Today's NYT Midi Crossword is live, and leans into brisk trivia, conversational clueing, and a neatly concealed food theme. Settle in for a satisfying grid with several quick footholds.
How The Midi Works
The Midi is the middle ground between the Mini and the classic NYT Crossword, offering a mid-size grid that takes a few satisfying minutes to clear. Solve the intersecting words, and when the grid is complete, you'll hear a satisfying chime.
New puzzles drop daily. The Midi offers more complexity than the Mini while remaining accessible for solvers who want a quick but substantial challenge.
Quick Scan
In a rush? Here's the at-a-glance breakdown for today's puzzle:
Grid Size: 10x10
Total Clues: 36 (20 Across, 16 Down)
Trickiest Clue: 19A is the trickiest clue because it asks for a longtime Mets player's first name while supplying only his famous teammates.
Gimme Clue: 32A is the clearest gimme, using a familiar image of newly hatched birds at home.
Theme Spotted: "Three-For-One-Fun"
Clue Decoder (Hints Only)
Need a nudge without the full answer? Here's a hint for each clue.
Across Hints
1A. Loungewear with a monogram, perhaps
Hint: Picture the personalized garment hanging in a hotel room or beside a bed. Four letters, starts with R.
5A. ___ system (GPS device)
Hint: Use the clipped dashboard term for technology that guides a driver. Three letters, starts with N.
8A. C.I.O. or C.F.O.
Hint: Both examples are senior corporate officers, so seek their informal collective label. Four letters, starts with E.
9A. Way to depart a highway
Hint: Think of the marked roadway feature used to leave an interstate. Four letters, starts with E.
11A. It might be sealed with a handshake
Hint: A handshake can finalize this agreement or transaction. Four letters, starts with D.
12A. Succulent that soothes skin
Hint: This fleshy-leaved plant supplies a cooling gel commonly applied after sun exposure. Four letters, starts with A.
13A. Way to join a highway
Hint: Look for the sloping roadway that lets traffic merge onto an interstate. Six letters, starts with O.
15A. Popular brown dog
Hint: The clue wants the familiar abbreviation for a retriever breed often seen with a chocolate-brown coat. Three letters, starts with L.
17A. "Gotta bounce!"
Hint: Reach for the casual Italian farewell used when someone is heading out. Four letters, starts with C.
18A. Rapper with the 1990 #1 album "To the Extreme"
Hint: Supply the second half of the stage name used by the rapper behind that album. Three letters, starts with I.
19A. Longtime Mets teammate of Dwight Gooden and Keith Hernandez
Hint: Supply Strawberry's first name from the championship-era Mets roster. Six letters, starts with D.
21A. Rink org.
Hint: The rink points to North America's major professional hockey organization. Three letters, starts with N.
22A. State whose capital is Boise: Abbr.
Hint: Boise is the capital, and the clue requests the traditional abbreviation for the state rather than its two-letter postal code. Three letters, starts with I.
23A. Nurses, as a drink
Hint: Read “nurses” as a verb meaning drinks slowly and carefully. Four letters, starts with S.
25A. Classic film with the tagline "You'll never go in the water again"
Hint: Think of the Spielberg thriller whose menace made ocean swimming feel dangerous. Four letters, starts with J.
27A. Gentle honks
Hint: These are brief, restrained blasts from a car horn. Five letters, starts with T.
30A. Look at rudely
Hint: The verb means to stare openly in an intrusive or impolite way. Four letters, starts with O.
31A. God to 1.9+ billion
Hint: The clue seeks the Arabic name for God used in Islam. Five letters, starts with A.
32A. Where baby birds live
Hint: Picture the woven or twig-built home where hatchlings are fed. Four letters, starts with N.
33A. "... said ___ ever"
Hint: Complete the sarcastic expression used to dismiss an implausible statement. Five letters, starts with N.
Down Hints
1D. Apt rhyme for "take two"
Hint: The film-set phrase “take two” suggests performing the action again, and the requested word rhymes with “two.” Four letters, starts with R.
2D. Animals pulling a plow, perhaps
Hint: Think of the traditional draft animals yoked together for farm work. Four letters, starts with O.
3D. Abdominal-strengthening exercises done on all fours
Hint: These core exercises have you move on hands and feet with your knees hovering above the floor. Ten letters, starts with B.
4D. Cream-filled pastry
Hint: Picture an elongated French pastry filled with cream and commonly topped with chocolate icing. Six letters, starts with E.
5D. Three-in-one ice cream hinted at by 15-, 18- and 19-Across
Hint: The revealer is the striped frozen dessert traditionally combining three familiar flavors. Ten letters, starts with N.
6D. ___ Rose of Guns N' Roses
Hint: Supply the lead singer's distinctive first name before Rose. Three letters, starts with A.
7D. Time for a string instrumentalist to shine
Hint: Imagine the featured passage when one bowed-string player takes the spotlight alone. Ten letters, starts with V.
10D. Educate
Hint: Use the basic verb for helping someone learn a subject or skill. Five letters, starts with T.
14D. 24-time M.L.B. All-Star Willie
Hint: The clue asks for the surname of baseball's “Say Hey Kid.” Four letters, starts with M.
16D. "The Fresh Prince of ___-Air"
Hint: Complete the hyphenated Los Angeles neighborhood in the sitcom's title. Three letters, starts with B.
19D. Spicy mustard variety
Hint: This French city lends its name to a sharp prepared mustard. Five letters, starts with D.
20D. Old saying
Hint: Think of a concise traditional saying that expresses a piece of accumulated wisdom. Five letters, starts with A.
24D. Word that follows "Marco!" in a pool
Hint: Answer the familiar call shouted during the swimming-pool searching game. Four letters, starts with P.
26D. Filming locale
Hint: The clue means the constructed location where a movie or television scene is shot. Three letters, starts with S.
28D. Shade similar to beige
Hint: Choose the warm light-brown shade associated with sun-darkened skin. Three letters, starts with T.
29D. ___/her pronouns
Hint: Supply the subject pronoun paired with “her.” Three letters, starts with S.
Full Answers
Spoilers below. Scroll only when you're ready for the solutions.
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Across Answers
1A. Loungewear with a monogram, perhaps
Answer: ROBE
5A. ___ system (GPS device)
Answer: NAV
8A. C.I.O. or C.F.O.
Answer: EXEC
9A. Way to depart a highway
Answer: EXIT
11A. It might be sealed with a handshake
Answer: DEAL
12A. Succulent that soothes skin
Answer: ALOE
13A. Way to join a highway
Answer: ONRAMP
15A. Popular brown dog
Answer: LAB
17A. "Gotta bounce!"
Answer: CIAO
18A. Rapper with the 1990 #1 album "To the Extreme"
Answer: ICE
19A. Longtime Mets teammate of Dwight Gooden and Keith Hernandez
Answer: DARRYL
21A. Rink org.
Answer: NHL
22A. State whose capital is Boise: Abbr.
Answer: IDA
23A. Nurses, as a drink
Answer: SIPS
25A. Classic film with the tagline "You'll never go in the water again"
Answer: JAWS
27A. Gentle honks
Answer: TOOTS
30A. Look at rudely
Answer: OGLE
31A. God to 1.9+ billion
Answer: ALLAH
32A. Where baby birds live
Answer: NEST
33A. "... said ___ ever"
Answer: NOONE
Down Answers
1D. Apt rhyme for "take two"
Answer: REDO
2D. Animals pulling a plow, perhaps
Answer: OXEN
3D. Abdominal-strengthening exercises done on all fours
Answer: BEARCRAWLS
4D. Cream-filled pastry
Answer: ECLAIR
5D. Three-in-one ice cream hinted at by 15-, 18- and 19-Across
Answer: NEAPOLITAN
6D. ___ Rose of Guns N' Roses
Answer: AXL
7D. Time for a string instrumentalist to shine
Answer: VIOLINSOLO
10D. Educate
Answer: TEACH
14D. 24-time M.L.B. All-Star Willie
Answer: MAYS
16D. "The Fresh Prince of ___-Air"
Answer: BEL
19D. Spicy mustard variety
Answer: DIJON
20D. Old saying
Answer: ADAGE
24D. Word that follows "Marco!" in a pool
Answer: POLO
26D. Filming locale
Answer: SET
28D. Shade similar to beige
Answer: TAN
29D. ___/her pronouns
Answer: SHE
Grid Breakdown
Here's what made today's puzzle tick:
Standout Clue: 5D, “Three-in-one ice cream hinted at by 15-, 18- and 19-Across,” resolves to NEAPOLITAN. LAB evokes chocolate Lab, ICE points to Vanilla Ice, and DARRYL points to Darryl Strawberry, producing chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry through three clean associations.
Wordplay Winner: REDO wins the wordplay prize at 1D. “Take two” means another attempt while “two” also supplies the exact rhyme promised by the clue.
Quick Fill: NEST at 32A is the fastest confident fill because the clue is direct, and its crossings with DIJON, ADAGE, BEARCRAWLS, and SET secure the lower-left corner.
Speed Solver Tips
Looking to shave seconds off your time? Here's what today's puzzle teaches:
Use paired roadway clues to build momentum. EXIT and ONRAMP describe opposite highway movements, so recognizing one makes the other easier to place.
When a long revealer remains uncertain, solve its short crossings first. NAV, EXIT, ALOE, ONRAMP, CIAO, DARRYL, SIPS, TOOTS, ALLAH, and NOONE collectively lock NEAPOLITAN into place.
Tomorrow's Puzzle
The grid treated solvers fairly, offering plenty of direct entries before NEAPOLITAN delivered the final thematic payoff. Its trio of flavor associations gives the solve a crisp, memorable finish.
See you at the next grid.
