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NYT’s The Mini Crossword Answers and Hints
Across
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The Buffalo hockey team is the Buffalo Sabres, a National Hockey League (NHL) team. "Sabre" refers to their team name. The clue directly points to a player from this team, making SABRE the correct solution.
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The clue, "I'll have the ___," suggests a spoken phrase and hints at a familiar, repeated action. Frequent customers typically order what they usually get. Therefore, "USUAL" fits perfectly as the answer, representing the standard or regular choice a customer frequently makes at a place they visit often.
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The answer is MAGMA because it refers to the molten rock located beneath the Earth's surface, which is commonly found inside a volcano. When a volcano erupts, this magma is expelled as lava. The clue directly describes what is contained within a volcano, making MAGMA the correct solution.
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The clue "Adjust to a new environment" directly defines the word ADAPT. To adapt means to modify or adjust oneself to new conditions or surroundings, aligning perfectly with the clue's meaning. It's a straightforward match with no wordplay or special context needed here.
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This entry is the first part of CABOOSE (paired with 10-Across). The clue signals a split answer: CA starts the train car name. Since it's Halloween, expect the black square between the two halves to transfrom and link them, a neat seasonal trick.
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This is the ending part of CABOOSE, referring back to 9-Across to complete the word. Alone it’s just SE, but read with its partner it finishes the train-car name. The intervening black square cleverly forms a spooky BOO, turning the split into a holiday gag.
Down
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The answer "SUMAC" fits because poison sumac is a well-known toxic shrub found in swampy areas. It causes skin irritation similar to poison ivy. The clue, "Poison" shrub, directly hints at this specific plant, making SUMAC the correct solution.
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The clue "Carne ___" refers to a Spanish term, as "carne" means meat in Spanish. The correct answer is "ASADA," completing the phrase "carne asada," which translates to "grilled meat" in Spanish, a popular dish in Mexican cuisine.
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The clue "Imaginary cause of fear" hints at a cause of worry that isn't real. The word "BUGA" comes from the colloquial term "bug-a-boo," which refers to an imagined or unfounded source of fear or annoyance. The abbreviation captures the essence of an imagined fear succinctly.
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The answer is RAMPS because they are structures designed to provide accessibility, particularly for wheelchairs, strollers, or those with mobility challenges, as an alternative to staircases. The clue directly hints at inclusivity and accessibility, making RAMPS the appropriate solution.
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The clue "Make extremely happy" directly aligns with the definition of the word "ELATE." To elate someone is to fill them with joy or elevate their spirits, fitting perfectly as a synonym for "make extremely happy." It’s a straightforward definition-based clue and answer pairing.
Today’s Game Difficulty
Hard
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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 Halloween Mini by Sam Ezersky, the Spelling Bee editor and master of playful Minis, is a perfect holiday treat — short, sharp, and full of tricks. The standout moment comes at the very bottom, where the final Across entries split the word CABOOSE, but a black square turns the break into a visual BOO! It’s a smart Halloween gag hidden in plain sight. Elsewhere, the grid mixes direct clues (“Contents of a volcano”) with trickier ones demanding careful parsing or niche knowledge. A festive, devious, and tightly built Mini, pure Ezersky mischief in five rows.
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.