Today's NYT Mini Crossword is live, and leans on visual wordplay, crisp trivia, and clean everyday cluing. Settle in for a compact grid with a playful opening.
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: 3D is the trickiest clue because the quoted Weezer lyric demands exact recall rather than broad association.
Gimme Clue: 8A is the clearest gimme, since the aardvark's defining facial feature points to a familiar everyday term.
Theme Spotted: None today, straight trivia and wordplay.
Clue Decoder (Hints Only)
Need a nudge without the full answer? Here's a hint for each clue.
Across Hints
1A. Picture puzzle where (eye emoji) + (heart emoji) + (ewe emoji) means "I love you"
Hint: Read the pictured symbols aloud as sounds, then name the kind of picture puzzle that spells out a phrase that way. Five letters, starts with R.
6A. Its license plates read "Famous Potatoes"
Hint: Look to the state most strongly associated with potatoes and the slogan printed on its license plates. Five letters, starts with I.
7A. After-dinner coffee order
Hint: Think of what a diner orders when craving coffee after a meal but avoiding the stimulant. Five letters, starts with D.
8A. Distinctive feature of an aardvark
Hint: Focus on the aardvark's long projecting nose and mouth, treated as a single feature. Five letters, starts with S.
9A. Long-running show with a cold open, familiarly
Hint: Use the familiar initials for the weekend sketch-comedy institution known for beginning with a cold open. Three letters, starts with S.
Down Hints
1D. Frees (of)
Hint: Use a present-tense verb meaning clears something of an unwanted element. Four letters, starts with R.
2D. Utopian places
Hint: Think of plural paradises named after the biblical garden. Five letters, starts with E.
3D. "I'll bring home the turkey if you bring home the ___" (Weezer lyric)
Hint: The missing food is the breakfast meat paired with eggs and contrasted with turkey in the lyric. Five letters, starts with B.
4D. Big name in moving trucks
Hint: Think of the rental company recognized for orange-and-white moving trucks and trailers. Five letters, starts with U.
5D. Word before ware or ball
Hint: The shared modifier describes something yielding rather than hard, and it completes both compounds in the clue. Four letters, starts with S.
Full Answers
Spoilers below. Scroll only when you're ready for the solutions.
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Across Answers
1A. Picture puzzle where (eye emoji) + (heart emoji) + (ewe emoji) means "I love you"
Answer: REBUS
6A. Its license plates read "Famous Potatoes"
Answer: IDAHO
7A. After-dinner coffee order
Answer: DECAF
8A. Distinctive feature of an aardvark
Answer: SNOUT
9A. Long-running show with a cold open, familiarly
Answer: SNL
Down Answers
1D. Frees (of)
Answer: RIDS
2D. Utopian places
Answer: EDENS
3D. "I'll bring home the turkey if you bring home the ___" (Weezer lyric)
Answer: BACON
4D. Big name in moving trucks
Answer: UHAUL
5D. Word before ware or ball
Answer: SOFT
Grid Breakdown
Here's what made today's puzzle tick:
Standout Clue: 1A, “Picture puzzle where (eye emoji) + (heart emoji) + (ewe emoji) means ‘I love you,’” is the standout, with REBUS as its answer. The clue demonstrates the concept instead of merely defining it, turning the symbols into the proof.
Wordplay Winner: 5D wins the wordplay prize with SOFT. Placing it before “ware” and “ball” produces two familiar compounds, software and softball, from one compact clue.
Quick Fill: IDAHO at 6A is the fastest confident fill because the “Famous Potatoes” license-plate slogan is highly specific. Its crossings support RIDS, EDENS, BACON, UHAUL, and SOFT across the full row.
Speed Solver Tips
Looking to shave seconds off your time? Here's what today's puzzle teaches:
Prioritize uniquely identifying trivia such as IDAHO at 6A, then use the completed row to test every Down entry at once.
For compact word-before clues, test the candidate against every supplied ending. SOFT works cleanly with both “ware” and “ball,” so the crossing evidence becomes confirmation rather than rescue.
Tomorrow's Puzzle
The grid treated solvers fairly, mixing direct anchors with a few satisfying association tests. REBUS gave the puzzle its most playful moment.
See you at the next grid.
