase inspires clever, movement-based wordplay.
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The clue "Not given anything to eat" directly describes the word UNFED. "Un-" denotes "not," and "fed" relates to being provided food. Together, UNFED simply means not provided with food, fitting the clue perfectly.
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The clue "Twist it! Pull it!" with a playful exclamation point suggests wordplay, describing something you twist and pull. TAFFY, a type of chewy candy, is made by pulling and twisting the mixture repeatedly during preparation, perfectly fitting the clue's description.
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The answer "ELITE" refers to a group or individual regarded as the "best of the best," excelling above others in skill, status, or quality. The clue directly defines the word, as "elite" commonly describes top-tier or highly distinguished people or things.
Down
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The answer is CHUTE because a "trash chute" is a vertical passage or tunnel in buildings, specifically designed to transport garbage directly to a dumpster located in the basement. It provides a practical and efficient means of moving trash without physically carrying it.
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The answer "PENAL" works because it can precede both "code" and "colony." A "penal code" refers to a set of laws related to crimes and punishments, while a "penal colony" is a settlement used to exile prisoners as punishment. Both relate to the concept of penalties or punishment.
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RAFFI is the answer because he is a renowned children's musician, best known for his 1980 song "Baby Beluga." The song, from his album of the same name, is a beloved children's classic celebrating a little white whale.
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"Deft" means demonstrating skill and precision, especially with ease and elegance. The clue "Neatly skillful" describes this exact quality—being able to perform tasks neatly and with skill, making "deft" the perfect match. Both imply a level of refined expertise.
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The answer is DYE because "to dye" means to change the color of something, commonly hair, by applying coloring agents. The clue explicitly refers to altering hair color, making DYE the precise solution. It's a straightforward, literal interpretation with no wordplay involved.
Today’s Game Difficulty
Normal
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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 Wednesday Mini by Christina Iverson is compact but clever, built around a playful “Bop it! / Twist it! / Pull it!” theme that adds rhythm and motion to the solve. The across clues feel energetic, with nods to rhythm, reflexes, and candy-shop nostalgia, while the down ones bring in a mix of precise vocabulary and cultural references. There’s a nice contrast between short, punchy clues and those that demand a more lateral leap. It’s a well-balanced midweek Mini, approachable at first glance but with just enough wordplay to keep solvers alert.
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.