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In case you missed Friday's NYT Mini Crossword puzzle, you can find the answers here:
Well folks, we survived Friday the 13th and now -- at last -- it's the weekend. That means we have the hardest Mini Crossword of the week to solve today. Let's dive right in!
The NYT Mini is a smaller, quicker, more digestible, bite-sized version of the larger and more challenging NYT Crossword, and unlike its larger sibling, it's free-to-play without a subscription to The New York Times. You can play it on the web or the app, though you'll need the app to tackle the archive.
Across
- 1A. Research org. that once employed Dr. Fauci -- starts with the first letter N
- 4A. Conflict ended on 11/11/1918, for short -- starts with the first letter W
- 7A. Garment with an underwire -- starts with the first letter B
- 8A. ___ Solo of "Star Wars" -- starts with the first letter H
- 9A. Verify the truth of -- starts with the first letter C
- 11A. Student's request while preparing for a test -- starts with the first letter Q
- 12A. Music player at a '50s-style diner -- starts with the first letter J
- 13A. "All good to go!" -- starts with the first letter A
- 14A. Prefix meaning "bird" or "flight" -- starts with the first letter A
- 15A. By way of -- starts with the first letter V
- 16A. Actor Cage, to fans -- starts with the first letter N
- 17A. Flecks from a campfire -- starts with the first letter A
Down
- 1D. "Saturday Night Live" network -- starts with the first letter N
- 2D. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy, by another name -- starts with the first letter I
- 3D. Eight-day Jewish holiday -- starts with the first letter H
- 4D. Sensationally successful, in older slang -- starts with the first letter W
- 5D. "Full Metal Jacket" or "Saving Private Ryan" -- starts with the first letter W
- 6D. Where Baja California is, as opposed to California -- starts with the first letter M
- 10D. "Fee, ___, foe, fum" -- starts with the first letter F
- 12D. Coding language with a coffee cup logo -- starts with the first letter J
- 11A. Student's request while preparing for a test -- QUIZME
- 2D. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy, by another name -- IROQUOIS
- 3D. Eight-day Jewish holiday -- HANUKKAH
- 4D. Sensationally successful, in older slang -- WOWIE
- 5D. "Full Metal Jacket" or "Saving Private Ryan" -- WARFILM
- 6D. Where Baja California is, as opposed to California -- MEXICO
This was a tough one! Probably the most words I've ever seen in a Mini Crossword, though many were obviously quite short. Still, some like QUIZME or WHIZBANG were pretty tricky. This one took me 3:14.
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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!