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Mini #356 · Monday

Our Mini Crossword Hints — September 21, 2026

Step-by-step hints for Mini #356, our own daily mini crossword. Looking for the New York Times Mini? That’s a different puzzle, published on nytimes.com.

Play puzzle firstAnswer key
All hints
10 clues
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Across

1 Across: Sculpture of a head and shouldersHint
  1. Hint 1: This is a type of artwork you'd see displayed on a pedestal in a museum.
  2. Hint 2: Think of a sculpted portrait showing only the top part of a person's body, like a famous statue of a president.
  3. Hint 3: A carved likeness of someone's head and chest, starting with B.
5 Across: Large stringed instrument played sitting downHint
  1. Hint 1: This is a musical instrument you'd find in an orchestra's string section.
  2. Hint 2: It's much bigger than a violin and the musician holds it between their knees while playing.
  3. Hint 3: A large bowed string instrument, starting with C.
6 Across: Metric unit of volume, about a quartHint
  1. Hint 1: This word comes from the metric system used for measuring liquids.
  2. Hint 2: It's the unit you'd see on a soda bottle label, slightly more than a quart.
  3. Hint 3: A metric measurement of volume, starting with L.
7 Across: Say yes; go along withHint
  1. Hint 1: This word describes reaching a consensus or accepting a proposal.
  2. Hint 2: It's what you say when you nod along and accept someone's idea or plan.
  3. Hint 3: To consent or say yes to something, starting with A.
8 Across: Mountain's highest pointHint
  1. Hint 1: This refers to the top part of something tall and pointed.
  2. Hint 2: Mountain climbers aim to reach this exact spot at the very top.
  3. Hint 3: The summit or highest point of a mountain, starting with P.

Down

1 Down: Light brown colorHint
  1. Hint 1: This is a soft, neutral color often used in home decor.
  2. Hint 2: Think of the color of sand or a classic trench coat.
  3. Hint 3: A pale tan or light brown shade, starting with B.
2 Down: Prefix meaning 'extremely'Hint
  1. Hint 1: This word part is often attached to other words to boost their meaning.
  2. Hint 2: You'd add this to the front of a word to mean 'beyond' or 'super,' like in a modern sound-sensing device.
  3. Hint 3: A prefix meaning 'beyond' or 'extremely,' starting with U.
3 Down: Smooth and glossyHint
  1. Hint 1: This word describes a surface that feels polished and shiny.
  2. Hint 2: Think of how a well-groomed hairstyle or a polished sports car might look.
  3. Hint 3: Smooth, shiny, and stylish, starting with S.
4 Down: Ripped apartHint
  1. Hint 1: This is the past tense of a verb meaning to pull something apart forcefully.
  2. Hint 2: Think of what happens to paper when you rip it in half.
  3. Hint 3: Past tense of 'rip apart,' starting with T.
5 Down: What an audience does to applaudHint
  1. Hint 1: This is a simple action done with your hands to show appreciation.
  2. Hint 2: You do this at the end of a great performance or speech.
  3. Hint 3: To strike your hands together in applause, starting with C.

Use hints slowly

Reveal the first hint, try the grid again, then come back only if the crossing letters still do not move.

See answers

Before you open a hint

Mini #356 has ten clues, so this page holds 30 hints. Hint 1 points you at the idea, hint 2 narrows it down, and hint 3 all but gives it away. On this date, all ten third hints name the answer's first letter.

Short answers have the fewest possible fills, so they make a good start. The four-letter slots are 1-Across, 8-Across, 4-Down and 5-Down; the five-letter slots are 5-Across, 6-Across, 7-Across, 1-Down, 2-Down and 3-Down.

Clues to try first

None of the ten clues is a fill-in-the-blank, a quotation, a question-mark clue or a marked short form. Read each one as a plain definition first. The shortest clue is 4-Down, “Ripped apart”, at two words; the longest is 6-Across, “Metric unit of volume, about a quart”, at seven words.

More for September 21, 2026

Rather see the grid first? Play Mini #356. When you're done, the answer key reveals one answer at a time, and the printable copy is there for paper solvers. The day before, Mini #355 (September 20, 2026), opens with 1-Across, “Tool for chopping wood”; the day after, Mini #357 (September 22, 2026), opens with 1-Across, “Enthusiastic, like a big fan”.

September 21, 2026 Mini Crossword hints FAQ

Are these hints for the September 21, 2026 Mini Crossword?
Yes. Every clue on this page is from our own September 21, 2026 puzzle, with three hints each, from a gentle nudge to a strong push. The answers themselves are on the answer key page.
Is this the NYT Mini hints page?
No. This is an independent daily mini crossword. It is not affiliated with, authorized by, sponsored by, or endorsed by The New York Times.
What is the difference between hints and the answer key?
Hints move you toward the answer one step at a time so you can still solve it yourself. If you want to see a solution outright, the answer key at /answers/2026-09-21 reveals one answer at a time.