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Mini #373 · Thursday

Our Mini Crossword Hints — October 8, 2026

Step-by-step hints for Mini #373, 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
Spoiler-light

Across

1 Across: Yellow taxiHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about a common way to get around a city without driving yourself.
  2. Hint 2: This vehicle is often a specific bright color and you hail it on the street.
  3. Hint 3: It's a hired car for transportation, starts with C.
4 Across: Say officially, or one of the fifty in the U.S.Hint
  1. Hint 1: This word works as both a verb and a noun in this clue.
  2. Hint 2: To say something officially is to declare it, and the U.S. has fifty of these regions.
  3. Hint 3: It means to declare formally, or a political division like California, starts with S.
6 Across: Heats up, as leftoversHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about what you do to food before eating it again.
  2. Hint 2: This is what a microwave does to leftover pizza.
  3. Hint 3: It means to reheat something, starts with W.
7 Across: Feeling of anxiety or dreadHint
  1. Hint 1: This describes an uneasy emotional state, often used in teen dramas.
  2. Hint 2: It's a word for deep worry or existential dread, often associated with philosophers.
  3. Hint 3: It means intense anxiety or unease, starts with A.
8 Across: Boxing's quick finish, for shortHint
  1. Hint 1: This is a boxing term, often abbreviated.
  2. Hint 2: It happens when one fighter can't get up before the referee counts to ten.
  3. Hint 3: It's short for a win by knockout, starts with T.

Down

1 Down: Freight on a shipHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about what's carried on big ships across the ocean.
  2. Hint 2: This is the goods or merchandise being shipped, not the passengers.
  3. Hint 3: It means shipped goods, starts with C.
2 Down: Machines that dispense cashHint
  1. Hint 1: These machines are found outside banks and in convenience stores.
  2. Hint 2: You use your card here to withdraw money without going inside the bank.
  3. Hint 3: These are cash machines, abbreviated, starts with A.
3 Down: Finest of allHint
  1. Hint 1: This is a superlative word for top quality.
  2. Hint 2: It means the greatest or most excellent among all options.
  3. Hint 3: It means top-notch or finest, starts with B.
4 Down: Hit hard, as a flyHint
  1. Hint 1: This is what you might do with a rolled-up newspaper.
  2. Hint 2: It's the quick motion used to strike an annoying insect.
  3. Hint 3: It means to strike sharply, starts with S.
5 Down: Big container for fuel or fishHint
  1. Hint 1: This is a large storage container, often cylindrical.
  2. Hint 2: You might find one holding gasoline in a car or fish in a home aquarium.
  3. Hint 3: It's a large container for liquids, starts with T.

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 #373 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

  • 8-Across, “Boxing's quick finish, 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, “Say officially, or one of the fifty in the U.S.”; if one is unfamiliar, work its crossing answers first.

More for October 8, 2026

Rather see the grid first? Play Mini #373. 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 #372 (October 7, 2026), opens with 1-Across, “Rubik's puzzle shape”.

October 8, 2026 Mini Crossword hints FAQ

Are these hints for the October 8, 2026 Mini Crossword?
Yes. Every clue on this page is from our own October 8, 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/2026-10-08 reveals one answer at a time.