Today's NYT Midi Crossword is live, and it brings a tidy mix of direct trivia, crisp misdirection, and a circled-letter theme. Settle in for a grid that rewards quick recall and careful cross-checking.
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: 30 (15 Across, 15 Down)
Trickiest Clue: 4D is the trickiest clue because the cross-reference and circled-letter role ask you to solve both a phrase and the grid's visual idea.
Gimme Clue: 1A is the clearest gimme. The pancake-focused breakfast chain is instantly recognizable.
Theme Spotted: "Lines From a Script"
Clue Decoder (Hints Only)
Need a nudge without the full answer? Here's a hint for each clue.
Across Hints
1A. Breakfast food chain
Hint: Think of the breakfast restaurant chain known for pancakes. Four letters, starts with I.
5A. Big ___, Sesame Street resident with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hint: Think of Sesame Street's towering yellow feathered resident with a Hollywood honor. Four letters, starts with B.
9A. Magician's exclamation
Hint: Picture the flourish a magician cries after the reveal. Four letters, starts with T.
10A. Smoothie bowl berry
Hint: Name the purple berry blended into smoothie bowls. Four letters, starts with A.
11A. Mix, as soup
Hint: Use the verb for moving a spoon through soup to combine it. Four letters, starts with S.
12A. Facial feature stroked when thinking, perhaps
Hint: Touch the part of the face just below the lower lip, often rubbed in thought. Four letters, starts with C.
13A. Eating between lunch and dinner, say
Hint: Think of having a small bite between the midday meal and dinner. Eight letters, starts with S.
15A. Barbell units: Abbr.
Hint: Use the standard abbreviation shown beside a barbell's weight. Three letters, starts with L.
16A. "It's safe to enter"
Hint: Think of the reassuring signal that entry is now safe. Eight letters, starts with A.
21A. Neo-soul singer India.___
Hint: Identify the neo-soul artist behind “Video” and “Brown Skin,” then supply the missing part of the stage name. Four letters, starts with A.
22A. Vocalist who might sing the middle part in a harmony
Hint: Look for the voice part set between soprano and tenor in choral harmony. Four letters, starts with A.
23A. Web programmer's code
Hint: Name the markup language used to structure a web page. Four letters, starts with H.
24A. See 4-Down
Hint: Solve this together with 4D. It completes the clue's alone-together activity and the circled-letter hint. Four letters, starts with P.
25A. "Agreed," at sea
Hint: Use the sailor's traditional affirmative. Three letters, starts with A.
26A. "When I'm feeling ___, I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad!" (lyric from "The Sound of Music")
Hint: Fill the downcast feeling that favorite things dispel in the lyric. Three letters, starts with S.
Down Hints
1D. "___ the hard-knock life"
Hint: Complete the opening contraction in the familiar Annie lyric about the hard-knock life. Three letters, starts with I.
2D. Hard ___ (head protectors)
Hint: Complete the compound term for protective construction headgear. Four letters, starts with H.
3D. Thor's dad
Hint: Name the Norse ruler who fathers the thunder god. Four letters, starts with O.
4D. With 24-Across, alone-together activity ... or a hint to the arrangement of this puzzle's circled letters
Hint: Pair this with 24A for an alone-together activity in which people each do their own thing side by side. The same phrase explains the circles. Eight letters, starts with P.
5D. Encouraging touches from teammates
Hint: Picture congratulatory pats delivered to a teammate from behind. Nine letters, starts with B.
6D. One, in Japanese
Hint: Supply the Japanese counting word that comes before ni. Four letters, starts with I.
7D. Umbrella weather
Hint: Think of the weather that makes an umbrella useful. Four letters, starts with R.
8D. Bit of minor car damage
Hint: Name the small dent or nick left on a car's body. Four letters, starts with D.
14D. North-of-the-border TV network
Hint: Think of Canada's national public television broadcaster. Three letters, starts with C.
16D. Bohemian
Hint: Use the adjective for a bohemian, creatively inclined style. Four letters, starts with A.
17D. Light green
Hint: Name the citrus-associated shade between yellow and green. Four letters, starts with L.
18D. Jazz legend Fitzgerald
Hint: Identify the jazz singer celebrated as the First Lady of Song. Four letters, starts with E.
19D. Slightly
Hint: Think of a phrase meaning by a very small amount. Four letters, starts with A.
20D. ___ G. Biv (rainbow mnemonic)
Hint: Complete the opening of the rainbow mnemonic that continues G. Biv. Three letters, starts with R.
21D. Exclamation during a "light bulb moment"
Hint: Use the burst of recognition voiced when an idea clicks. Three letters, starts with A.
Full Answers
Spoilers below. Scroll only when you're ready for the solutions.
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Across Answers
1A. Breakfast food chain
Answer: IHOP
5A. Big ___, Sesame Street resident with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Answer: BIRD
9A. Magician's exclamation
Answer: TADA
10A. Smoothie bowl berry
Answer: ACAI
11A. Mix, as soup
Answer: STIR
12A. Facial feature stroked when thinking, perhaps
Answer: CHIN
13A. Eating between lunch and dinner, say
Answer: SNACKING
15A. Barbell units: Abbr.
Answer: LBS
16A. "It's safe to enter"
Answer: ALLCLEAR
21A. Neo-soul singer India.___
Answer: ARIE
22A. Vocalist who might sing the middle part in a harmony
Answer: ALTO
23A. Web programmer's code
Answer: HTML
24A. See 4-Down
Answer: PLAY
25A. "Agreed," at sea
Answer: AYE
26A. "When I'm feeling ___, I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad!" (lyric from "The Sound of Music")
Answer: SAD
Down Answers
1D. "___ the hard-knock life"
Answer: ITS
2D. Hard ___ (head protectors)
Answer: HATS
3D. Thor's dad
Answer: ODIN
4D. With 24-Across, alone-together activity ... or a hint to the arrangement of this puzzle's circled letters
Answer: PARALLEL
5D. Encouraging touches from teammates
Answer: BACKSLAPS
6D. One, in Japanese
Answer: ICHI
7D. Umbrella weather
Answer: RAIN
8D. Bit of minor car damage
Answer: DING
14D. North-of-the-border TV network
Answer: CBC
16D. Bohemian
Answer: ARTY
17D. Light green
Answer: LIME
18D. Jazz legend Fitzgerald
Answer: ELLA
19D. Slightly
Answer: ATAD
20D. ___ G. Biv (rainbow mnemonic)
Answer: ROY
21D. Exclamation during a "light bulb moment"
Answer: AHA
Grid Breakdown
Here's what made today's puzzle tick:
Standout Clue: The defining pair is 4D and 24A, PARALLEL PLAY. It works because the phrase names an alone-together activity while also serving as the clue's explicit guide to the arrangement of the circled letters.
Wordplay Winner: BACKSLAPS wins the wordplay prize. “Touches” initially sounds delicate, but the answer recasts it as hearty congratulatory pats from teammates.
Quick Fill: IHOP was the fastest confident fill because the breakfast-chain clue points directly to a familiar brand. It immediately anchors ITS, HATS, ODIN, and PARALLEL through the crossings.
Speed Solver Tips
Looking to shave seconds off your time? Here's what today's puzzle teaches:
When a clue points elsewhere, treat the linked entries as one unit. PARALLEL at 4D becomes decisive once PLAY at 24A completes the phrase.
Bank broad central entries as soon as their clues click. SNACKING and ALLCLEAR provide useful checks for the long Downs, especially PARALLEL and BACKSLAPS.
Tomorrow's Puzzle
This grid treated solvers fairly, pairing accessible fill with a theme that became sharper at the reveal. PARALLEL PLAY gave the circled letters a clean purpose and left the puzzle with a satisfying finish.
See you at the next grid.
