Today's NYT Midi Crossword is live, and a playful theme gives familiar vocabulary and everyday trivia an extra twist. Come on in and let the linked clues guide you.
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: 9x9
Total Clues: 19 (9 Across, 10 Down)
Trickiest Clue: 1D offers the toughest vocabulary choice, since its brief fraud clue leaves room for several synonyms.
Gimme Clue: 5D supplies the clearest foothold, with sentence grammar doing the heavy lifting.
Theme Spotted: "Maze Runner"
Clue Decoder (Hints Only)
Need a nudge without the full answer? Here's a hint for each clue.
Across Hints
1A. Restaurant chain with a red pepper in its logo
Hint: Think of a casual dining chain whose emblem doubles as an ingredient. Six letters, starts with C.
6A. Maze runners trying to thwart this puzzle's subject
Hint: Look for the pursuers rather than the hero navigating the maze. Six letters, starts with G.
7A. Flew high
Hint: Picture an eagle riding an updraft, then put that motion in the past tense. Six letters, starts with S.
8A. Not as good
Hint: You want a comparative adjective describing a drop in quality. Five letters, starts with W.
9A. Sitting around not doing much
Hint: Think inactive or unoccupied, rather than asleep. Four letters, starts with I.
10A. Surgery marks
Hint: Look for the lasting traces left after incisions heal. Five letters, starts with S.
12A. Empty, boastful talk
Hint: Think of a figurative phrase for bluster without substance. Six letters, starts with H.
14A. Iconic maze runner hinted at in this puzzle
Hint: Use 6A to identify the character those pursuers chase. Six letters, starts with P.
16A. Snapple rival
Hint: Think of a competing tea brand rather than a soda label. Six letters, starts with N.
Down Hints
1D. Total fraud
Hint: Look for a person who pretends to have expertise or abilities they lack. Nine letters, starts with C.
2D. Jockeys jockey for position in it
Hint: The repeated wording points toward a contest involving riders and their mounts. Nine letters, starts with H.
3D. "Yes, that makes sense"
Hint: Imagine a brief conversational response when an explanation clicks. Four letters, starts with I.
4D. British abbreviation similar to "Inc."
Hint: Think of the abbreviated company suffix used on British business paperwork. Three letters, starts with L.
5D. "What ___ the meaning of all this?!"
Hint: Supply the present-tense verb that agrees with the singular noun meaning. Two letters, starts with I.
6D. One member of a police interrogation team
Hint: Think of the sympathetic role in a paired interrogation routine. Seven letters, starts with G.
7D. Nothing-but-net sound
Hint: Listen for a basketball passing cleanly through the hoop without touching the rim. Five letters, starts with S.
11D. Virtual people in a 2000s computer game franchise
Hint: Picture the digital inhabitants whose homes, careers, and relationships you manage. Four letters, starts with S.
13D. Member of order Rodentia
Hint: Think of a long-tailed rodent associated with sewers. Three letters, starts with R.
15D. The Cornhusker State, in a mailing address
Hint: Use the postal form rather than a traditional state abbreviation. Two letters, starts with N.
Full Answers
Spoilers below. Scroll only when you're ready for the solutions.
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Across Answers
1A. Restaurant chain with a red pepper in its logo
Answer: CHILIS
6A. Maze runners trying to thwart this puzzle's subject
Answer: GHOSTS
7A. Flew high
Answer: SOARED
8A. Not as good
Answer: WORSE
9A. Sitting around not doing much
Answer: IDLE
10A. Surgery marks
Answer: SCARS
12A. Empty, boastful talk
Answer: HOTAIR
14A. Iconic maze runner hinted at in this puzzle
Answer: PACMAN
16A. Snapple rival
Answer: NESTEA
Down Answers
1D. Total fraud
Answer: CHARLATAN
2D. Jockeys jockey for position in it
Answer: HORSERACE
3D. "Yes, that makes sense"
Answer: ISEE
4D. British abbreviation similar to "Inc."
Answer: LTD
5D. "What ___ the meaning of all this?!"
Answer: IS
6D. One member of a police interrogation team
Answer: GOODCOP
7D. Nothing-but-net sound
Answer: SWISH
11D. Virtual people in a 2000s computer game franchise
Answer: SIMS
13D. Member of order Rodentia
Answer: RAT
15D. The Cornhusker State, in a mailing address
Answer: NE
Grid Breakdown
Here's what made today's puzzle tick:
Standout Clue: 14A, "Iconic maze runner hinted at in this puzzle", delivers PACMAN and gives 6A's GHOSTS their target. That connection makes the entries feel like characters sharing a scene.
Wordplay Winner: 2D, "Jockeys jockey for position in it", earns the wordplay nod with HORSERACE. The clue uses jockey first as a noun and then as a verb, making its repetition do real work.
Quick Fill: 5D's IS offers the fastest confident fill because the sentence fixes the grammar. It supplies the second I in CHILIS and the final S in GHOSTS, giving the upper grid an immediate foothold.
Speed Solver Tips
Looking to shave seconds off your time? Here's what today's puzzle teaches:
Bank the direct definitions before wrestling with broader vocabulary. IDLE and SCARS provide useful letters for CHARLATAN and HORSERACE, so those long Downs need less guesswork.
Treat linked clues as a shared problem. Recognizing GHOSTS gives you a direct route to PACMAN, and recognizing PACMAN sharpens the target for GHOSTS.
Tomorrow's Puzzle
The direct clues keep this grid welcoming, while CHARLATAN adds a satisfying vocabulary hurdle. PACMAN supplies the payoff, tying the playful clues together.
See you at the next grid.