NYT Crossword Answers — August 27, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for August 27, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from POT, IMOFF, SNAIL, AISLE. Today's mini is a straightforward mix of common phrases, geography, and wordplay, with no overarching theme beyond playful clueing. Because the Mini is so compact, every square does double duty — each letter belongs to both an across answer and a down answer — so a single confident entry can unlock the whole board. Today the shortest answer, POT, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, IMOFF, anchors the grid and often takes a crossing or two to confirm. If you're checking your work or you got stuck on one stubborn square, the complete answer key below lists every across and down clue with its solution and a short explanation. We publish these Mini answers every day, so bookmark the archive and come back whenever a clue has you second-guessing. And if reading the answers gives you the itch to solve one yourself, our free Mini Crossword plays the same way — no subscription and no account required.
NYT Mini Crossword Answers
Today's mini is a straightforward mix of common phrases, geography, and wordplay, with no overarching theme beyond playful clueing.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. A watched one never boils, it's said | POT | A watched pot never boils is a proverb, so POT is the object being watched. |
| 4. "See ya later!" | IMOFF | IMOFF is a casual, abbreviated way to say 'I'm off', meaning leaving or departing. |
| 7. Sea ___, animal that builds the conch shell | SNAIL | The sea snail is the animal that builds the conch shell, a type of mollusk. |
| 8. Airplane seating choice | AISLE | AISLE is a seating choice on airplanes, as opposed to window or middle seats. |
| 9. James Talarico's state: Abbr. | TEX | TEX is the standard postal abbreviation for Texas, the state where James Talarico serves. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Leaning Tower city | PISA | The Leaning Tower is located in the city of Pisa, Italy, hence PISA. |
| 2. All: Prefix | OMNI | The prefix 'omni-' means all, as in omnipotent or omniscient. |
| 3. In the morning, a food; in the evening, a speech | TOAST | TOAST is both a breakfast food and a speech given to honor someone, fitting the clue. |
| 5. Something that can be AirDropped | FILE | FILE is a computer file that can be transferred via AirDrop on Apple devices. |
| 6. Show off, as muscles | FLEX | To flex muscles is to show them off, making FLEX the answer. |
Every answer explained
POT
Clue: A watched one never boils, it's said
A watched pot never boils is a proverb, so POT is the object being watched. As a 3-letter word with 1 vowel, POT interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
IMOFF
Clue: "See ya later!"
IMOFF is a casual, abbreviated way to say 'I'm off', meaning leaving or departing. As a 5-letter word with 2 vowels, IMOFF interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
SNAIL
Clue: Sea ___, animal that builds the conch shell
The sea snail is the animal that builds the conch shell, a type of mollusk. SNAIL is a tidy 5-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
AISLE
Clue: Airplane seating choice
AISLE is a seating choice on airplanes, as opposed to window or middle seats. AISLE is a tidy 5-letter fill (3 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
TEX
Clue: James Talarico's state: Abbr.
TEX is the standard postal abbreviation for Texas, the state where James Talarico serves. As a 3-letter word with 1 vowel, TEX interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
PISA
Clue: Leaning Tower city
The Leaning Tower is located in the city of Pisa, Italy, hence PISA. PISA is a tidy 4-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
OMNI
Clue: All: Prefix
The prefix 'omni-' means all, as in omnipotent or omniscient. OMNI is a tidy 4-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
TOAST
Clue: In the morning, a food; in the evening, a speech
TOAST is both a breakfast food and a speech given to honor someone, fitting the clue. TOAST is a tidy 5-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
FILE
Clue: Something that can be AirDropped
FILE is a computer file that can be transferred via AirDrop on Apple devices. As a 4-letter word with 2 vowels, FILE interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
FLEX
Clue: Show off, as muscles
To flex muscles is to show them off, making FLEX the answer. As a 4-letter word with 1 vowel, FLEX interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
Tips for solving
- 1Start with the fill-in-the-blank and short (3-letter) clues — they're usually the fastest points and hand you crossing letters for everything else.
- 2Work outward from your most confident answer instead of top-to-bottom; in a Mini, one solid entry unlocks four or five neighbors.
- 3If a clue ends in a question mark, expect wordplay or a pun rather than a literal definition.
- 4Plural clues almost always mean the answer ends in S — pencil that last letter in early.
- 5When two answers seem possible, let the crossing clue break the tie rather than guessing.