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.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s fairly easy, but 1-Across will make you think. Read on for the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

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: Stringed instrument that becomes an exclamation if you switch its second and third letters
Answer: VIOLA

6A clue: Place for unread emails
Answer: INBOX

7A clue: Back of a 45 record
Answer: BSIDE

8A clue: Olympic fencing event
Answer: EPEE

9A clue: Emergency call in Morse code
Answer: SOS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Good ___ only
Answer: VIBES

2D clue: Bit of creative motivation, for short
Answer: INSPO

3D clue: Theater awards since 1956
Answer: OBIES

4D clue: Ore deposit
Answer: LODE

5D clue: Tool for a firefighter or lumberjack
Answer: AXE

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Looking for the most recent 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, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is an odd one in that the purple category, usually the toughest, was the easiest — if you know a certain group of fictional animals. If you need help sorting them into groups, you’re in the right place. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

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

Yellow group hint: Butter up.

Green group hint: Like The Little Match Girl.

Blue group hint: Letter that makes no sound.

Purple group hint: Oink!

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Lay it on thick.

Green group: Hans Christian Anderson figures.

Blue group: Silent «L.»

Purple group: Fictional pigs.

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

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is lay it on thick. The four answers are fawn, flatter, gush and praise.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is Hans Christian Anderson figures. The four answers are duckling, emperor, mermaid and princess.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is silent «L.» The four answers are calf, chalk, colonel and would.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is fictional pigs. The four answers are Babe, Napoleon, Piglet and Porky.

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

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle may leave you wanting to make a reservation at a fancy restaurant. Some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. 

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Pricy pairing.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: May I see the menu?

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

• FLOP, POLL, POLLS, RARE, CARE, HARE, SURE, SPAT, SPATS, PATS, CRUST, RUST

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

• CRAB, RIBEYE, SHRIMP, LOBSTER, SCALLOP, SIRLOIN

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is SURFANDTURF. To find it, start with the S that’s the far-left letter on the top row, and wind down.

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