Today's hints
Each hint gives a little more away. Stop as soon as it clicks.
The answer
Tap to reveal. Blurred until you ask, so nobody scrolls into a spoiler.
Answer is hidden until you activate the reveal button.
Why this answer
What the word means, where the trap was, and how the solve unfolds.
Across: 1-Across “Attendees of the Jellicle Ball, on Broadway” is CATS; 5-Across “Topping on a pizza margherita” is BASIL; 6-Across “President who said ‘The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something’” is OBAMA; 7-Across “Feature of many a smart toilet” is BIDET; 8-Across “Rattling kind of drum” is SNARE.
Down: 1-Down “House in the woods” is CABIN; 2-Down “Carne _ (beef dish)” is ASADA; 3-Down “Function in the Clock app” is TIMER; 4-Down “Rock used in roofing” is SLATE; 5-Down “Moves up and down in the water” is BOBS.
The grid is a clean 5×5. CATS and OBAMA do the cultural lifting; BIDET and SNARE are the entries that stall if you come in from the theme clues only.
Recent Mini Crossword answers
Two weeks of solutions, newest first. Handy for a broken streak or a missed day.
Catching up? Here are the most recent solutions.
| Date | Puzzle | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Wed, Sep 23, 2026 | Mini #24406 | Across: 1 OOPS, 5 KHAKI, 7 ABDUL, 8 YOULL, 9 YAKS. Down: 1 OKAY, 2 OHBOY, 3 PADUA, 4 SKULK, 6 ILLS. |
| Tue, Sep 22, 2026 | Mini #24479 | Across: 1 WEB, 4 BOXUP, 6 AMIGO, 7 CELLO, 8 KNEEL. Down: 1 WOMEN, 2 EXILE, 3 BUGLE, 4 BACK, 5 POOL. |
| Mon, Sep 21, 2026 | Mini #24538 | Across: 1 VANS, 5 HOPES, 6 POTPIE, 7 SHELL, 8 YORE. Down: 1 VOTER, 2 APPLE, 3 NEIL, 4 SSE, 5 HOHO, 6 PSY. |
| Sun, Sep 20, 2026 | Mini #24519 | Across: GAG, UMBER, MAINE, SIDED, LES. Down: GMAIL, ABIDE, GENES, UMS, RED. |
| Sat, Sep 19, 2026 | Mini #24524 | Across: AIRBNB, ICEAGE, DADBOD, ANDY, ITTY, OTTAWA, FOOLER, FORKED. Down: AIDA, ICAN, REDDITOR, BABYTALK, NGO, BED, TWEE, YARD, OFF, TOO. |
| Fri, Sep 18, 2026 | Mini #24523 | Across: BART, LMAO, FOAMY, OOZE, XMEN. Down: BLOOM, AMAZE, RAMEN, TOY, FOX. |
| Thu, Sep 17, 2026 | Mini #24505 | Across: QUACK, UNCLE, IDIOT, RUNTO, KEGS. Down: QUIRK, UNDUE, ACING, CLOTS, KETO. |
| Wed, Sep 16, 2026 | Mini #24473 | Across: MAV, EVENT, LANAI, TITAN, LINE. Down: MELT, AVAIL, VENTI, NAAN, TINE. |
| Tue, Sep 15, 2026 | Mini #24513 | Across: OBVI, FEET, FALSE, CMON, HAND. Down: OFF, BEACH, VELMA, ITSON, END. |
| Mon, Sep 14, 2026 | Mini #24506 | Across: CBS, PORT, CAMEO, ASIAN, ROCKY. Down: COMIC, BREAK, STONY, PASO, CAR. |
| Sun, Sep 13, 2026 | Mini #24453 | Across: CAPRI, ALL IN, BLACK, LONE, EYE. Down: CABLE, ALLOY, PLANE, RICE, INK. |
| Sat, Sep 12, 2026 | Mini #24210 | Across: OYSTERS, COPILOT, TURNKEY, AWAY, VINTAGE, ENGINES, MALE. Down: OCTAVE, YOU WIN, SPRANG, TINY TIM, ELK, ROE, STY, ANA, GEL, ESE. |
| Fri, Sep 11, 2026 | Mini #24502 | Across: REBUS, IDAHO, DECAF, SNOUT, SNL. Down: RIDS, EDENS, BACON, UHAUL, SOFT. |
| Thu, Sep 10, 2026 | Mini #24420 | Across: DNA, JEANS, UNITE, DIVOT, OMENS. Down: DENIM, NAIVE, ANTON, JUDO, SETS. |
Solve notes
The opener that would have found it, and what to carry into tomorrow.
The clue to watch
6-Across is the longest piece of trivia on the page, but 7-Across BIDET is the one that sits until crossings arrive. Once CATS, BASIL, and the first down column CABIN are in, BIDET and SNARE fill from the bottom. 2-Down ASADA is the food-clue trap if you reach for a longer Spanish word; the Mini only has five letters.
Questions people ask
Common questions about this puzzle, answered plainly.
What are today’s NYT Mini answers for September 24, 2026?
Across: CATS, BASIL, OBAMA, BIDET, SNARE. Down: CABIN, ASADA, TIMER, SLATE, BOBS.
What is today’s NYT Mini puzzle number?
The Thursday puzzle is Mini #24515, constructed by Christina Iverson and edited by Joel Fagliano.
What is the longest answer in Mini #24515?
Five letters is the max. BASIL, OBAMA, BIDET, SNARE, CABIN, ASADA, TIMER, and SLATE are all five letters. CATS and BOBS are four.
When does the next NYT Mini release?
New Minis unlock the evening before their date: 10 p.m. ET Monday through Friday and 6 p.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday.
How do you solve the Mini faster?
Enter the surest answers first, then let their crossings settle the rest. In a small grid, one confident row usually unlocks several columns.
Tomorrow's hints, in your inbox at midnight
Daily Mini Crossword hints, the answer explained, and one thing worth knowing about the word — sent at midnight ET.