Here are all the answers to the NYT Mini Crossword for September 23, 2026.
The Mini resets every day at midnight and takes most solvers between two and five minutes. Today’s grid leans on pop culture, geography, and a couple of well-placed vocabulary traps. If you are still working through it, three hints are below before the full solution.
Three hints before the answers
Hint 1: One Across is an exclamation of regret – two letters repeated.
Hint 2: A Down clue references a Shakespeare play set in northern Italy.
Hint 3: The longest Down answer is a two-word exclamation of amused anticipation.
NYT Mini Crossword answers for September 23, 2026
Across
1A – “Sorry about that!” – OOPS
5A – Not-so-tacky clothing material that rhymes with “tacky” – KHAKI
7A – Paula who judged on “American Idol” – ABDUL
8A – “___ never believe this …” – YOULL
9A – Long-haired Himalayan animals – YAKS
Down
1D – Just fine – OKAY
2D – “Well, this oughta be good!” – OHBOY
3D – Italian city where “The Taming of the Shrew” is set – PADUA
4D – Walk around stealthily – SKULK
6D – Society’s woes – ILLS
Notes on today’s puzzle
PADUA (3D) is the geography standout – Padua appears in Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” as the setting where Katharina and Petruchio’s battle of wills plays out. It is the kind of clue that either lands immediately or sends solvers toward the crossing letters. SKULK (4D) is the vocabulary choice most likely to cause a pause – it means to move about quietly and secretively, and the K landing in the KHAKI cross makes it findable once 5A is confirmed.
Paula ABDUL (7A) remains a recognisable face from American Idol’s original run, where she sat alongside Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson as a judge from the show’s debut in 2002 through 2009. OHBOY (2D) reads as one word in crossword grid notation despite being two words in normal usage – a reliable Across/Down bridge entry.
Looking for more puzzles? Find the Mini Crossword September 22, 2026 answers here.
