Today’s New York Times Mini Crossword for Thursday, September 10, 2026 was constructed by Ian Livengood. The puzzle leans on a satisfying DENIM/JEANS cross that ties the grid together; once that pair clicks, the rest falls quickly. Here are all the answers.
Across Answers
1-Across: Humans share about 99% of it with chimps: DNA
4-Across: Blue attire made of 1-Down: JEANS
6-Across: Bring together: UNITE
7-Across: Chunk taken out of a golf fairway: DIVOT
8-Across: Foreboding signs: OMENS
Down Answers
1-Down: Blue material in 4-Across: DENIM
2-Down: Gullible: NAIVE
3-Down: ___ Chigurh, Javier Bardem’s Oscar-winning role in “No Country for Old Men”: ANTON
4-Down: Olympic martial art: JUDO
5-Down: Theater backdrops: SETS
How did today’s Mini play?
The self-referential DENIM clue (“Blue material in 4-Across”) pointing straight back to JEANS is a clean constructor trick that makes the puzzle feel like it was built from the inside out. DIVOT is the kind of golf-specific word that either comes immediately or sends you in circles; it refers to the chunk of turf a club removes from the fairway on impact.
The ANTON answer refers to Anton Chigurh, the villain Javier Bardem played in the 2007 Coen Brothers adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel, an Oscar-winning performance that has lodged itself firmly in crossword culture. JUDO makes a tidy companion: an Olympic discipline since 1964, and a word that sits cleanly in a four-letter slot.
Overall, this is a brisk Thursday Mini that rewards solvers who pick up on the DENIM/JEANS self-reference early.
For more NYT Connections answers for September 10, 2026, the Wordle answer for September 10, and the NYT Strands hints and answer for September 10, check the linked articles.
