Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword plays off a two-letter technological feature that people tend to either love, or hate. It’s found its way into everything we do these past few years, and now it’s also in the crossword. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: ___ chi
Answer: TAI

4A clue: Financially compensated
Answer: PAID

5A clue: Some things off the top of your head?
Answer: HAIRS

6A clue: Feels sick
Answer: AILS

7A clue: ___ Peacock, character in Clue
Answer: MRS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Coin flip call
Answer: TAILS

2D clue: Shows on TV
Answer: AIRS

3D clue: Requests at the bar, informally
Answer: IDS

4D clue: Decent poker holding
Answer: PAIR

5D clue: Person who loves attention
Answer: HAM

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition could be tricky. That purple category, as always, really requires some historical knowledge. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.  

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Stop and recover.

Green group hint: Gambling.

Blue group hint: Where you gamble.

Purple group hint: Baseball teams of the past.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: A pause for recovery.

Green group: Casino table games.

Blue group: Las Vegas teams.

Purple group: Former MLB team names.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is a pause for recovery. The four answers are break, breather, respite and rest.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is casino table games. The four answers are baccarat, blackjack, craps and roulette.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Las Vegas teams. The four answers are Aces, Golden Knights, Raiders and Runnin’ Rebels.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is former MLB team names.  The four answers are Devil Rays, Highlanders, Naps and Robins.

President Donald Trump announced he has made a deal with China, which could potentially affect the cost of a new iPhone — but maybe not as much as you think.

«WE ARE GETTING A TOTAL OF 55% TARIFFS, CHINA IS GETTING 10%,» Trump said in a post on Truth Social, noting that he and China’s president, Xi Jinping, still need to give their final approval for the deal.

However, 55% «total» tariff incorporates 30% the countries agreed to in May (10% «reciprocal tariff» + 20% «fentanyl tariff«) and approximately 25% from tariffs that Trump imposed on China during his first term, according to a White House official.

Although 55% is substantially less than the original 145% tariff against China Trump originally put in place, it’s still likely to result in higher prices for many items, said Michael Coon, associate professor of economics at the University of Tampa. And the new tariff deal doesn’t take into account the 25% smartphone tariff Trump announced shortly after Apple said it was moving production of US iPhones to India.

«I would suspect that the 25% smartphone tariff would be added on top of the existing tariffs in China,» he said. «I think the smartphone tariff is more reaction to India — Apple’s announcement that they were going to ship most of their production to India.»

Apple didn’t mention tariffs during its Worldwide Developers Conference this week, but with the rumored iPhone 17 due for a price hike — regardless of tariffs — is now the time to buy a new iPhone?

Read more: Thinking About Buying a New iPhone? Here’s Why You Should Wait

How much could tariffs raise iPhone prices? We do the math

Companies don’t always pass the full tariff onto customers in the form of higher prices, but they can. Even if Apple could absorb some of the costs, you should expect to see significant price jumps if tariffs take effect.

«They’re still going to probably pass 80% to 90% onto consumers, if they can,» Coon said. «Unless they wanted to do some sort of marketing ploy out of it, which I don’t suspect they would want to do, because that would be directly going up against the administration.»

Based on the current tariff rate, iPhones manufactured in China are already subject to a 25% tariff (from Trump’s first term), but could now get an additional 30% tariff. Goods from India currently have a 10%  baseline tariff but that could potentially soar to 26% next month. Here’s how the current tariffs and potential 25% Apple tariff could affect the price of the iPhone. These figures are based on our estimates and not confirmed by Apple:

Based on Coon’s estimates that Apple could pass along up to 90% of the tariff cost to customers, that could raise the price of a new iPhone 16 Pro Max (1 TB) assembled in China to $2,230.

«Estimates say it would cost $3,500 to produce an iPhone in the US. So, it would still be cheaper to produce in China,» Coon said.

There’s a lot more that goes into the price of an iPhone than simply where it’s assembled. Apple sources components for its products from a long list of countries, which could face higher tariffs after the pause. And a tariff on goods doesn’t necessarily mean prices will increase by the same amount. If companies want to stay competitive, they could absorb some of the costs to keep their prices lower. 

Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

When could we see iPhone prices increase?

It’s unclear exactly when prices could go up, but if companies sell out of devices produced before the tariffs, they may have to increase prices on products in tariffed shipments. 

However, even if Apple can’t avoid tariffs entirely, it has ways to offset the impact through its services — including its music, news and data plans — according to supply chain expert Joe Hudicka.

«Apple will likely absorb some of the tariff costs up front to keep sticker prices stable, then pass the rest on to consumers gradually through service bundles, device longevity and ecosystem upgrades,» he said. «Consumers will still pay, just not all at once.»

And regardless of how the tariff drama plays out, the Wall Street Journal reports that Apple plans to raise iPhone prices later this year. So expect prices to go up soon.

Is it better to buy an iPhone and other tech now or wait? 

If you already planned to buy a new smartphone, buying it now might save you money. But if you don’t need a new phone immediately, you might want to wait, said CNET Managing Editor Patrick Holland, who’s been reviewing phones for CNET since 2016.

«If iPhone prices rise, know that, like cars, the prices for used iPhones will likely rise, too,» he said. «If Apple does raise its prices, you’ll likely get more for your old iPhone when you trade it in, and that should offset any increased prices.»  

If you don’t have the cash on hand and are considering using a credit card or buy now, pay later plan just to avoid tariffs, make sure you have the money to cover the costs before you start accruing interest. With credit cards’ average interest rates currently more than 20%, the cost of financing a big purchase could quickly wipe out any savings you’d get by buying before prices go up because of tariffs.

«If you finance this expense on a credit card and can’t pay it off in full in one to two months, you’ll likely end up paying way more than a tariff would cost you,» said Alaina Fingal, an accountant, founder of The Organized Money and a CNET Money Expert Review Board member. «I would recommend that you pause on any big purchases until the economy is more stable.» 

One way to save on Apple products, even if prices go up, is to buy last year’s model instead of the newest release or a used one. And trading or selling a used one can help offset the cost even more.

«Apple has leaned into that with its Certified Refurbished program, much like the auto industry’s used car model,» Hudicka said. «This program helps extend the lifespan of devices, keeping customers in the Apple ecosystem longer while distributing the cost impact over time.»