How to Play the NYT Mini

The NYT Mini is a quick and dirty version of the newspaper's larger and long-running crossword. Most days, there are between three and five clues in each direction on a five by five grid, but the puzzles are sometimes larger, especially on Saturdays.

Unlike its larger sibling, the NYT Mini crossword is free to play on the New York Times website or NYT Games app. However, you’ll need an NYT Games subscription to access previous puzzles in the archives.

The NYT Mini is a fun daily distraction that usually takes no time at all. I try to beat the standard weekday grid in less than a minute. But sometimes I can't quite figure out one or two clues and need to reveal the answer.

To help you avoid doing that, here are the NYT Mini Crossword answers (spoilers lie ahead, of course):

NYT Mini Crossword Clues And Answers

ACROSS

1) Like the name Phil Quickley, for a speedy crossword solver? - APT
4) What connects these names: Al Green, Betty White, Rose Byrne - COLOR
6) Star ___ (plant with a pointy pod) - ANISE
7) What connects these names: Tennessee Williams, Georgia O’Keeffe, Denzel Washington - STATE
8) Teslas and Rivians, for short - EVS

DOWN

1) Assumed name - ALIAS
2) Washington paper
3) What connects these names: Chris Pine, Zach Cherry, Willow Smith - TREE
4) Detective’s assignment - CASE
5) Currently broadcasted - ONTV

I didn’t really understand the “Like the name Phil Quickley, for a speedy crossword solver?” clue, then after this was solved elsewhere, looked it up and found that it’s an aptronym, which is apparently an entire word just for a name that suits a profession. Phil Quickley, for instance, is Fill Quickly, which you are doing with squares here. Aptronyms, huh. You learn something new every day here at the Mini.

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