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Mini #363 · Monday

Our Mini Crossword Hints — September 28, 2026

Step-by-step hints for Mini #363, 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: Do-it-yourself, for shortHint
  1. Hint 1: This is an abbreviation you see on home improvement shows.
  2. Hint 2: It refers to doing a project yourself instead of hiring someone.
  3. Hint 3: It's a short way to say 'do it yourself', starts with D.
4 Across: Remember the ___ (Texas battle cry)Hint
  1. Hint 1: This is a famous phrase tied to Texas history.
  2. Hint 2: It's the rallying cry from the Texas Revolution, referencing a mission fort in San Antonio.
  3. Hint 3: It's the fort where Davy Crockett died defending, starts with A.
6 Across: Relating to the navyHint
  1. Hint 1: This word describes something connected to sea-based military forces.
  2. Hint 2: Think of an adjective you'd use to describe ships, sailors, or fleets belonging to the sea services.
  3. Hint 3: It means pertaining to warships and sailors, starts with N.
7 Across: Halloween's "___ or treat"Hint
  1. Hint 1: This phrase is shouted by costumed kids in October.
  2. Hint 2: It's the first half of the classic candy-demanding phrase kids say at doors.
  3. Hint 3: It's a mischievous act you threaten if you don't get candy, starts with T.
8 Across: Wallet cards, informallyHint
  1. Hint 1: This is a casual term for cards that prove who you are.
  2. Hint 2: You'd show these to buy alcohol or board a flight.
  3. Hint 3: It's short for identification cards, starts with I.

Down

1 Down: Tennis great Miss ___, or a common surnameHint
  1. Hint 1: This is a surname shared by a tennis legend and many other famous people.
  2. Hint 2: Think of a famous women's tennis champion with this last name, or a common American surname.
  3. Hint 3: It's the surname of a tennis great, starts with D.
2 Down: Apple's all-in-one desktop computerHint
  1. Hint 1: This is a type of computer known for combining the screen and computer in one unit.
  2. Hint 2: Apple's compact all-in-one machine that replaced older beige boxes in the late 90s.
  3. Hint 3: It's Apple's iconic all-in-one desktop line, starts with I.
3 Down: Yellow center of an eggHint
  1. Hint 1: This is a part of an egg you might separate from the white.
  2. Hint 2: It's the round, yellow, nutrient-rich part inside an egg.
  3. Hint 3: It's the yellow center of an egg, starts with Y.
4 Down: Opposed toHint
  1. Hint 1: This word means being against something.
  2. Hint 2: It's a prefix-like word meaning opposed or contrary to.
  3. Hint 3: It means against or opposed to, starts with A.
5 Down: Fat used in cookingHint
  1. Hint 1: This is a cooking ingredient often made from pig fat.
  2. Hint 2: Bakers sometimes use this instead of butter for flaky pie crusts.
  3. Hint 3: It's a solid fat used in traditional cooking and baking, starts with L.

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 #363 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 three-letter slots are 1-Across and 8-Across; the four-letter slots are 2-Down, 3-Down, 4-Down and 5-Down; the five-letter slots are 4-Across, 6-Across, 7-Across and 1-Down.

Clues to try first

  • 4-Across, “Remember the ___ (Texas battle cry)”, is a fill-in-the-blank: say the phrase out loud and the missing word often jumps out.
  • 7-Across, “Halloween's ‘___ or treat’”, is a fill-in-the-blank: say the phrase out loud and the missing word often jumps out.
  • 1-Down, “Tennis great Miss ___, or a common surname”, is a fill-in-the-blank: say the phrase out loud and the missing word often jumps out.
  • 1-Across, “Do-it-yourself, for short”, is marked as a short form, so expect an abbreviated answer.
  • Some clues lean on a name or title, such as 4-Across, “Remember the ___ (Texas battle cry)” and 1-Down, “Tennis great Miss ___, or a common surname”; if one is unfamiliar, work its crossing answers first.

More for September 28, 2026

Rather see the grid first? Play Mini #363. 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 #362 (September 27, 2026), opens with 1-Across, “Heap of laundry”; the day after, Mini #364 (September 29, 2026), opens with 1-Across, “Obtains”.

September 28, 2026 Mini Crossword hints FAQ

Are these hints for the September 28, 2026 Mini Crossword?
Yes. Every clue on this page is from our own September 28, 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/2026-09-28 reveals one answer at a time.