Today's NYT Midi Crossword is live, and leans into punchy wordplay, brisk trivia, and a visual payoff hidden in the completed grid. Settle in for a lively mix of direct clues and sly misdirection.
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: 31 (15 Across, 16 Down)
Trickiest Clue: 18A is the trickiest clue because its quoted sports term only clicks when you inspect the grid as a picture.
Gimme Clue: 2D is the cleanest gimme because its everyday vehicle synonym is immediate.
Theme Spotted: "Three Strikes and Yer Out"
Clue Decoder (Hints Only)
Need a nudge without the full answer? Here's a hint for each clue.
Across Hints
1A. Spent time in a dining hall
Hint: Think of the past-tense action completed during a meal in a communal cafeteria. Three letters, starts with A.
4A. Eyes emoji
Hint: Read the emoji literally as the paired organs of sight. Four letters, starts with E.
8A. Busiest airport on the West Coast, familiarly
Hint: Use the familiar airport code for Los Angeles' main commercial hub. Three letters, starts with L.
9A. Opulent
Hint: Think of an adjective for something opulent, plush, and high-end. Four letters, starts with L.
10A. Got rid of
Hint: Reach for a punchy past-tense verb meaning canceled or dismissed. Four letters, starts with A.
12A. Show off, in modern slang
Hint: Modern slang points to displaying status, strength, or possessions. Four letters, starts with F.
13A. Complimentary champagne and plush robes, in a hotel room
Hint: Group the champagne and robes under a plural term for small courtesies offered by a hotel. Eight letters, starts with N.
15A. Wetland
Hint: Picture a low, marshy wetland, especially one with peat-rich ground. Three letters, starts with F.
16A. Microsoft gaming console
Hint: Name Microsoft's home gaming console line. Four letters, starts with X.
18A. Official who is calling the "strikes" in this puzzle's grid?
Hint: The quotation marks make “strikes” visual. Look for repeated marks in the filled grid, then name the official who would call them. Three letters, starts with U.
21A. "That's my impression"
Hint: Use a conversational phrase meaning “That is the impression I get.” Nine letters, starts with S.
23A. Palindromic kitchen brand
Hint: Look for the symmetrical cookware and housewares label whose logo reads the same in either direction. Three letters, starts with O.
24A. Supermodel Campbell
Hint: Think of the supermodel Campbell who became a defining runway figure. Five letters, starts with N.
25A. Rejections
Hint: Think of brief spoken refusals in plural form. Three letters, starts with N.
26A. Common cereal in homemade trail mix
Hint: Picture the crisp woven cereal pieces often tossed with nuts and pretzels. Four letters, starts with C.
Down Hints
1D. Actor Rickman or Ritchson
Hint: Identify the name shared by Rickman and Ritchson. Four letters, starts with A.
2D. Cab
Hint: Use the everyday synonym for a hired city car. Four letters, starts with T.
3D. C.O.O. or C.F.O.
Hint: Reach for the clipped workplace term that can describe either corporate officer. Four letters, starts with E.
4D. Like some North Pole workers
Hint: Use the adjective for workers who resemble Santa's small folkloric helpers. Five letters, starts with E.
5D. Christmastime
Hint: Think of the old midwinter holiday word commonly paired with “log” and “tide.” Four letters, starts with Y.
6D. Tate McRae song with the lyric "We make up, then we break up, then they swear they'll never call me"
Hint: The Tate McRae track title labels the former partners cycling through the lyric's breakup pattern. Four letters, starts with E.
7D. Health class topic
Hint: Focus on the health curriculum area covering reproduction and consent. Three letters, starts with S.
11D. Clear, as a windshield
Hint: Use the verb for clearing condensation from car glass. Five letters, starts with D.
14D. Houston football player
Hint: The clue asks for the singular label applied to a player on Houston's NFL team. Five letters, starts with T.
16D. Love letter sign-off
Hint: Picture the paired symbols that represent affection and embraces at the end of a note. Four letters, starts with X.
17D. Parts of social media profiles
Hint: Think of the short self-descriptions attached to social profiles. Four letters, starts with B.
18D. "That's not good!"
Hint: Use the brief alarmed interjection uttered when trouble appears. Four letters, starts with U.
19D. Distracted Boyfriend or Expanding Brain
Hint: Both examples are reusable internet image formats with familiar captions. Four letters, starts with M.
20D. Grand ___ (motor race)
Hint: Complete the French motor-racing phrase that follows Grand. Four letters, starts with P.
21D. Daughter's brother
Hint: Use the kinship term for a male child in relation to the same parents. Three letters, starts with S.
22D. Tic-___-toe
Hint: Supply the middle beat of the familiar playground game's name. Three letters, starts with T.
Full Answers
Spoilers below. Scroll only when you're ready for the solutions.
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Across Answers
1A. Spent time in a dining hall
Answer: ATE
4A. Eyes emoji
Answer: EYES
8A. Busiest airport on the West Coast, familiarly
Answer: LAX
9A. Opulent
Answer: LUXE
10A. Got rid of
Answer: AXED
12A. Show off, in modern slang
Answer: FLEX
13A. Complimentary champagne and plush robes, in a hotel room
Answer: NICETIES
15A. Wetland
Answer: FEN
16A. Microsoft gaming console
Answer: XBOX
18A. Official who is calling the "strikes" in this puzzle's grid?
Answer: UMP
21A. "That's my impression"
Answer: SOIGATHER
23A. Palindromic kitchen brand
Answer: OXO
24A. Supermodel Campbell
Answer: NAOMI
25A. Rejections
Answer: NOS
26A. Common cereal in homemade trail mix
Answer: CHEX
Down Answers
1D. Actor Rickman or Ritchson
Answer: ALAN
2D. Cab
Answer: TAXI
3D. C.O.O. or C.F.O.
Answer: EXEC
4D. Like some North Pole workers
Answer: ELFIN
5D. Christmastime
Answer: YULE
6D. Tate McRae song with the lyric "We make up, then we break up, then they swear they'll never call me"
Answer: EXES
7D. Health class topic
Answer: SEX
11D. Clear, as a windshield
Answer: DEFOG
14D. Houston football player
Answer: TEXAN
16D. Love letter sign-off
Answer: XOXO
17D. Parts of social media profiles
Answer: BIOS
18D. "That's not good!"
Answer: UHOH
19D. Distracted Boyfriend or Expanding Brain
Answer: MEME
20D. Grand ___ (motor race)
Answer: PRIX
21D. Daughter's brother
Answer: SON
22D. Tic-___-toe
Answer: TAC
Grid Breakdown
Here's what made today's puzzle tick:
Standout Clue: 18A, UMP, defines the puzzle. The clue's “strikes” are the X characters scattered across the grid, so the baseball official is literally calling what the solver sees.
Wordplay Winner: UMP wins the wordplay round because “strikes” shifts from baseball calls to the grid's repeated X marks. That visual reinterpretation turns a short fill into the puzzle's punch line.
Quick Fill: TAXI was the fastest confident fill because “Cab” is completely direct. Its crossings immediately steady ATE, LAX, AXED, and NICETIES along the grid's left side.
Speed Solver Tips
Looking to shave seconds off your time? Here's what today's puzzle teaches:
Bank direct equivalents such as TAXI, FEN, SON, and TAC before wrestling with the conversational SOIGATHER. Short certainties create useful checkpoints around the longer fill.
When a clue references the grid itself, pause and scan the completed pattern visually. Here, spotting the repeated X characters makes UMP far easier to confirm.
Tomorrow's Puzzle
The grid treated solvers fairly, pairing crisp trivia with enough crossings to unlock its longer phrases. UMP lands as a satisfying final wink once the X-heavy pattern comes into focus.
See you at the next grid.
