Today's NYT Midi Crossword is live, and mixes crisp trivia, conversational phrasing, and a light dose of misdirection. Settle in and enjoy the variety.
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: 10x9
Total Clues: 31 (15 Across, 16 Down)
Trickiest Clue: 17D is the trickiest clue because it pivots between a literal object and a relationship involving celebrities.
Gimme Clue: 9A is the cleanest gimme, with a familiar farm scene pointing directly toward the required animals.
Theme Spotted: "Team Building Exercise"
Clue Decoder (Hints Only)
Need a nudge without the full answer? Here's a hint for each clue.
Across Hints
1A. "The Gift of the ___"
Hint: Complete the O. Henry title with the biblical visitors associated with treasured gifts. Four letters, starts with M.
5A. Grocery shopper's memory aid
Hint: Think of the written reminder that keeps a shopper focused in the store. Four letters, starts with L.
9A. Plow-pulling animals
Hint: Picture sturdy bovines harnessed together on a farm. Four letters, starts with O.
10A. Things to do
Hint: The clue wants a collective word for chores, errands, and obligations. Five letters, starts with T.
11A. Banning books or limiting free speech, for example
Hint: Name the practice of suppressing books, speech, or other expression. Ten letters, starts with C.
13A. Not disturb, as sleeping dogs
Hint: Complete the familiar advice about allowing sleeping dogs to remain undisturbed. Six letters, starts with L.
14A. "So cute!," cutesily
Hint: Reach for a deliberately cutesy, clipped reaction to something charming. Six letters, starts with A.
17A. Public relations concern
Hint: Public relations professionals carefully manage this aspect of a person or organization. Five letters, starts with I.
20A. Red vegetable in borscht
Hint: This root vegetable supplies borscht with its deep red color. Four letters, starts with B.
22A. Promotes an album in many arenas, say
Hint: Use the verb for traveling between venues while promoting a record. Five letters, starts with T.
23A. French fashion magazine
Hint: Think of the French fashion publication whose name is also a feminine pronoun. Four letters, starts with E.
24A. Conclude by
Hint: The required phrase means to be complete no later than a specified deadline. Five letters, starts with E.
25A. ___ mater
Hint: Complete the Latin phrase used affectionately for one's former school. Four letters, starts with A.
26A. Seriously wound
Hint: Look for a forceful verb meaning to cause a grave physical injury. Four letters, starts with M.
27A. Palindromic term of address
Hint: This respectful form of address reads identically forward and backward once punctuation is removed. Four letters, starts with M.
Down Hints
1D. Comfy shoe, for short
Hint: Use a casual shortening for a soft, comfortable slip-on shoe. Three letters, starts with M.
2D. Figure skating jump
Hint: The forward-takeoff skating jump is named for Norwegian skater Paulsen. Four letters, starts with A.
3D. Basic unit of heredity
Hint: Think of the basic stretch of DNA that carries hereditary information. Four letters, starts with G.
4D. App often shortened to its first five letters
Hint: The target is Meta's photo-sharing social platform, often shortened in casual speech. Nine letters, starts with I.
5D. Glowing obstacle in some heist movies
Hint: Picture the thin red security light that a movie thief must duck beneath. Nine letters, starts with L.
6D. "Sorta" suffix
Hint: Add this casual suffix when a quality is approximate rather than exact. Three letters, starts with I.
7D. Hit the slopes
Hint: The clue seeks the verb for traveling downhill over snow on narrow runners. Three letters, starts with S.
8D. Baker's measure: Abbr.
Hint: Use the standard recipe abbreviation for the smaller spoon measure. Three letters, starts with T.
10D. Threesome
Hint: Think of an ensemble with the head count indicated by the clue. Four letters, starts with T.
12D. Firstborn
Hint: This describes the sibling who arrived before every other sibling. Six letters, starts with O.
15D. Protagonist in the "Twilight" series
Hint: Recall the human teenager at the center of Stephenie Meyer's vampire romance, who moves to Forks and falls for Edward Cullen. Five letters, starts with B.
16D. Alabama city in civil rights history
Hint: This Alabama city was the starting point for voting-rights marchers traveling to Montgomery. Five letters, starts with S.
17D. One object … or two celebrities?
Hint: Read the clue as either a single noun or a playful description of celebrities linked romantically. Four letters, starts with I.
18D. ___ Lisa Vito, iconic character played by Marisa Tomei in "My Cousin Vinny"
Hint: Recall Marisa Tomei's automotive expert in My Cousin Vinny, whose full name echoes a famous portrait. Four letters, starts with M.
19D. Automaker with a four-ring logo
Hint: Think of the German luxury automaker represented by four interlocking rings. Four letters, starts with A.
21D. There's no "I" in it, so they say
Hint: The familiar saying refers to a cooperative group rather than an individual. Four letters, starts with T.
Full Answers
Spoilers below. Scroll only when you're ready for the solutions.
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Across Answers
1A. "The Gift of the ___"
Answer: MAGI
5A. Grocery shopper's memory aid
Answer: LIST
9A. Plow-pulling animals
Answer: OXEN
10A. Things to do
Answer: TASKS
11A. Banning books or limiting free speech, for example
Answer: CENSORSHIP
13A. Not disturb, as sleeping dogs
Answer: LETLIE
14A. "So cute!," cutesily
Answer: ADORBS
17A. Public relations concern
Answer: IMAGE
20A. Red vegetable in borscht
Answer: BEET
22A. Promotes an album in many arenas, say
Answer: TOURS
23A. French fashion magazine
Answer: ELLE
24A. Conclude by
Answer: ENDAT
25A. ___ mater
Answer: ALMA
26A. Seriously wound
Answer: MAIM
27A. Palindromic term of address
Answer: MAAM
Down Answers
1D. Comfy shoe, for short
Answer: MOC
2D. Figure skating jump
Answer: AXEL
3D. Basic unit of heredity
Answer: GENE
4D. App often shortened to its first five letters
Answer: INSTAGRAM
5D. Glowing obstacle in some heist movies
Answer: LASERBEAM
6D. "Sorta" suffix
Answer: ISH
7D. Hit the slopes
Answer: SKI
8D. Baker's measure: Abbr.
Answer: TSP
10D. Threesome
Answer: TRIO
12D. Firstborn
Answer: OLDEST
15D. Protagonist in the "Twilight" series
Answer: BELLA
16D. Alabama city in civil rights history
Answer: SELMA
17D. One object … or two celebrities?
Answer: ITEM
18D. ___ Lisa Vito, iconic character played by Marisa Tomei in "My Cousin Vinny"
Answer: MONA
19D. Automaker with a four-ring logo
Answer: AUDI
21D. There's no "I" in it, so they say
Answer: TEAM
Grid Breakdown
Here's what made today's puzzle tick:
Standout Clue: 17D, “One object … or two celebrities?”, is the defining clue, with ITEM working as a literal object and as the phrase for two famous people in a romantic relationship.
Wordplay Winner: ITEM wins the wordplay prize because the clue switches cleanly from a physical thing to the idiom for a publicly linked couple.
Quick Fill: OXEN was the fastest confident fill, and its crossings immediately supported MOC, AXEL, GENE, and INSTAGRAM.
Speed Solver Tips
Looking to shave seconds off your time? Here's what today's puzzle teaches:
Bank concrete entries such as OXEN and CENSORSHIP first, then use their letters to test the shorter conversational fills.
Long Down entries can organize a segmented grid quickly. Once INSTAGRAM and LASERBEAM emerge, verify each crossing instead of solving every short clue in isolation.
Tomorrow's Puzzle
The grid played fair while keeping its language lively, and ITEM supplied the sharpest final grin.
See you at the next grid.
