Today's NYT Midi Crossword is live, and the grid mixes everyday knowledge with a visual trick that rewards looking beyond the letters. Come on in, there are friendly footholds among the tougher clues.
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: 11x11
Total Clues: 34 (16 Across, 18 Down)
Trickiest Clue: 6D is the toughest vocabulary test, asking for a precise medical adjective rather than an everyday description.
Gimme Clue: 29A is a welcoming gimme, a direct geography prompt with no verbal trick to untangle.
Theme Spotted: "Put on a Happy Face"
Clue Decoder (Hints Only)
Need a nudge without the full answer? Here's a hint for each clue.
Across Hints
1A. Mazda two-seater
Hint: 1A: Think of Mazda's compact roadster with an open roof. Five letters, starts with M.
6A. Coil of hair secured with a clip
Hint: 6A: Picture a lock wound flat against the scalp and held until it sets. Seven letters, starts with P.
8A. One who takes the stage
Hint: 8A: Think broadly of someone entertaining an audience, whether through music, acting or dance. Nine letters, starts with P.
10A. Train or subway component
Hint: 10A: Think of the passenger compartment coupled to others along the tracks. Three letters, starts with C.
11A. Of the same ___ (similar)
Hint: 11A: The missing noun means kind or sort. Three letters, starts with I.
12A. Understand
Hint: 12A: Use an informal verb for grasping someone's meaning. Three letters, starts with G.
14A. Texter's icon depicted in this puzzle
Hint: 14A: Think of a cheerful digital symbol sent in a message. 11 letters, starts with S.
17A. Exciting play on an ice rink
Hint: 17A: Picture a hockey shooter facing the goalie without defenders intervening after a foul. 11 letters, starts with P.
18A. In the style of
Hint: 18A: Think of a French expression used when imitating someone's manner. Three letters, starts with A.
19A. ___ Moines, Iowa
Hint: 19A: Complete the name of Iowa's capital. Three letters, starts with D.
20A. Commodity measured in barrels
Hint: 20A: Think of the crude commodity extracted from wells and sent to refineries. Three letters, starts with O.
21A. "___ the Great" (children's lit sleuth with a rhyming name)
Hint: 21A: The young detective's name rhymes with the final word of his book series' name. Four letters, starts with N.
23A. Brownish-purple shade
Hint: 23A: Think of a muted hue closer to plum than violet. Four letters, starts with P.
24A. Photographer's request ... and an apt instruction for this puzzle
Hint: 24A: Recall the familiar spoken prompt used to coax a grin before the shutter clicks. Nine letters, starts with S.
28A. Major French city on the English Channel
Hint: 28A: Look to the French port at the mouth of the Seine. Seven letters, starts with L.
29A. Capital of Oregon
Hint: 29A: Think of Oregon's seat of government rather than Portland. Five letters, starts with S.
Down Hints
1D. Former Russian space station
Hint: 1D: Recall the Soviet-era orbital outpost that preceded the International Space Station. Three letters, starts with M.
2D. Where first, second and third base are
Hint: 2D: Think of the inner portion of a baseball diamond. Seven letters, starts with I.
3D. Devoted follower
Hint: 3D: Think of a dedicated disciple or attendant. Seven letters, starts with A.
4D. Entrees stuffed with stuffing
Hint: 4D: Picture the roast birds at the center of a Thanksgiving dinner. Seven letters, starts with T.
5D. Twist one's ___
Hint: 5D: Complete the familiar idiom for pressuring someone into agreeing. Three letters, starts with A.
6D. Kind of care provided to mother and child around the time of birth
Hint: 6D: The medical adjective covers the period surrounding childbirth, both before and after. Nine letters, starts with P.
7D. Toy dwelling made of bricks
Hint: 7D: Picture a miniature home assembled from interlocking plastic building blocks. Nine letters, starts with L.
8D. Actresses Anderson and Adlon
Hint: 8D: The actresses share a given name, and the answer uses its plural form. Seven letters, starts with P.
9D. Celebrate
Hint: 9D: Think of a verb meaning to express great joy. Seven letters, starts with R.
10D. Channel that airs governmental proceedings
Hint: 10D: Think of the public-affairs broadcaster associated with uninterrupted congressional coverage. Five letters, starts with C.
13D. This puzzle's "Put on a Happy Face," e.g.
Hint: 13D: Think of the term for the name printed above a puzzle. Five letters, starts with T.
15D. Biloxi's state, in a mailing address
Hint: 15D: The clue requests a postal abbreviation, so use crossings to check the entry. Two letters, starts with L.
16D. Señorita, in English: Abbr.
Hint: 16D: Think of an abbreviated English honorific placed before a woman's name. Two letters, starts with M.
22D. What the two isolated black squares in this puzzle represent
Hint: 22D: Read the isolated dark blocks as features in a larger drawing. Four letters, starts with E.
23D. Salon treatment
Hint: 23D: Think of a chemical treatment that gives straight hair lasting waves. Four letters, starts with P.
25D. "___-ching!"
Hint: 25D: Supply the opening sound of an imaginary cash register ringing. Three letters, starts with C.
26D. "2001: A Space Odyssey" computer
Hint: 26D: Recall the spacecraft computer that refuses to open the pod bay doors. Three letters, starts with H.
27D. 'Tis the night before
Hint: 27D: Think of the calendar term for the night preceding a holiday. Three letters, starts with E.
Full Answers
Spoilers below. Scroll only when you're ready for the solutions.
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Across Answers
1A. Mazda two-seater
Answer: MIATA
6A. Coil of hair secured with a clip
Answer: PINCURL
8A. One who takes the stage
Answer: PERFORMER
10A. Train or subway component
Answer: CAR
11A. Of the same ___ (similar)
Answer: ILK
12A. Understand
Answer: GET
14A. Texter's icon depicted in this puzzle
Answer: SMILEYEMOJI
17A. Exciting play on an ice rink
Answer: PENALTYSHOT
18A. In the style of
Answer: ALA
19A. ___ Moines, Iowa
Answer: DES
20A. Commodity measured in barrels
Answer: OIL
21A. "___ the Great" (children's lit sleuth with a rhyming name)
Answer: NATE
23A. Brownish-purple shade
Answer: PUCE
24A. Photographer's request ... and an apt instruction for this puzzle
Answer: SAYCHEESE
28A. Major French city on the English Channel
Answer: LEHAVRE
29A. Capital of Oregon
Answer: SALEM
Down Answers
1D. Former Russian space station
Answer: MIR
2D. Where first, second and third base are
Answer: INFIELD
3D. Devoted follower
Answer: ACOLYTE
4D. Entrees stuffed with stuffing
Answer: TURKEYS
5D. Twist one's ___
Answer: ARM
6D. Kind of care provided to mother and child around the time of birth
Answer: PERINATAL
7D. Toy dwelling made of bricks
Answer: LEGOHOUSE
8D. Actresses Anderson and Adlon
Answer: PAMELAS
9D. Celebrate
Answer: REJOICE
10D. Channel that airs governmental proceedings
Answer: CSPAN
13D. This puzzle's "Put on a Happy Face," e.g.
Answer: TITLE
15D. Biloxi's state, in a mailing address
Answer: LA
16D. Señorita, in English: Abbr.
Answer: MS
22D. What the two isolated black squares in this puzzle represent
Answer: EYES
23D. Salon treatment
Answer: PERM
25D. "___-ching!"
Answer: CHA
26D. "2001: A Space Odyssey" computer
Answer: HAL
27D. 'Tis the night before
Answer: EVE
Grid Breakdown
Here's what made today's puzzle tick:
Standout Clue: 14A, "Texter's icon depicted in this puzzle," answers SMILEY EMOJI and makes the grid itself part of the clue. With 22D identifying the isolated black squares as EYES, the picture becomes something you read as well as fill.
Wordplay Winner: 24A's SAY CHEESE wins for giving a photographer's familiar request a second job. It also serves as an instruction suited to the SMILEY EMOJI depicted by the puzzle.
Quick Fill: 29A's SALEM is my quickest confident foothold, thanks to its direct capital clue. It anchors the bottom through crossings with EYES, CHA, HAL, EVE and PERM.
Speed Solver Tips
Looking to shave seconds off your time? Here's what today's puzzle teaches:
Fill direct knowledge clues such as MIATA and SALEM before wrestling with specialized vocabulary like PERINATAL. Confirmed crossings give the longer terms a useful skeleton.
When a clue points to something depicted in the puzzle, pause to inspect the whole grid. Here, reading SMILEY EMOJI alongside EYES and SAY CHEESE connects the visual clues more efficiently than treating each as a separate trivia question.
Tomorrow's Puzzle
The specialist vocabulary adds resistance, but the visual payoff gives the grid a warm finish. SAY CHEESE is a satisfying instruction to leave ringing after the final crossing.
See you at the next grid.