Today's NYT Mini Crossword is live, and a sound-alike wink adds personality to a grid of familiar references and compact wordplay. Settle in and enjoy the clues that reward a closer look.
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: 5x5
Total Clues: 10 (5 Across, 5 Down)
Trickiest Clue: 6A is the trickiest clue, packing a city nickname and a university affiliation into a terse prompt.
Gimme Clue: 5D is the gimme, with a distinctive canine facial feature pointing straight toward the breed.
Theme Spotted: A sound-alike wink links 5A and 6A.
Clue Decoder (Hints Only)
Need a nudge without the full answer? Here's a hint for each clue.
Across Hints
1A. Word before "a hand" or "a hoot"
Hint: 1A needs a verb that fits expressions about helping someone and caring about something. Four letters, starts with G.
5A. Card game for Phil Ivey
Hint: 5A points to the card-table contest associated with Phil Ivey, where bluffing matters. Five letters, starts with P.
6A. Philly Ivy
Hint: 6A asks for a shortened name of Philadelphia's Ivy League university. Five letters, starts with U.
7A. Basic unit of mass
Hint: 7A points to a metric measure used for small masses. Four letters, starts with G.
8A. Not bad, but not great
Hint: 8A calls for a lukewarm assessment expressed through repetition. Four letters, starts with S.
Down Hints
1D. Enter the N.F.L. draft, say
Hint: 1D describes the move from amateur athletics toward playing professionally. Five letters, starts with G.
2D. Furniture stores in giant blue warehouses
Hint: 2D points to a Swedish flat-pack retailer, with the clue asking for multiple locations. Five letters, starts with I.
3D. Cash App alternative
Hint: 3D wants a payment app used to send money to friends or split a bill. Five letters, starts with V.
4D. Suffix with north, south, east or west
Hint: 4D needs the shared ending that turns compass directions into descriptive adjectives. Three letters, starts with E.
5D. Dogs with smushed-looking faces
Hint: 5D points to a small dog breed with a wrinkled muzzle and tightly curled tail. Four letters, starts with P.
Full Answers
Spoilers below. Scroll only when you're ready for the solutions.
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Across Answers
1A. Word before "a hand" or "a hoot"
Answer: GIVE
5A. Card game for Phil Ivey
Answer: POKER
6A. Philly Ivy
Answer: UPENN
7A. Basic unit of mass
Answer: GRAM
8A. Not bad, but not great
Answer: SOSO
Down Answers
1D. Enter the N.F.L. draft, say
Answer: GOPRO
2D. Furniture stores in giant blue warehouses
Answer: IKEAS
3D. Cash App alternative
Answer: VENMO
4D. Suffix with north, south, east or west
Answer: ERN
5D. Dogs with smushed-looking faces
Answer: PUGS
Grid Breakdown
Here's what made today's puzzle tick:
Standout Clue: 6A, "Philly Ivy," leads to UPENN and supplies the grid's sharpest bit of compression. Its echo of "Phil Ivey" in 5A makes the neighboring clues feel deliberately paired, even though their answers belong to different worlds.
Wordplay Winner: 1A wins the wordplay prize with GIVE, which completes both "give a hand" and "give a hoot." The same verb connects an expression about helping with an expression about caring.
Quick Fill: GRAM at 7A is a confident early fill from its direct mass clue. It anchors the lower grid through crossings with PUGS, GOPRO, IKEAS and VENMO.
Speed Solver Tips
Looking to shave seconds off your time? Here's what today's puzzle teaches:
Match the clue's grammar before committing to a familiar name. The plural "stores" at 2D calls for IKEAS, while the action at 1D calls for the phrase GO PRO.
For a shared-word clue like 1A, test your candidate against every supplied phrase. GIVE works with both endings, so neither expression has to carry the solve alone.
Tomorrow's Puzzle
The direct clues offer useful footholds, while UPENN rewards attention to the wording. The Phil Ivey and Philly Ivy echo adds a satisfying flourish to the finish.
See you at the next grid.
