Today’s NYT Mini Crossword for September 4, 2026 is built around a single sweeping theme: MAN IN THE MOON, the “face seen in outer space” spread across 1-, 6-, and 8-Across. Spot that connection at the start and the puzzle practically solves itself – the interlocking downs fall into place with little resistance.
The MAN IN THE MOON is one of the oldest examples of pareidolia, the human tendency to find faces in random patterns. The lunar surface’s dark volcanic plains form two eyes and a wide mouth when viewed from Earth, a silhouette people across cultures have been naming for thousands of years. Today’s Mini gives the phrase a fresh five-by-five home.
The one clue worth a second look is 7-Across, clued as “Directly called out in a post, using an ‘@’.” The answer is ATTED – the past tense of “at” treated as a verb, born entirely from social media. It entered informal usage in the mid-2010s with phrases like “don’t @ me” and has since migrated from internet shorthand into spoken English. Seeing it set in crossword fill is still a jolt, but the clue is airtight once you accept the logic.
The rest of the grid is gentler: MOTTO (1-Down, state mottoes), ASHEN (2-Down, pale with fright), and LIAM (4-Down, Neeson of Taken) are clean, dependable fills. ONTO and NEED round out the corners without friction.
NYT Mini Crossword Across Answers – September 4, 2026
| Clue | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1A: With 6- and 8-Across, face seen in outer space | MAN |
| 4A: Opposite of tight | LOOSE |
| 6A: See 1-Across | INTHE |
| 7A: Directly called out in a post, using an “@” | ATTED |
| 8A: See 1-Across | MOON |
NYT Mini Crossword Down Answers – September 4, 2026
| Clue | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1D: “Eureka” for California, or “Excelsior” for New York | MOTTO |
| 2D: Pale with fright | ASHEN |
| 3D: Have to have | NEED |
| 4D: Actor Neeson of “Taken” | LIAM |
| 5D: “Hold ___ your hat!” | ONTO |
For today’s full NYT puzzle lineup, the Wordle #1903 answer for September 4 and all four NYT Connections #1181 answers for September 4 are both live.
