Today's NYT Midi Crossword is live, and Monday's grid layers a playful animal sounds theme across a compact 9x9 setup. Whether you're looking for a mid-length challenge or warming up for the full-size puzzle, we've got hints and answers to keep you moving.
How The Midi Works
The Midi is the middle ground between the Mini and the classic NYT Crossword, typically featuring an 8x10 or 9x11 grid with 15-20 Across and 15-20 Down clues. It takes about 5-15 minutes to solve, making it perfect for a coffee break or commute. 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: 26 (14 Across, 12 Down)
Trickiest Clue: 26A: "It is 'not lost youth' but a new stage of opportunity and strength," per Betty Friedan
Gimme Clue: 1A: "Original airer of 'Mad Men'"
Theme Spotted: "The Call of the Wild"
Clue Decoder (Hints Only)
Need a nudge without the full answer? Here's a hint for each clue.
Across Hints
1A. Original airer of "Mad Men"
Hint: Three letters. The network that brought you "Breaking Bad" and "The Walking Dead."
4A. Word that rhymes with "crude," aptly
Hint: Four letters. Not exactly polite conversation.
8A. Eccentric sort
Hint: Four letters. Also a type of diving bird.
10A. ___ tikki (potato-laden Indian snack)
Hint: Four letters. Starts with A. A popular street food.
11A. State bounded by the Missouri and Mississippi rivers
Hint: Four letters. The Hawkeye State.
12A. Drain pain
Hint: Four letters. What happens when the sink stops working.
13A. Bundle of papers
Hint: Five letters. Think of a stack of documents tied together.
15A. Like the sky on an overcast day
Hint: Four letters. Not blue, not white, somewhere in between.
17A. Garden tool for weeding
Hint: Three letters. Handle and a blade, rhymes with "mow."
18A. Wilt
Hint: Five letters. What flowers do without water.
23A. Alley-___
Hint: Three letters. Basketball term for a lob pass.
24A. Lines that join the center of a circle to its circumference
Hint: Five letters. Plural form of a geometry term, starts with R.
25A. Government org. with codebreakers
Hint: Three letters. Three-letter agency that handles signals intelligence.
26A. It is "not lost youth' but a new stage of opportunity and strength," per Betty Friedan
Hint: Five letters. What happens to everyone, but Friedan saw it as opportunity.
27A. Door opener
Hint: Three letters. Metal object that fits in a lock.
28A. Like some detected battleships, in the game Battleship
Hint: Four letters. The fate of a ship when your opponent finds it.
Down Hints
1D. Comedian Wong
Hint: Three letters. First name of the star of "Always Be My Maybe."
2D. Sound from a 3-Down
Hint: Three letters. The sound a cow makes.
3D. Animal with a four-chambered stomach
Hint: Three letters. A farm animal that produces milk.
4D. Shoestring
Hint: Four letters. What you tie to keep your shoes on.
5D. Jazz legend Fitzgerald
Hint: Four letters. First name of the "First Lady of Song."
6D. Sound from a 7-Down
Hint: Four letters. A dog's bark in text form.
7D. Animal with a unique nose print, similar to human fingerprints
Hint: Three letters. Man's best friend.
9D. Org. featured in "Gravity"
Hint: Four letters. The space agency that sent Sandra Bullock's character into orbit.
14D. Jellyfish-like creatures named for a figure in Greek mythology
Hint: Six letters. Starts with H. When you cut off one head, two grow back.
15D. Animal that can migrate up to 1,500 miles in a day
Hint: Five letters. A bird that flies in a V formation.
16D. Square up, as a debt
Hint: Five letters. What you do when you finally pay someone back.
17D. Sound from a 15-Down
Hint: Four letters. The noise this bird makes, think car horns.
19D. Brand of tomato sauce
Hint: Four letters. Starts with R. A popular pasta sauce brand.
20D. Norse god of war
Hint: Four letters. One-eyed ruler of Asgard.
21D. Sound from a 22-Down
Hint: Four letters. The noise a pig makes.
22D. Animal who relies on mud to stay cool
Hint: Three letters. Pink farm animal that loves rolling in the muck.
Full Answers
Spoilers below. Scroll only when you're ready for the solutions.
---
---
---
---
---
Across Answers
1A. Original airer of "Mad Men"
Answer: AMC
4A. Word that rhymes with "crude," aptly
Answer: LEWD
8A. Eccentric sort
Answer: LOON
10A. ___ tikki (potato-laden Indian snack)
Answer: ALOO
11A. State bounded by the Missouri and Mississippi rivers
Answer: IOWA
12A. Drain pain
Answer: CLOG
13A. Bundle of papers
Answer: SHEAF
15A. Like the sky on an overcast day
Answer: GRAY
17A. Garden tool for weeding
Answer: HOE
18A. Wilt
Answer: DROOP
23A. Alley-___
Answer: OOP
24A. Lines that join the center of a circle to its circumference
Answer: RADII
25A. Government org. with codebreakers
Answer: NSA
26A. It is "not lost youth' but a new stage of opportunity and strength," per Betty Friedan
Answer: AGING
27A. Door opener
Answer: KEY
28A. Like some detected battleships, in the game Battleship
Answer: SUNK
Down Answers
1D. Comedian Wong
Answer: ALI
2D. Sound from a 3-Down
Answer: MOO
3D. Animal with a four-chambered stomach
Answer: COW
4D. Shoestring
Answer: LACE
5D. Jazz legend Fitzgerald
Answer: ELLA
6D. Sound from a 7-Down
Answer: WOOF
7D. Animal with a unique nose print, similar to human fingerprints
Answer: DOG
9D. Org. featured in "Gravity"
Answer: NASA
14D. Jellyfish-like creatures named for a figure in Greek mythology
Answer: HYDRAS
15D. Animal that can migrate up to 1,500 miles in a day
Answer: GOOSE
16D. Square up, as a debt
Answer: REPAY
17D. Sound from a 15-Down
Answer: HONK
19D. Brand of tomato sauce
Answer: RAGU
20D. Norse god of war
Answer: ODIN
21D. Sound from a 22-Down
Answer: OINK
22D. Animal who relies on mud to stay cool
Answer: PIG
Grid Breakdown
Here's what made today's puzzle tick:
Standout Clue: 26A: "It is 'not lost youth' but a new stage of opportunity and strength," per Betty Friedan for AGING. The construct draws from Friedan's 1993 book "The Fountain of Age," reframing aging as a stage of life with its own power rather than a decline. It's the longest, most literary clue in the grid and rewards solvers who recognize the quote.
Wordplay Winner: 4A: "Word that rhymes with 'crude,' aptly" for LEWD. The clue is self-referential, the answer both rhymes with "crude" and shares its meaning. A clean bit of meta-wordplay that's satisfying to crack.
Quick Fill: 1A: "Original airer of 'Mad Men'" for AMC and 5D: "Jazz legend Fitzgerald" for ELLA. Both are three-letter gimmes that give solvers a fast start in the top-left corner.
Speed Solver Tips
Today's puzzle rewards pattern recognition in the Down column. Four clues (2D, 6D, 17D, 21D) are onomatopoeic animal sounds (MOO, WOOF, HONK, OINK), and each is cross-referenced to its corresponding animal (3D COW, 7D DOG, 15D GOOSE, 22D PIG). If you get one animal sound, the related animal clue becomes a gimme, and vice versa.
Watch for self-referential clues like 4A (LEWD rhymes with "crude," aptly). When a clue describes its own answer, trust the meta-hint, the wordplay is telling you exactly how to think about it.
Tomorrow's Puzzle
The next Midi drops tomorrow. How did today's grid treat you? The animal sounds chain is a satisfying solve for a Monday, and Betty Friedan's AGING quote adds unexpected literary weight for a 9x9 grid. Every puzzle sharpens your instincts for the next one.
See you at the next grid.
