Today's NYT Midi Crossword is live, and a picture trick gives familiar trivia a playful twist. Welcome, and enjoy following the clues wherever they lead.
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: 24 (12 Across, 12 Down)
Trickiest Clue: 18A is the trickiest clue because its familiar food wording conceals a spelling choice and a grid trick.
Gimme Clue: 16D is the clearest gimme, with a shop sign tied directly to whether customers can come inside.
Theme Spotted: "Catty Corner"
Clue Decoder (Hints Only)
Need a nudge without the full answer? Here's a hint for each clue.
Across Hints
1A. Baseball position for Yadier Molina and Yogi Berra
Hint: Think of the player crouching behind home plate. A blank square, then four letters starting with C.
6A. Concert sites
Hint: Picture indoor venues with tiered seating surrounding the performers. Six letters, starts with A.
8A. First vehicle on a roller coaster
Hint: Think of the vehicle giving riders an unobstructed view of the track ahead. Seven letters, starts with L.
10A. Make a choice
Hint: The verb you need often comes before "for" when someone selects a preference. Three letters, starts with O.
11A. Birds whose eggs are incubated by the fathers
Hint: Think of large Australian birds that cannot fly. Four letters, starts with E.
13A. Collectibles in some video games
Hint: Picture sparkling jewels collected as a character moves through a level. Four letters, starts with G.
15A. ___ Paulo, Brazil
Hint: Think of the Portuguese equivalent of Saint in this Brazilian city's name. Three letters, starts with S.
17A. Liquid collected to make syrup
Hint: Think of what flows from a tapped maple tree before boiling. Three letters, starts with S.
18A. Red sauce for French fries
Hint: This tomato condiment has an alternative spelling worth considering. A blank square, then three letters starting with S.
19A. Pro-V shampoo brand
Hint: Use the Pro-V branding to identify the hair-care label. Seven letters, starts with P.
21A. Title of Jasmine's father in "Aladdin"
Hint: Think of the royal title held by Agrabah's ruler. Six letters, starts with S.
22A. Poet Gallagher
Hint: Think of the poet who wrote Instructions to the Double. Four letters, starts with T.
Down Hints
1D. Seasonal retail mailing
Hint: Picture a printed booklet of merchandise arriving in your mailbox. A blank square, then four letters starting with A.
2D. French brunch option
Hint: Think of thin pancakes folded around sweet or savory fillings. Six letters, starts with C.
3D. Data visualization tool that shows clusters of activity
Hint: Picture a graphic using color intensity to distinguish busy areas from quieter ones. Seven letters, starts with H.
4D. Finale
Hint: Think of the point when the curtain falls for good. Three letters, starts with E.
5D. Tortoise-versus-hare competition
Hint: Recall what the fable's rivals are trying to win. Four letters, starts with R.
7D. Toucan ___ (Froot Loops mascot)
Hint: Recall the cereal bird associated with following his nose. Three letters, starts with S.
9D. Good potatoes for making mashed potatoes
Hint: Think of brown-skinned, starchy potatoes also used for baking. Seven letters, starts with R.
12D. Rooms where things get steamy?
Hint: Read steamy as a physical condition in a heated room. Six letters, starts with S.
14D. Bachelorette party destinations, perhaps
Hint: Think of places offering massages, facials, and pampering. Four letters, starts with S.
16D. Store sign displayed during operating hours
Hint: The sign tells shoppers they can come inside. Four letters, starts with O.
18D. Mooing livestock
Hint: Think of a collective term for cows and bulls. A blank square, then three letters starting with T.
20D. Pecan or pistachio
Hint: Think of the everyday food category for these crunchy snacks in shells. Three letters, starts with N.
Full Answers
Spoilers below. Scroll only when you're ready for the solutions.
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Across Answers
1A. Baseball position for Yadier Molina and Yogi Berra
Answer: CHER (leave the first square blank; the cat picture makes it CATCHER)
6A. Concert sites
Answer: ARENAS
8A. First vehicle on a roller coaster
Answer: LEADCAR
10A. Make a choice
Answer: OPT
11A. Birds whose eggs are incubated by the fathers
Answer: EMUS
13A. Collectibles in some video games
Answer: GEMS
15A. ___ Paulo, Brazil
Answer: SAO
17A. Liquid collected to make syrup
Answer: SAP
18A. Red sauce for French fries
Answer: SUP (leave the first square blank; the cat picture makes it CATSUP)
19A. Pro-V shampoo brand
Answer: PANTENE
21A. Title of Jasmine's father in "Aladdin"
Answer: SULTAN
22A. Poet Gallagher
Answer: TESS
Down Answers
1D. Seasonal retail mailing
Answer: ALOG (leave the first square blank; the cat picture makes it CATALOG)
2D. French brunch option
Answer: CREPES
3D. Data visualization tool that shows clusters of activity
Answer: HEATMAP
4D. Finale
Answer: END
5D. Tortoise-versus-hare competition
Answer: RACE
7D. Toucan ___ (Froot Loops mascot)
Answer: SAM
9D. Good potatoes for making mashed potatoes
Answer: RUSSETS
12D. Rooms where things get steamy?
Answer: SAUNAS
14D. Bachelorette party destinations, perhaps
Answer: SPAS
16D. Store sign displayed during operating hours
Answer: OPEN
18D. Mooing livestock
Answer: TLE (leave the first square blank; the cat picture makes it CATTLE)
20D. Pecan or pistachio
Answer: NUT
Grid Breakdown
Here's what made today's puzzle tick:
Standout Clue: 1A, "Baseball position for Yadier Molina and Yogi Berra," is entered as CHER after a blank square, and the cat picture in that square makes it CATCHER. The same blank square starts ALOG at 1D (CATALOG), and SUP and TLE repeat the picture trick at 18A and 18D (CATSUP and CATTLE).
Wordplay Winner: 12D, "Rooms where things get steamy?", wins the wordplay prize with SAUNAS. The suggestive wording resolves into literal steam, giving the question mark a clear purpose.
Quick Fill: 4D, "Finale," is a fast, confident END. It anchors the upper grid through CHER, ARENAS, and LEADCAR, supplying useful checks while you work out the picture.
Speed Solver Tips
Looking to shave seconds off your time? Here's what today's puzzle teaches:
When a familiar answer seems one square short, look for a picture square before abandoning it. CHER and ALOG share a blank square, and the cat picture there turns them into CATCHER and CATALOG.
Use crossings to settle alternate spellings. At 18A, SUP fits the letters supplied by RUSSETS, SAUNAS, and OPEN, and the cat picture makes it CATSUP, while TLE at 18D confirms the blank picture square.
Tomorrow's Puzzle
The satisfying turn comes when the blank square and its cat picture start explaining the grid. Familiar trivia provides the footholds, and the repeated picture trick rewards checking both directions.
See you at the next grid.