The NYT Mini is a quick and messy version of the New York Times’ big, long-running crossword. Most days, it has three to five clues in each direction on a 5×5 grid, but the puzzles can sometimes be larger, especially on Saturdays.
Unlike its big brother, the NYT Mini Crossword is free to play on the New York Times website or the NYT Games app. However, you will need to subscribe to the NYT Games to access the archive of past puzzles.
The NYT Mini is a fun daily distraction that seldom takes much time. I try to beat the standard weekday grid in under a minute. But sometimes, I can’t figure out one or two clues and need to check the answer.
To help you avoid doing that, here are the answers to today’s NYT Mini Crossword (spoilers ahead):
NYT Mini Crossword Clues and Answers
ACROSS
- Lightning streak – BOLT
- Flower varieties “Tiger” and “Trumpet” – LILY
- Surface on which to stretch your legs – YOGAMAT
- Condition treated by exposure and response prevention therapy, abbreviated – OCD
- Bartender’s “rocks” – ICE
- “Wait, seriously?!” – WHAT THE
- Actress with the most Oscar nominations (21) – STREEP
- Assistant – AIDE
DOWN
- Information set used in machine learning and predictive analytics, collectively – BIG DATA
- Portuguese greeting – OLA
- Not infinite – LIMITED
- Shows the ropes – TEACHES
- Scottish body of water – LOCH
- Like some prices and roller coaster drops – STEEP
- “It really hurts!” – YOW
- Prefix with ceratops – TRI
Today’s puzzle for the Mini was really big and tough, with clues like “Yow” and “What the” that you wouldn’t typically expect in a standard crossword clue format. I thought “Lily” might be an orchid for a minute, which threw everything off. Tiger orchids are a thing, right? I knew Meryl Streep, but yeah, this one was quite challenging when you look at all the clues.”
