Need help with the Thursday, January 1, 2026 NYT Mini? Start with the low-spoiler letter hints below, or use the clue lookup to find just the entry you’re stuck on. The complete answer key is farther down, behind a clear spoiler warning.
Low-spoiler hints for January 1, 2026
Each hint gives only a starting or ending letter. Clues are grouped by direction; skip any entry you do not want to see.
Across
- 1. Word on either side of “___-eat-___”: starts with D.
- 4. Word on either side of “___, all ___!”: starts with M.
- 5. Word on either side of “___ say ___”: ends with R in Parade’s hint; Forbes gives N as the starting letter.
- 6. First-string squad: starts with A.
- 7. Causes injury to: ends with S in Parade’s hint; Forbes gives H as the starting letter.
Down
- 1. Someone who might be swimming with the fishes: ends with R in Parade’s hint; Forbes gives D as the starting letter.
- 2. An hour past midnight: starts with O.
- 3. Hand sanitizer targets: ends with S in Parade’s hint; Forbes gives G as the starting letter.
- 4. Like a crossword clue about crossword clues: ends with A in Parade’s hint; Forbes gives M as the starting letter.
- 5. “I’ll pass, thanks”: starts with N.
Complete answer key
Spoilers below: the full solutions follow.
Across
- Word on either side of “___-eat-___”: DOG
- Word on either side of “___, all ___!”: MINE
- Word on either side of “___ say ___”: NEVER
- First-string squad: ATEAM (also styled A-TEAM)
- Causes injury to: HARMS
Down
- Someone who might be swimming with the fishes: DIVER
- An hour past midnight: ONE AM
- Hand sanitizer targets: GERMS
- Like a crossword clue about crossword clues: META
- “I’ll pass, thanks”: NAH
About the date and access
This answer guide is for the Thursday, January 1, 2026 puzzle. Forbes reported that day that the Mini had become subscriber-only and that archive access required an NYT Games subscription; that is a dated report, not confirmation of today’s access terms. Parade says the game resets at 10 p.m., while Try Hard Guides describes weekday releases at 10 p.m. ET and weekend releases at 6 p.m. ET. Those are statements from the respective dated guides; the current schedule and access rules are not independently confirmed here.
Parade and Forbes publish the same clue-and-answer set. Try Hard Guides also indexes the clues in a lookup format for readers who prefer to reveal only a particular answer. These are secondary guides rather than an official NYT puzzle record, so the constructor and official grid are not verified.
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