Today's NYT Mini Crossword is live, and it gives familiar clue styles a playful Halloween twist. Come on in and enjoy the wordplay.
How The Mini Works
The Mini is a compact version of the classic NYT Crossword, typically featuring a 5x5 grid with five Across and five Down clues. Saturdays expand to a larger grid with more clues. Solve the intersecting words, and when the grid is complete, you'll hear a satisfying chime. No streak tracking here, but the built-in timer lets you compete against yourself or challenge friends.
New puzzles drop at 10 p.m. EST on weekdays and Saturdays. Sunday's Mini arrives earlier at 6 p.m. EST on Saturday.
Quick Scan
In a rush? Here's the at-a-glance breakdown for today's puzzle:
Grid Size: 7x7
Total Clues: 16 (8 Across, 8 Down)
Trickiest Clue: 12A is the trickiest because its confectionery wording conceals an unexpected verb form.
Gimme Clue: 13A offers the easiest foothold, a direct livestock definition with no verbal trick.
Theme Spotted: "Hybrid Candies"
Clue Decoder (Hints Only)
Need a nudge without the full answer? Here's a hint for each clue.
Across Hints
1A. Candy holder for a trick-or-treater
Hint: Think of a flexible container a costumed visitor holds open for treats. Three letters, starts with B.
4A. Org. interested in Mars and the Milky Way
Hint: Think of the U.S. agency behind lunar missions. Four letters, starts with N.
5A. Half Starburst, half Skittle?
Hint: Use the opening of the first confection name and the ending of the next as building blocks. Seven letters, starts with S.
8A. Golfer's goal
Hint: Think of the benchmark a golfer tries to match on a hole. Three letters, starts with P.
9A. Iconic Australian animal, for short
Hint: Think of Australia's hopping marsupial, using its nickname. Three letters, starts with R.
10A. Half Airhead, half candy corn?
Hint: The sweet names provide the building blocks for something decidedly noisy. Seven letters, starts with A.
12A. Half Mounds, half Reese's?
Hint: Join confection-name pieces to get a verb for using a computer's pointing device. Six letters, starts with M.
13A. Female sheep
Hint: The flock's adult female is the target. Three letters, starts with E.
Down Hints
1D. Candy ___
Hint: Think of the solid, often rectangular form a chocolate treat comes in. Three letters, starts with B.
2D. Houston baseball team
Hint: Think of Houston's Major League Baseball club. Six letters, starts with A.
3D. Aplenty
Hint: This abundance word often follows the thing available in profusion. Six letters, starts with G.
4D. Opposite of wide
Hint: Picture a lane with little width. Six letters, starts with N.
5D. Health resort
Hint: Think of a destination offering massages and restorative treatments. Three letters, starts with S.
6D. "Je ___" (French "I love you")
Hint: Complete the familiar French declaration of affection, allowing for an apostrophe omitted in the grid. Five letters, starts with T.
7D. Many, many millennia
Hint: Think of immense stretches of geological time. Four letters, starts with E.
11D. Shade of a color
Hint: Think of the color quality that distinguishes red from blue. Three letters, starts with H.
Full Answers
Spoilers below. Scroll only when you're ready for the solutions.
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Across Answers
1A. Candy holder for a trick-or-treater
Answer: BAG
4A. Org. interested in Mars and the Milky Way
Answer: NASA
5A. Half Starburst, half Skittle?
Answer: STARTLE
8A. Golfer's goal
Answer: PAR
9A. Iconic Australian animal, for short
Answer: ROO
10A. Half Airhead, half candy corn?
Answer: AIRHORN
12A. Half Mounds, half Reese's?
Answer: MOUSES
13A. Female sheep
Answer: EWE
Down Answers
1D. Candy ___
Answer: BAR
2D. Houston baseball team
Answer: ASTROS
3D. Aplenty
Answer: GALORE
4D. Opposite of wide
Answer: NARROW
5D. Health resort
Answer: SPA
6D. "Je ___" (French "I love you")
Answer: TAIME
7D. Many, many millennia
Answer: EONS
11D. Shade of a color
Answer: HUE
Grid Breakdown
Here's what made today's puzzle tick:
Standout Clue: 12A, "Half Mounds, half Reese's?", produces MOUSES by joining MOU to SES. That unexpected but valid computer verb makes the candy-splicing theme especially satisfying.
Wordplay Winner: 5A, "Half Starburst, half Skittle?", wins for turning candy-name fragments into STARTLE. STAR joins TLE, yielding a word that also suits Halloween's sudden frights.
Quick Fill: 13A, EWE, is the fastest confident fill because its definition is direct. It anchors the bottom with crossing letters for TAIME, NARROW and HUE.
Speed Solver Tips
Looking to shave seconds off your time? Here's what today's puzzle teaches:
Fill direct definitions such as EWE and NARROW before wrestling with the confection clues. Their crossing letters help constrain the theme entries.
When clues repeat an unusual construction, test the same operation across them. STARTLE, AIRHORN and MOUSES all reward combining an opening fragment with an ending fragment.
Tomorrow's Puzzle
The direct definitions offer steady footing while the candy clues supply the mischief. MOUSES is the pleasing oddity that makes the trick stick.
See you at the next grid.