Want the answers for today’s NYT Mini? They are here.
You could also dig up hints for Wordle, Strands, or Connections. Sports fans have their own Connections edition too. Just follow the links on CNET if you prefer.
Today’s grid is simple. Not hard at all. Except maybe for the pair down in the middle. Seven across and eight across. They run together. Paired clues are annoying, really. They trick your brain into seeing two words as one long block.
I hate those.
Need some strategy before you fill the boxes? There are tips out there for daily solvers. But let’s not delay.
Let’s look at the letters.
Across
1A : A baseball stat hidden in “super big hit”
* Answer : RBI
* Hidden wordplay. Classic.
4A : How you say “Hi” in Hawaii
* Answer : ALOHA
* Obvious, unless you’ve never been to Oahu.
7A : Start of a phrase for working out (with 8-A)
* Answer : GETIN
8A : Finish the phrase from 7-A
* Answer : SHAPE
* “Get in shape.” Together now. Separate entries in the grid, same sentence in life. Frustrating? Sure. But common.
9A : The compass point opposite of North-Northeast
* Answer : SSW
Down
1D : The other side of riches, proverbially speaking
* Answer : RAGS
* From rags to riches. Or the reverse, depending on your luck.
2D : A sound for disgust (“Ew”)
* Answer : BLEH
* Onomatopoeia is easy filler.
3D : Tiny bits
* Answer : IOTAS
* Not worth an iota. Common idiom.
5D : Where your hands go when the Macarena comes on
* Answer : HIPS
* Remember that dance? The nostalgia is painful. But the clue is clear.
The hardest part of the Mini is usually just reading the paired clue correctly. Don’t overthink it.
There’s your grid. Filled in.
Did you solve it without checking first? Probably not. Nobody cares though. The game is the distraction, not the mastery.
Tomorrow brings another set. Same format. Same frustration with paired clues, maybe.
