In case you missed Friday’s NYT Mini, you can find the answers here:
Wondering what a border coillie’s job is? Not sure what filaments are? Don’t worry, because I’m here to help you with the answers for today’s NYT Mini crossword.
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.
To help you avoid getting stuck and having to reveal missing letters, here are the NYT Mini Crossword answers for Saturday, August 31 (spoilers lie ahead, of course):
NYT Mini Crossword Clues And Answers
Across
1 Across: Gentle call from a dove – COO
4 Across: Dissolve away, as minerals – LEACH
6 Across: Hiker’s water container – CANTEEN
8 Across: Befitting – APT
9 Across: Word shortened to its middle letter in texts – ARE
10 Across: Filaments – STRANDS
12 Across: Submarine sandwiches, Philly-style – HOAGIES
13 “How do you ___?” (judge’s question) – PLEAD
Down
1 Down: Alphabetically first time zone in the contiguous U.S. – CENTRAL
2 Down: Granola grain – OAT
3 Down: It includes Australia and Polynesia – OCEANIA
4 Down: Telecommuter’s accessory – LAPTOP
5 Down: Did a border collie’s job – HERDED
6 Down: Alternative to “card” or “Apple Pay” – CASH
7 Down: Loch ___ monster – NESS
11 Down: Number of candles on a birthday cake, often – ONE
It took me 2:51 to complete today’s NYT Mini.
I struggled a little with today’s larger crossword. On my first pass at the Across words, I got COO, APT, ARE and PLEAD, then CENTRAL, OAT, OCEANIA, LAPTOP and NESS in the other direction.
I made a key mistake here, as I thought AGE was the 11 Down answer instead of “one,” since there’s often just one candle on a birthday cake, no matter the person’s age. I filled in the rest of the grid (without completing STRANDS or HOAGIES directly) and I was informed that at least one letter was wrong. I quickly fixed my error after that for a so-so time.
If you need some help with Sunday’s NYT Mini, make sure to check out my blog. Meanwhile, if you play other NYT games such as Wordle, Connections and Strands, be sure to check out Forbes Games for our guides to each daily puzzle.
