Mini Crossword September 10, 2026: Clues & Answers

Mini Crossword hints, one rung at a time

Five rungs, from grid facts to a nudge per clue. The recap above already summed the grid up, so this ladder is here for anyone replaying it fresh rather than as a spoiler shield.

1. 1 Hint 1: Grid facts

   Counted off the grid.

   Grid

   5 × 5

   Clues

   5 across, 5 down

   Answer lengths

   3–5 letters

2. 2 Hint 2: Across clues, with an extra nudge each

   Open only the one you want.

   1 Across — Humans share about 99% of it with chimps (3)

   Genetic material shared across species

   4 Across — Blue attire made of 1-Down (5)

   Casual clothing often in a specific hue

   6 Across — Bring together (5)

   Synonym for combine or merge

   7 Across — Chunk taken out of a golf fairway (5)

   Golf term for a piece of turf removed

   8 Across — Foreboding signs (5)

   Harbingers of bad things to come

3. 3 Hint 3: Down clues, with an extra nudge each

   Same treatment, the other way.

   1 Down — Blue material in 4-Across (5)

   Fabric type used in casual pants

   2 Down — Gullible (5)

   Lacking worldly experience or cynicism

   3 Down — ___ Chigurh, Javier Bardem's Oscar-winning role in "No Country for Old Men" (5)

   Character name from a Coen brothers film

   4 Down — Olympic martial art (4)

   Martial art featured in the Olympics

   5 Down — Theater backdrops (4)

   Theatrical term for painted backgrounds

4. 4 Hint 4: First letter of every answer

   One letter each.

   1 Across

   D… (3 letters)

   4 Across

   J… (5 letters)

   6 Across

   U… (5 letters)

   7 Across

   D… (5 letters)

   8 Across

   O… (5 letters)

   1 Down

   D… (5 letters)

   2 Down

   N… (5 letters)

   3 Down

   A… (5 letters)

   4 Down

   J… (4 letters)

   5 Down

   S… (4 letters)

5. 5 Hint 5: Where the grid opened up

   Last rung before the filled answers.

   1 Across was the shortest entry at 3 letters, and every crossing it made handed over a free letter elsewhere.

   Open the answers, clue by clue