Today's NYT Midi Crossword is live, and a playful mix of crisp wordplay, entertainment trivia, and everyday knowledge keeps the grid lively without leaning on a hidden gimmick. Settle in for a friendly, varied solve.
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: 30 (17 Across, 13 Down)
Trickiest Clue: 23A is the trickiest clue because recognizing a quotation demands the TV figure, not merely the show's setting.
Gimme Clue: 10A is the cleanest gimme because the familiar pencil-and-paper title supplies its missing opening beat immediately.
Theme Spotted: "Mic Drop"
Clue Decoder (Hints Only)
Need a nudge without the full answer? Here's a hint for each clue.
Across Hints
1A. Apt rhyme for "wham"
Hint: Think of a comic-book impact noise paired with “wham.” Three letters, starts with B.
4A. Wily
Hint: Look for an adjective describing someone crafty and hard to outwit. Three letters, starts with S.
7A. Oscar winner Mahershala
Hint: Think of the actor who earned Oscars for Moonlight and Green Book. Three letters, starts with A.
8A. Counterpart of effect
Hint: Supply the initiating half of the familiar input-and-result pairing. Five letters, starts with C.
10A. ___-tac-toe
Hint: Complete the classic pencil-and-paper game's repeated three-part name. Three letters, starts with T.
11A. "That's true, however ..."
Hint: Hear it as a polite concession followed by a pivot into disagreement. Five letters, starts with O.
12A. She/___ pronouns
Hint: Supply the matching half of a familiar paired-pronoun set. Three letters, starts with H.
13A. "Mamma ___!"
Hint: Think of the ABBA stage-and-screen musical whose title doubles as an exclamation. Three letters, starts with M.
14A. Unenthused about
Hint: Use a conversational phrase for feeling unenthused toward a subject. Seven letters, starts with N.
17A. Month when St. Nicholas Day is celebrated: Abbr.
Hint: The abbreviation points to the final month on the calendar. Three letters, starts with D.
18A. Make a choice
Hint: Use a compact verb meaning to select. Three letters, starts with O.
20A. "Bucking" rodeo horse, informally
Hint: Think of cowboy shorthand for a rodeo horse known for bucking. Five letters, starts with B.
22A. Unenthused sound
Hint: Imagine a flat vocal shrug of indifference. Three letters, starts with M.
23A. TV character Ted who said "I do love a locker room. It smells like potential"
Hint: Identify the relentlessly upbeat soccer coach at the center of the Apple TV+ series bearing his name. Five letters, starts with L.
24A. 401(k) alternative
Hint: Think of a familiar tax-advantaged retirement account abbreviation. Three letters, starts with I.
25A. Many a middle schooler, agewise
Hint: Use the age-group term for a youngster approaching the teenage years. Five letters, starts with T.
26A. Animal associated with witchcraft in the Middle Ages
Hint: Think of the familiar household animal linked in folklore with witches. Three letters, starts with C.
Down Hints
1D. Rubber ducky's "home"
Hint: Picture the place a rubber duck floats during washing. Four letters, starts with B.
2D. Sci-fi visitor
Hint: Think of a being arriving from beyond Earth. Five letters, starts with A.
3D. Take small amounts of a psychedelic
Hint: The clue asks for a verb describing the habit of taking extremely small psychedelic amounts. Nine letters, starts with M.
4D. Really, really small
Hint: Move beneath the scale of atoms, into the realm of even smaller components. Nine letters, starts with S.
5D. Baton Rouge sch.
Hint: Use the initials of the flagship public university based in Baton Rouge. Three letters, starts with L.
6D. So far
Hint: Think of a short time word meaning up to this point. Three letters, starts with Y.
8D. Gathering for superhero fans
Hint: Picture a fan convention filled with capes, panels, creators, and costumed guests. Eight letters, starts with C.
9D. Similar (to)
Hint: Use a compact adjective meaning similar or closely related. Four letters, starts with A.
15D. On edge
Hint: Think of the physical or emotional state of being taut and uneasy. Five letters, starts with T.
16D. Offering at Buenos Aires's Teatro Colón
Hint: Think of the grand sung drama staged at this renowned Buenos Aires venue. Five letters, starts with O.
19D. This, ___ or the other
Hint: Complete the set phrase contrasting a nearby choice with one unspecified and more distant. Four letters, starts with T.
20D. Sandwich that may be held together with toothpicks, for short
Hint: Use the standard diner abbreviation for a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. Three letters, starts with B.
21D. Like completely uncooked steak
Hint: Choose the doneness term at the completely uncooked end of the steak scale. Three letters, starts with R.
Full Answers
Spoilers below. Scroll only when you're ready for the solutions.
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Across Answers
1A. Apt rhyme for "wham"
Answer: BAM
4A. Wily
Answer: SLY
7A. Oscar winner Mahershala
Answer: ALI
8A. Counterpart of effect
Answer: CAUSE
10A. ___-tac-toe
Answer: TIC
11A. "That's true, however ..."
Answer: OKBUT
12A. She/___ pronouns
Answer: HER
13A. "Mamma ___!"
Answer: MIA
14A. Unenthused about
Answer: NOTINTO
17A. Month when St. Nicholas Day is celebrated: Abbr.
Answer: DEC
18A. Make a choice
Answer: OPT
20A. "Bucking" rodeo horse, informally
Answer: BRONC
22A. Unenthused sound
Answer: MEH
23A. TV character Ted who said "I do love a locker room. It smells like potential"
Answer: LASSO
24A. 401(k) alternative
Answer: IRA
25A. Many a middle schooler, agewise
Answer: TWEEN
26A. Animal associated with witchcraft in the Middle Ages
Answer: CAT
Down Answers
1D. Rubber ducky's "home"
Answer: BATH
2D. Sci-fi visitor
Answer: ALIEN
3D. Take small amounts of a psychedelic
Answer: MICRODOSE
4D. Really, really small
Answer: SUBATOMIC
5D. Baton Rouge sch.
Answer: LSU
6D. So far
Answer: YET
8D. Gathering for superhero fans
Answer: COMICCON
9D. Similar (to)
Answer: AKIN
15D. On edge
Answer: TENSE
16D. Offering at Buenos Aires's Teatro Colón
Answer: OPERA
19D. This, ___ or the other
Answer: THAT
20D. Sandwich that may be held together with toothpicks, for short
Answer: BLT
21D. Like completely uncooked steak
Answer: RAW
Grid Breakdown
Here's what made today's puzzle tick:
Standout Clue: 23A pairs the locker-room quotation with LASSO, and it defines the grid because the line captures Ted Lasso's habit of finding promise in ordinary surroundings.
Wordplay Winner: 1A wins the wordplay prize with BAM, matching “wham” through both rhyme and comic-book impact-noise energy.
Quick Fill: TIC was the fastest confident fill because the fixed phrase at 10A leaves no ambiguity. It anchors three Down crossings, BATH, ALIEN, and MICRODOSE.
Speed Solver Tips
Looking to shave seconds off your time? Here's what today's puzzle teaches:
Fill rigid expressions before chasing trivia. TIC, HER, MIA, and THAT each come from language with little room for variation, so their letters quickly stabilize nearby entries.
Use the long vertical entries as structural rails. Once MICRODOSE and SUBATOMIC take shape, their crossings settle several short Across answers across the grid.
Tomorrow's Puzzle
The grid treated solvers to a clean mix of direct definitions, conversational fill, and sharply chosen trivia. LASSO supplied the warmest payoff, while BAM gave the opening corner a satisfying snap.
See you at the next grid.
