Today's NYT Midi Crossword is live, and a lively mix of direct trivia, compact wordplay, and a circled-letter payoff keeps the grid moving. Settle in and enjoy the reveal.
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 (17 Across, 14 Down)
Trickiest Clue: 3D is the trickiest clue, since its old-fashioned insult is far less familiar than the plain clue suggests.
Gimme Clue: 9A is the clearest gimme, thanks to an unmistakable Apple advertising line.
Theme Spotted: "Party Animal"
Clue Decoder (Hints Only)
Need a nudge without the full answer? Here's a hint for each clue.
Across Hints
1A. Sci-fi saga with sandworms
Hint: Think of Frank Herbert's desert epic centered on Arrakis and its enormous sandworms. Four letters, starts with D.
5A. High-maintenance headliner
Hint: Picture a temperamental star performer whose demands dominate backstage. Four letters, starts with D.
9A. Gadget pitched as "1,000 songs in your pocket"
Hint: Recall Apple's pocket music player behind the quoted advertising line. Four letters, starts with I.
10A. Big heads
Hint: Think inflated self-images rather than literal anatomy. Four letters, starts with E.
11A. Does some light running
Hint: Use a verb for heading out at an easy running pace. Four letters, starts with J.
12A. Spy within an organization
Hint: Picture an embedded operative secretly reporting from inside a group. Four letters, starts with M.
13A. Yoko from Tokyo
Hint: The target is Yoko, the Tokyo-born artist and musician associated with John Lennon. Three letters, starts with O.
14A. Entry-level Volkswagen sedan
Hint: Look for Volkswagen's compact sedan positioned below its larger models. Five letters, starts with J.
15A. Entry-level MacBook that debuted in 2026
Hint: Think of Apple's entry-tier laptop introduced in 2026, not the hero of The Matrix. Three letters, starts with N.
16A. Grain in an açaí bowl
Hint: Name the cereal grain commonly found in porridge, granola, and breakfast bowls. Three letters, starts with O.
17A. Lil Jon's collaborator on "Turn Down for What" ... or a hint to the animal made by connecting the circled letters in this puzzle?
Hint: Recall the stage name of Lil Jon's collaborator, then read it as a music role paired with the creature traced by the circles. Seven letters, starts with D.
21A. Biblical figure swallowed by a big swimmer
Hint: Think of the biblical prophet thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish. Five letters, starts with J.
23A. Slim ___ (meat stick)
Hint: Complete the familiar meat-snack brand phrase after Slim. Three letters, starts with J.
24A. Sheep-related
Hint: Supply the adjective meaning related to sheep. Five letters, starts with O.
25A. Stately shade tree
Hint: Picture a stately hardwood shade tree often planted along streets. Three letters, starts with E.
26A. Made some cookies, e.g.
Hint: Use the past-tense verb for making cookies in an oven. Five letters, starts with B.
27A. North Pole export
Hint: Picture an item made in Santa's workshop and shipped south from the North Pole. Three letters, starts with T.
Down Hints
1D. Mustard variety with bite
Hint: Seek the sharp French mustard named for a city in Burgundy. Five letters, starts with D.
2D. Winning by a very small margin
Hint: Use the scoreboard phrase for holding the narrowest possible lead. Five letters, starts with U.
3D. Scoundrel
Hint: Reach for an old-fashioned insult describing a thoroughly disreputable rogue. Nine letters, starts with N.
4D. Magazine staffers, for short
Hint: The abbreviated newsroom role belongs to magazine staff members who shape copy. Three letters, starts with E.
5D. Discredit
Hint: Use a verb meaning to damage someone's reputation or lower their dignity. Six letters, starts with D.
6D. "See you later!"
Hint: Think of a casual parting phrase that conveys an urgent need to leave. Nine letters, starts with I.
7D. What "V" stands for on a battery
Hint: Name the unit of electric potential represented by V. Four letters, starts with V.
8D. On the ocean
Hint: Use a nautical phrase meaning away from land and under way on ocean waters. Four letters, starts with A.
14D. Kidded around
Hint: Find the past-tense verb for teasing someone in a friendly way. Six letters, starts with J.
18D. ___ Goodall, noted chimpanzee expert
Hint: The target is the noted primatologist Goodall, famed for her chimpanzee fieldwork. Four letters, starts with J.
19D. Approximately 2.2 pounds, for short
Hint: Think of the metric mass unit commonly shortened in speech and close to 2.2 pounds. Four letters, starts with K.
20D. The "E" of EGOT
Hint: Name the television award represented by the opening initial in EGOT. Four letters, starts with E.
21D. Cosmologist or cosmetologist
Hint: Both named professions are examples of the same basic work-related noun. Three letters, starts with J.
22D. Reproductive cells
Hint: Use the plural biological term for female reproductive cells. Three letters, starts with O.
Full Answers
Spoilers below. Scroll only when you're ready for the solutions.
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Across Answers
1A. Sci-fi saga with sandworms
Answer: DUNE
5A. High-maintenance headliner
Answer: DIVA
9A. Gadget pitched as "1,000 songs in your pocket"
Answer: IPOD
10A. Big heads
Answer: EGOS
11A. Does some light running
Answer: JOGS
12A. Spy within an organization
Answer: MOLE
13A. Yoko from Tokyo
Answer: ONO
14A. Entry-level Volkswagen sedan
Answer: JETTA
15A. Entry-level MacBook that debuted in 2026
Answer: NEO
16A. Grain in an açaí bowl
Answer: OAT
17A. Lil Jon's collaborator on "Turn Down for What" ... or a hint to the animal made by connecting the circled letters in this puzzle?
Answer: DJSNAKE
21A. Biblical figure swallowed by a big swimmer
Answer: JONAH
23A. Slim ___ (meat stick)
Answer: JIM
24A. Sheep-related
Answer: OVINE
25A. Stately shade tree
Answer: ELM
26A. Made some cookies, e.g.
Answer: BAKED
27A. North Pole export
Answer: TOY
Down Answers
1D. Mustard variety with bite
Answer: DIJON
2D. Winning by a very small margin
Answer: UPONE
3D. Scoundrel
Answer: NOGOODNIK
4D. Magazine staffers, for short
Answer: EDS
5D. Discredit
Answer: DEMEAN
6D. "See you later!"
Answer: IGOTTAJET
7D. What "V" stands for on a battery
Answer: VOLT
8D. On the ocean
Answer: ASEA
14D. Kidded around
Answer: JOSHED
18D. ___ Goodall, noted chimpanzee expert
Answer: JANE
19D. Approximately 2.2 pounds, for short
Answer: KILO
20D. The "E" of EGOT
Answer: EMMY
21D. Cosmologist or cosmetologist
Answer: JOB
22D. Reproductive cells
Answer: OVA
Grid Breakdown
Here's what made today's puzzle tick:
Standout Clue: 17A, “Lil Jon's collaborator on ‘Turn Down for What’ ... or a hint to the animal made by connecting the circled letters in this puzzle?”, lands on DJ SNAKE. It works because the artist's stage name also describes a music role followed by the creature traced through the grid.
Wordplay Winner: 21D is the wordplay winner: JOB answers “Cosmologist or cosmetologist” by reducing two very different careers to the same shared category.
Quick Fill: IPOD is the fastest confident fill because the quoted slogan identifies it cleanly, while its letters immediately support DIJON, UP ONE, NO-GOODNIK, and EDS at the crossings.
Speed Solver Tips
Looking to shave seconds off your time? Here's what today's puzzle teaches:
Attack unmistakable brand and proper-name clues first. IPOD, ONO, JETTA, JANE, and EMMY provide firm crossing letters for the longer conversational entries.
When a plain clue points to an unusual long word, build it from crossings before committing. That approach is especially effective for NO-GOODNIK, whose short clue gives little help with its exact form.
Tomorrow's Puzzle
The grid treated solvers fairly, pairing crisp trivia with a few chewy long fills before DJ SNAKE delivered the visual payoff.
See you at the next grid.
