NYT Midi Crossword Hints, Clues and Answers for Saturday, August 8, 2026

Today's NYT Midi Crossword is live, and leans into punchy sound-effect wordplay, crisp trivia, and lively clueing. Settle in for a grid with satisfying 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: 31 (16 Across, 15 Down)

Trickiest Clue: 3D is the trickiest clue, because its industry phrase asks you to translate an awards-season strategy into compact crossword language.

Gimme Clue: 9A is the clearest gimme, since the blank before a famous California city leaves little room for ambiguity.

Theme Spotted: "Bang! Bang!"

Clue Decoder (Hints Only)

Need a nudge without the full answer? Here's a hint for each clue.

Across Hints

1A. Fuss
Hint: Think of a brief commotion over something minor. Three letters, starts with A.

4A. Parts of a LinkedIn feed
Hint: Think of the updates that populate a professional networking feed. Five letters, starts with P.

9A. ___ Angeles
Hint: Supply the missing word in the famous Southern California city name. Three letters, starts with L.

10A. Less common belly button type
Hint: Picture the navel type that protrudes instead of dipping inward. Five letters, starts with O.

11A. Path of a three-point shot
Hint: Trace the curved flight of the basketball shot described. Three letters, starts with A.

12A. Atmospheric layer that absorbs UV rays
Hint: Name the protective atmospheric gas that blocks ultraviolet radiation. Five letters, starts with O.

13A. Explosive emoji
Hint: Turn the pictograph into an exaggerated comic-book explosion sound. Eight letters, starts with K.

15A. Chinese zodiac animal for 2020
Hint: Use the Chinese zodiac cycle for the year named in the clue. Three letters, starts with R.

16A. Informative TV spot, for short
Hint: Think of a brief televised message made for the public good. Three letters, starts with P.

17A. Explosive emoji
Hint: Render the pictograph as a punchy comic-book blast sound. Six letters, starts with K.

20A. Piece of history
Hint: Think of a named span in the historical record. Three letters, starts with E.

21A. People who might bend over backwards?
Hint: Picture flexible practitioners who can make the clue’s idiom literal. Five letters, starts with Y.

25A. Waikiki welcome ring
Hint: Picture the floral garland placed around a visitor’s neck in Hawaii. Three letters, starts with L.

26A. Nothing, in Spanish
Hint: Translate “nothing” into everyday Spanish. Four letters, starts with N.

27A. Shortened name that includes "rick" in a more formal spelling
Hint: Look for a casual form of a longer personal name containing the quoted syllable. Three letters, starts with P.

28A. Blackpink genre ... or an alternate clue for 13- and 17-Across?
Hint: Start from Blackpink’s musical field, and let crossings settle the clue’s playful extension. Four letters, starts with K.

Down Hints

1D. ___ carte menu
Hint: Complete the French menu expression for ordering dishes individually. Three letters, starts with A.

2D. Dweeb
Hint: Reach for a mild insult aimed at a socially awkward nerd. Four letters, starts with D.

3D. Film that angles for Academy Award nominations
Hint: Picture a prestige film crafted to draw major awards attention. Nine letters, starts with O.

4D. Foam noodle or beach ball
Hint: Find the recreational object category shared by a foam noodle and a beach ball. Seven letters, starts with P.

5D. Greek liqueur
Hint: Name the anise-flavored spirit associated with Greece. Four letters, starts with O.

6D. Site of a brownstone tag sale
Hint: Look just outside a brownstone, where its front steps meet the sidewalk. Five letters, starts with S.

7D. Points of a pitchfork, as seen in Grant Wood's "American Gothic" painting
Hint: Focus on the pointed prongs, not the farm implement as a whole. Five letters, starts with T.

8D. "Hasta la vista, baby!"
Hint: Convert the movie quotation into a casual English farewell. Five letters, starts with S.

14D. Dim sum steamed bun
Hint: Think of the soft, filled bun served in dim sum. Three letters, starts with B.

17D. Seaweed type
Hint: Picture the large brown seaweed that forms underwater forests. Four letters, starts with K.

18D. Field of expertise
Hint: Use the word for a professional domain or specialty. Four letters, starts with A.

19D. Brother at a monastery
Hint: Here, “Brother” is a religious title for a man living in a monastery. Four letters, starts with M.

22D. Space between the platform and a subway train
Hint: Recall the warning phrase heard around subway platforms, and isolate the space it names. Three letters, starts with G.

23D. "To love and to cherish? Sounds good to me!"
Hint: Respond to the wedding vows with the conventional affirmation. Three letters, starts with I.

24D. Sticky tree gunk
Hint: Think of the sticky fluid that runs beneath tree bark. Three letters, starts with S.

Full Answers

Spoilers below. Scroll only when you're ready for the solutions.

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Across Answers

1A. Fuss
Answer: ADO

4A. Parts of a LinkedIn feed
Answer: POSTS

9A. ___ Angeles
Answer: LOS

10A. Less common belly button type
Answer: OUTIE

11A. Path of a three-point shot
Answer: ARC

12A. Atmospheric layer that absorbs UV rays
Answer: OZONE

13A. Explosive emoji
Answer: KABLOOEY

15A. Chinese zodiac animal for 2020
Answer: RAT

16A. Informative TV spot, for short
Answer: PSA

17A. Explosive emoji
Answer: KABOOM

20A. Piece of history
Answer: ERA

21A. People who might bend over backwards?
Answer: YOGIS

25A. Waikiki welcome ring
Answer: LEI

26A. Nothing, in Spanish
Answer: NADA

27A. Shortened name that includes "rick" in a more formal spelling
Answer: PAT

28A. Blackpink genre ... or an alternate clue for 13- and 17-Across?
Answer: KPOP

Down Answers

1D. ___ carte menu
Answer: ALA

2D. Dweeb
Answer: DORK

3D. Film that angles for Academy Award nominations
Answer: OSCARBAIT

4D. Foam noodle or beach ball
Answer: POOLTOY

5D. Greek liqueur
Answer: OUZO

6D. Site of a brownstone tag sale
Answer: STOOP

7D. Points of a pitchfork, as seen in Grant Wood's "American Gothic" painting
Answer: TINES

8D. "Hasta la vista, baby!"
Answer: SEEYA

14D. Dim sum steamed bun
Answer: BAO

17D. Seaweed type
Answer: KELP

18D. Field of expertise
Answer: AREA

19D. Brother at a monastery
Answer: MONK

22D. Space between the platform and a subway train
Answer: GAP

23D. "To love and to cherish? Sounds good to me!"
Answer: IDO

24D. Sticky tree gunk
Answer: SAP

Grid Breakdown

Here's what made today's puzzle tick:

Standout Clue: 28A, “Blackpink genre ... or an alternate clue for 13- and 17-Across?,” with KPOP defines the puzzle. K-pop names Blackpink’s genre, while “K pop” also describes KABLOOEY and KABOOM as explosive pops beginning with K.

Wordplay Winner: 21A’s YOGIS wins the wordplay prize by turning “bend over backwards” from an idiom about extraordinary effort into a literal description of flexible practitioners.

Quick Fill: LOS was the fastest confident fill because “___ Angeles” is fixed, and its crossings immediately support ALA, DORK, and OSCARBAIT.

Speed Solver Tips

Looking to shave seconds off your time? Here's what today's puzzle teaches:

Bank fixed completions such as LOS and ALA before tackling expansive phrases like OSCARBAIT. Those certain crossing letters sharply reduce ambiguity.

For matched symbolic clues, solve crossings first and then compare sound families. Here that route distinguishes KABLOOEY from KABOOM and makes the KPOP revealer click.