Crosswords aren't usually supposed to be "meta," but the New York Times just went there. If you opened your app this morning and felt like your brain was short-circuiting over the very first clue, you aren't alone. Honestly, it’s one of those days where the puzzle is trying to be a bit too clever for its own good.
The NYT mini hints for today are basically a giant riddle about the clues themselves. Usually, you’re looking for a synonym or a trivia fact. Today? You're looking for a pattern. If you’ve been staring at 1-Across and 4-Across wondering why they don't make sense as individual units, it’s because they are two halves of a single thought.
Let's break down the logic before you lose your streak.
The Meta Theme of the January 15 Mini
The most confusing part of the Thursday grid is the "linked" clue. 1-Across says "Feature of..." and 4-Across finishes with "...every clue." Most people try to solve 1-Across first, but "TWO" feels like a weird answer for "Feature of..." until you look at the rest of the board.
Every single clue in today's Mini is exactly two words long.
- "Actor Maguire"
- "Jotted (down)"
- "Foul smells"
- "Had been"
- "Rainbow's place"
It’s a "meta" puzzle. Once you realize the answer to 1-Across is TWO and the answer to 4-Across is WORDS, the rest of the grid starts to fall into place. It’s a classic Joel Fagliano move—short, punchy, and just annoying enough to make you feel like a genius once it clicks.
NYT Mini Hints for Today: Across Clues
If you're still stuck, here's the vibe for the Across section. I won't give the answers away immediately, but these should nudge you in the right direction.
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1-Across: Feature of... This is part one of the theme. Think about the physical length of the clues you are reading right now. How many words are in each one? The answer is a number.
4-Across: ...every clue This is the second half of the theme. If the first part is a number, what is that number counting? (Hint: It’s the units of language).
6-Across: Kindle download You probably have a hundred of these sitting unread on your device. It starts with a vowel and is five letters long.
7-Across: Attempt again Think about what you do when a website fails to load or when you miss a shot in a video game. It’s a common prefix added to a common verb.
8-Across: Peering pair? This is a bit of a pun. What do you use to "peer" at things? It’s a plural noun that also sounds like the first letter of "Every."
NYT Mini Hints for Today: Down Clues
The Down clues are a bit more traditional, which is a relief after that 1-Across nonsense.
1-Down: Actor Maguire The original cinematic Peter Parker. If you grew up in the early 2000s, this is a gimme. Five letters.
2-Down: Jotted (down) The past tense of putting pen to paper. It starts with a "W."
3-Down: Foul smells Think of a locker room after a long game. It’s a five-letter word ending in "S."
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4-Down: Had been A very simple past-tense verb. "We ____ happy." It’s four letters.
5-Down: Rainbow's place Look up. It's only three letters long.
The Full Answer Key (Spoilers!)
Sometimes you just want to get on with your day and keep that gold box on your calendar. Here is the solution for the January 15 puzzle:
Across Answers:
- TWO
- WORDS
- EBOOK
- RETRY
- EYES
Down Answers:
- TOBEY
- WROTE
- ODORS
- WERE
- SKY
Why the Mini is Getting Harder
You might have noticed that the Mini has been leaning more into these "clever" themes lately. In the past, it was just a 5x5 speed test. Now, it's borrowing tricks from the big Thursday NYT crossword, which is traditionally the "gimmick" day.
For the Mini, the difficulty usually peaks on Thursday and Friday before getting a bit more straightforward on the weekends (though the Saturday grid is larger). If you struggled today, it’s actually a sign that the editor is treating the Mini like a real puzzle rather than just filler.
If you’re trying to shave seconds off your time, the best strategy for a meta-puzzle like this is to skip the theme clues entirely and work on the "Downs." You could have easily solved TOBEY and WROTE without ever understanding the "Two Words" gimmick. Once those vertical letters are in, the Across answers basically write themselves.
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To improve your solving speed for tomorrow, try focusing on the three-letter words first to build a skeleton for the rest of the grid. If you're looking for more help, you can check the archives or dive into the NYT Strands for a different kind of challenge.