Stuck on a clue or two in today's Mini? You're in good company. Wednesday's puzzle by Joel Fagliano has some sneaky moments that might trip up even regular solvers, especially if you're not familiar with astronomy or certain directional abbreviations.
Need help with specific clues? Click on any clue below to get detailed hints and explanations without spoiling the satisfaction of solving:
[Individual clue articles would be linked here in the actual implementation]
The New York Times Mini Crossword launched in 2014 as a quick-solve companion to the daily crossword, designed for busy solvers who want their wordplay fix in under five minutes. What started as an experiment has become a daily ritual for millions of players worldwide.
Release Schedule: The Mini follows a precise schedule to help solvers plan their puzzle time. Weekday and Saturday puzzles are available at 10 p.m. EST the previous day, while Sunday puzzles drop at 6 p.m. EST on Saturday. This means Wednesday's puzzle was actually available Tuesday night for early solvers.
For the most dedicated Mini fans, push notifications can alert you the moment each new puzzle goes live. If you previously declined notifications but want to stay in the loop, you can re-enable them by navigating to the Games app in your device settings and turning on notifications.
The 5×5 grid format keeps things snappy while still allowing constructors like Joel Fagliano to pack in clever wordplay and cultural references. Each puzzle aims for that perfect balance of accessible and challenging – easy enough to solve quickly, tricky enough to make you think twice about at least one answer.