Today's NYT Midi Crossword is live, and mixes everyday clues with pop culture and a few playful turns. Settle in and enjoy the crossings.
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: 32 (15 Across, 17 Down)
Trickiest Clue: 11A asks for a specific British boarding school, so it rewards a bit of trivia knowledge or help from the crossings.
Gimme Clue: 5A is the gimme: its bath clue points to a familiar bathroom fixture.
Theme Spotted: "On Track"
Clue Decoder (Hints Only)
Need a nudge without the full answer? Here's a hint for each clue.
Across Hints
1A. Sound effect for a cloud of smoke
Hint: Picture a magician disappearing in a puff of smoke, and listen for the comic-book sound. Four letters, starts with P.
5A. Place to take a bath
Hint: Think of the bathroom fixture you climb into for a soak. Three letters, starts with T.
8A. Ctrl+Z, on a PC
Hint: This keyboard shortcut reverses your last edit. Four letters, starts with U.
9A. Ready to take a bath
Hint: Think of the state of having shed your clothes before washing. Four letters, starts with N.
10A. ___ pressure
Hint: The missing word describes influence from people in your social circle. Four letters, starts with P.
11A. Boarding school attended by about a third of British P.M.s
Hint: Think of the historic English boarding school linked with British prime ministers. Four letters, starts with E.
12A. Prohibit from flying, as a pilot or plane
Hint: Imagine an airline barring a pilot or aircraft from taking off. Six letters, starts with G.
14A. Fracas
Hint: Picture a chaotic, close-quarters brawl. Five letters, starts with M.
17A. E.P.A. pollution measure: Abbr.
Hint: The EPA abbreviation tracks how clean or polluted the air is. Three letters, starts with A.
18A. Conflict within a friend group, say
Hint: Think of interpersonal turmoil spilling through a friend group. Five letters, starts with D.
23A. Part of a sound system that might shake a car
Hint: Think of the speaker component that handles deep bass and can make a car vibrate. Nine letters, starts with S.
25A. Actress Reid of "Sharknado"
Hint: Think of the Sharknado performer with the surname Reid. Four letters, starts with T.
26A. Performatively cultured
Hint: Picture a person putting on a show of refined taste. Four letters, starts with A.
27A. Kill it, slangily
Hint: Think of the slang verb for absolutely crushing a performance. Four letters, starts with S.
28A. Civil rights activist Parks
Hint: Think of the civil rights activist whose refusal to give up her bus seat became a landmark protest. Four letters, starts with R.
Down Hints
1D. Baby shark
Hint: The term for a young shark also describes a young dog. Three letters, starts with P.
2D. Soul mate, with "the"
Hint: Think of the phrase for your destined partner when preceded by “the.” Three letters, starts with O.
3D. Poetic praise
Hint: Think of a lyric poem addressed to a person or thing being praised. Three letters, starts with O.
4D. Falsify, as a signature
Hint: This verb describes making a fraudulent signature. Five letters, starts with F.
5D. Ballerina attire
Hint: Picture the short, layered ballet skirt. Four letters, starts with T.
6D. Thick Japanese noodle
Hint: Look for the thick wheat noodle served in Japanese cooking. Four letters, starts with U.
7D. ___ the knee (submit to a dominant ruler)
Hint: The missing verb completes an expression for kneeling in submission. Four letters, starts with B.
9D. "The Matrix" hero
Hint: Think of the central character played by Keanu Reeves in The Matrix. Three letters, starts with N.
13D. Ctrl+Y, on a PC
Hint: Think of the computer command that restores an action you just reversed. Four letters, starts with R.
14D. Long poles on ships
Hint: Picture the tall uprights that support a ship’s sails. Five letters, starts with M.
15D. "All things being ___ ..."
Hint: Complete the familiar phrase about conditions being alike. Five letters, starts with E.
16D. Zodiac sign after Virgo
Hint: Think of the zodiac sign represented by scales, following Virgo. Five letters, starts with L.
19D. Sound made by a lion
Hint: The big cat’s signature booming call is the target. Four letters, starts with R.
20D. Rounded hairstyle
Hint: Think of the naturally rounded hairstyle associated with tightly curled hair. Four letters, starts with A.
21D. New York team whose mascots each have a baseball for a head
Hint: Think of the New York baseball club with ball-headed mascots. Four letters, starts with M.
22D. Stark daughter with supposed "wolf blood," in "A Game of Thrones"
Hint: Think of the Stark daughter described as having “wolf blood” in the novel. Four letters, starts with A.
24D. One-___ street
Hint: The missing word completes the traffic phrase for a street allowing travel in a single direction. Three letters, starts with W.
Full Answers
Spoilers below. Scroll only when you're ready for the solutions.
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Across Answers
1A. Sound effect for a cloud of smoke
Answer: POOF
5A. Place to take a bath
Answer: TUB
8A. Ctrl+Z, on a PC
Answer: UNDO
9A. Ready to take a bath
Answer: NUDE
10A. ___ pressure
Answer: PEER
11A. Boarding school attended by about a third of British P.M.s
Answer: ETON
12A. Prohibit from flying, as a pilot or plane
Answer: GROUND
14A. Fracas
Answer: MELEE
17A. E.P.A. pollution measure: Abbr.
Answer: AQI
18A. Conflict within a friend group, say
Answer: DRAMA
23A. Part of a sound system that might shake a car
Answer: SUBWOOFER
25A. Actress Reid of "Sharknado"
Answer: TARA
26A. Performatively cultured
Answer: ARTY
27A. Kill it, slangily
Answer: SLAY
28A. Civil rights activist Parks
Answer: ROSA
Down Answers
1D. Baby shark
Answer: PUP
2D. Soul mate, with "the"
Answer: ONE
3D. Poetic praise
Answer: ODE
4D. Falsify, as a signature
Answer: FORGE
5D. Ballerina attire
Answer: TUTU
6D. Thick Japanese noodle
Answer: UDON
7D. ___ the knee (submit to a dominant ruler)
Answer: BEND
9D. "The Matrix" hero
Answer: NEO
13D. Ctrl+Y, on a PC
Answer: REDO
14D. Long poles on ships
Answer: MASTS
15D. "All things being ___ ..."
Answer: EQUAL
16D. Zodiac sign after Virgo
Answer: LIBRA
19D. Sound made by a lion
Answer: ROAR
20D. Rounded hairstyle
Answer: AFRO
21D. New York team whose mascots each have a baseball for a head
Answer: METS
22D. Stark daughter with supposed "wolf blood," in "A Game of Thrones"
Answer: ARYA
24D. One-___ street
Answer: WAY
Grid Breakdown
Here's what made today's puzzle tick:
Standout Clue: 23A, “Part of a sound system that might shake a car,” lands on SUBWOOFER. Its deep-bass function makes the car-shaking detail both vivid and precise.
Wordplay Winner: 9A, “Ready to take a bath,” resolves to NUDE. The clue describes the bather’s state, while nearby 5A, TUB, supplies the place.
Quick Fill: 5A, TUB, is a confident first fill because “Place to take a bath” is direct. It starts the crossings for 5D TUTU, 6D UDON, and 7D BEND.
Speed Solver Tips
Looking to shave seconds off your time? Here's what today's puzzle teaches:
Use familiar keyboard shortcuts as a pair: 8A UNDO and 13D REDO describe opposite editing actions, and 13D's crossings help settle the middle of the grid.
When a long equipment clue looks slow, take its short crossings first. Entries such as 14D MASTS and 16D LIBRA feed letters into 23A SUBWOOFER.
Tomorrow's Puzzle
The grid moves from quick everyday fills to a satisfying bass-heavy showpiece in SUBWOOFER. The crossing clues give that longer entry a fair route in.
See you at the next grid.
