Today's NYT Mini Crossword is live, and Saturday's grid brings a clever 8x8 challenge built around a sports-themed meta-clue that ties three answers together. Expect some pop culture staples, a pharmaceutical curveball, and wordplay that rewards lateral thinking.
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: 8x8
Total Clues: 18 (10 Across, 8 Down)
Trickiest Clue: 13-Across: "___-1 (class of drugs that includes Ozempic and Wegovy)", requires familiarity with GLP-1 receptor agonists, a niche medical term even casual crossword solvers may miss.
Gimme Clue: 11-Across: "One of the Three Stooges", this is a pop culture staple that any comedy fan will snap off instantly.
Theme Spotted: In sports, a team passes and shoots to score a goal.
Clue Decoder (Hints Only)
Need a nudge without the full answer? Here's a hint for each clue.
Across Hints
1. Sentry's "Stop!"
Hint: Four letters. What a guard shouts to someone approaching a checkpoint.
5. ___ vera (succulent)
Hint: Four letters. The gooey plant you put on a sunburn.
6. "That feeling should fade"
Hint: Seven letters. A contraction meaning "it will pass."
10. $1,000,000, informally
Hint: Three letters. Short slang for a million bucks.
11. One of the Three Stooges
Hint: Three letters. The one with the bowl cut who says "Nyuk nyuk nyuk."
12. Caller of balls and strikes
Hint: Three letters. The person behind home plate in baseball.
13. ___-1 (class of drugs that includes Ozempic and Wegovy)
Hint: Three letters. These diabetes and weight-loss drugs have a three-letter prefix followed by a hyphen and the number 1.
14. Crunchy tendril used in Asian cuisine
Hint: Eight letters. A vegetable that grows in pods and is often stir-fried.
17. ___ Stadium, former home of the Mets
Hint: Four letters. Named after the builder of the Grand Central Terminal, demolished in 2009.
18. Silverstein who wrote "The Giving Tree"
Hint: Four letters. The children's author's first name rhymes with "bell."
Down Hints
1. Student's slip
Hint: Seven letters. A note a teacher signs so you can leave class. Ends with "PASS."
2. The "A" of GOAT
Hint: Three letters. The middle letter in the acronym for "Greatest Of All Time."
3. Chop (off)
Hint: Three letters. A short verb meaning to sever or trim.
4. Collective objective ... or what the ends of 1-Down, 6-Across and 14-Across lead to
Hint: Seven letters. The ends of PASS, PASS, and SHOOT come together in sports. Two words.
6. "Okay, it's my turn"
Hint: Four letters. A contraction meaning "I am up."
7. The "T" of GOAT
Hint: Four letters. The third letter in "Greatest Of All Time."
8. All by oneself
Hint: Four letters. A musical term for a solo performance.
9. Month #9: Abbr.
Hint: Three letters. The abbreviation for September.
15. Librarian's warning
Hint: Three letters. A single sound you make to tell someone to be quiet.
16. Tee-___ (giggle)
Hint: Three letters. Completes the phrase for a stifled laugh.
Full Answers
Spoilers below. Scroll only when you're ready for the solutions.
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Across Answers
1. Sentry's "Stop!"
Answer: HALT
5. ___ vera (succulent)
Answer: ALOE
6. "That feeling should fade"
Answer: ITLLPASS
10. $1,000,000, informally
Answer: MIL
11. One of the Three Stooges
Answer: MOE
12. Caller of balls and strikes
Answer: UMP
13. ___-1 (class of drugs that includes Ozempic and Wegovy)
Answer: GLP
14. Crunchy tendril used in Asian cuisine
Answer: PEASHOOT
17. ___ Stadium, former home of the Mets
Answer: SHEA
18. Silverstein who wrote "The Giving Tree"
Answer: SHEL
Down Answers
1. Student's slip
Answer: HALLPASS
2. The "A" of GOAT
Answer: ALL
3. Chop (off)
Answer: LOP
4. Collective objective ... or what the ends of 1-Down, 6-Across and 14-Across lead to
Answer: TEAMGOAL
6. "Okay, it's my turn"
Answer: IMUP
7. The "T" of GOAT
Answer: TIME
8. All by oneself
Answer: SOLO
9. Month #9: Abbr.
Answer: SEP
15. Librarian's warning
Answer: SHH
16. Tee-___ (giggle)
Answer: HEE
Grid Breakdown
Here's what made today's puzzle tick:
Standout Clue: 4-Down TEAMGOAL for "Collective objective ... or what the ends of 1-Down, 6-Across and 14-Across lead to." This is the puzzle's architectural centerpiece, a meta-clue that forces you to solve HALLPASS, ITLLPASS, and PEASHOOT first, then recognize that PASS, PASS, and SHOOT are sports actions that collectively aim at a goal. Clever construction.
Wordplay Winner: 6-Across ITLLPASS for "That feeling should fade." The clue plays on the dual meaning of "pass", emotional pain subsiding (it'll pass) and the literal word appearing at the end of the answer. The same trick echoes in 1-Down HALLPASS. Double the wordplay, double the fun.
Quick Fill: 12-Across UMP for "Caller of balls and strikes." Baseball is a crossword staple, and UMP is a three-letter gimme that slots in instantly once you have any crossing letters. No overthinking required.
Speed Solver Tips
Looking to shave seconds off your time? Here's what today's puzzle teaches:
Watch for meta-clues that reference other answers. 4-Down TEAMGOAL can't be solved until you've filled in the surrounding entries, so skip it early and come back. Identify the "connector" clues and save them for last to avoid gridlock.
Three-letter answers are your friends. MOE, UMP, MIL, LOP, ALL, SHH, HEE, SEP, today's grid is packed with short fills that build momentum fast. Drop those in early to unlock crossings for the longer entries like PEASHOOT and ITLLPASS.
Tomorrow's Puzzle
The next Mini drops at 6 p.m. EST today, Sunday's puzzle arrives earlier than the weekday edition. How did today's grid treat you? Between the TEAMGOAL meta-clue and the sports-adjacent wordplay, this Saturday puzzle rewarded solvers who think in layers. Every puzzle sharpens your instincts for the next one.
See you at the next grid.
