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Yesterday's NYT Mini Crossword Answers and Hints

Across

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • "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.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

Yesterday’s Game Difficulty

1.9 / 5
Easy

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NYT Mini Archive

Top Clues from Yesterday’s Mini

Below is a selection of the most intriguing clues from yesterday’s NYT Mini Puzzle. These stood out for their clever wordplay, the things they taught us, or just the fun challenge they brought. Whether you missed them or only want to see why they caught our attention, here are our favorite clues that made solving yesterday’s puzzle fun and rewarding.

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.

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

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

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 check become blue.

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