How to solve today’s Mini crossword.
Credit: NYT
Having trouble with some of today’s peskier NYT Mini Crossword clues? Look no further, oh my puzzle-solving kindred. Help is here! It’s another lovely day in October. We had a really serious cold spell, but things have warmed back up and hopefully that stays true through Halloween.
Alright, if you’re looking for some clues or the answers to today’s Mini Crossword, read onward, Crosswordlers!
Looking for Monday’s NYT Mini Crossword? Here are some hints and answers.
The NYT Mini is a smaller, quicker, more digestible, bite-sized version of the larger and more challenging NYT Crossword. While it used to be free, in August the Mini was placed behind the NYT Games App paywall. This has led to a noticeable decline in people playing the game, unfortunately. You can check out all of the NYT Games, free and paid, right here.
A Mini Crossword is typically just 10 to 20 clues, with only Saturday’s puzzle on the upper end of that spread. Here’s what a basic NYT Mini looks like:
The NYT Mini Crossword
Screenshot: Erik Kain
Follow the clues and come up with as many words as possible, and then use the letters from those words to fill in the remaining words you were unsure about. A good rule of thumb is to skip ahead whenever you don’t know something and come back to the clue later. Of course, if you still need help at that point, read on below for hints and answers.
The best way to play the NYT Mini Crossword is to try to beat your previous speed or play competitively with a friend and see who can fill out their Mini the fastest. This is not a long, laborious task like the normal NYT Crossword. It’s a game of speed and agile thinking.
Spoilers ahead!
How To Solve Today’s NYT Mini Crossword
Before we get to the answers, here’s the first letter for each word in today’s Mini.
Across
1A. Bone that can be “dropped” — J
4A. Late scientist Goodall — J
5A. Make critical assumptions about — J
6A. Best by a little — O
7A. Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, etc. — G
Down
1D. Just kind of over it — J
2D. Beef cattle breed — A
3D. Shed tears — W
4D. 2007 comedy-drama starring Elliot Page and Michael Cera — J
5D. Refresh, as one’s memory — J
Today’s Mini Crossword Answers
Okay, onto the answers! Remember, spoilers ahead!
Across
1A. Bone that can be “dropped” — JAW
4A. Late scientist Goodall — JANE
5A. Make critical assumptions about — JUDGE
6A. Best by a little — ONE UP
7A. Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, etc. — GODS
Down
1D. Just kind of over it — JADED
2D. Beef cattle breed — ANGUS
3D. Shed tears — WEEP
4D. 2007 comedy-drama starring Elliot Page and Michael Cera — JUNO
5D. Refresh, as one’s memory — JOG
Here are the filled in answers:
Today’s Mini Crossword
Screenshot: Erik Kain
At first, the only thing I could think for 1-Across was “mic” as in “mic drop” which, obviously, is not a bone. I pictured a skeleton and immediately realized the answer was JAW, as in “jaw-dropping” to indicate surprise. JANE Goodall recently passed away after a life spent devoted to helping apes (RIP). What an amazing woman.
Lots of “J” words today. JADED describes my feelings toward everything right now, though who am I to JUDGE. ANGUS was fairly obvious by the time I got to that, not to mention I really don’t know many cattle breeds to begin with. I did see some very cute highland “coos” in Scotland earlier this year. I got GODS right away because it obviously wasn’t PLANETS. All told, this took me 1 minute and 8 seconds.
How did you do? Let me know on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
If you also play Wordle, I write guides about that as well. You can find those and all my TV guides, reviews and much more here on my blog. Thanks for reading!
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2025/10/20/nyt-mini-crossword-clues-and-answers-for-tuesday-october-21/
