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Mini #376 · Sunday

Our Mini Crossword Hints — October 11, 2026

Step-by-step hints for Mini #376, 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: Cut with an axeHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about what action you'd do with a sharp tool on wood.
  2. Hint 2: This is the forceful motion you'd use to split logs for firewood.
  3. Hint 3: To strike and sever something with a swinging blade, starts with C.
5 Across: Sandwiches that are also leading characters?Hint
  1. Hint 1: This is a food item with a playful double meaning about story protagonists.
  2. Hint 2: Think of long sandwiches, and how their name sounds like the word for brave main characters in a story.
  3. Hint 3: Big sandwiches whose name is also a plural for 'main characters,' starts with H.
7 Across: Bald bird on the US sealHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about a famous American national symbol.
  2. Hint 2: This bird of prey is featured on official US government emblems and currency.
  3. Hint 3: A majestic bird of prey, symbol of the United States, starts with E.
8 Across: Unreliable sort who keeps cancelling plansHint
  1. Hint 1: Think of someone who's flaky in a social sense.
  2. Hint 2: This describes a person who constantly bails on commitments at the last minute.
  3. Hint 3: A word for someone unreliable who often backs out of plans, starts with F.
9 Across: Finger-clicking soundHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about a quick action you might do with your fingers for rhythm.
  2. Hint 2: This is the short, sharp sound made by flicking your thumb and middle finger together.
  3. Hint 3: A quick percussive sound made with fingers, starts with S.

Down

1 Down: Person in charge of a restaurant kitchenHint
  1. Hint 1: Think of someone who leads a professional kitchen.
  2. Hint 2: This person wears a tall white hat and oversees the cooking staff in a restaurant.
  3. Hint 3: The head cook in a restaurant, starts with C.
2 Down: Mends, as a woundHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about what happens to an injury over time.
  2. Hint 2: This is the process your body goes through to recover and close up a cut.
  3. Hint 3: To make an injury better or whole again, starts with H.
3 Down: Pipe instrument in a churchHint
  1. Hint 1: Think of a large musical instrument often found in religious buildings.
  2. Hint 2: This instrument uses pipes and is often played during church services or weddings.
  3. Hint 3: A large keyboard instrument with pipes, often heard in churches, starts with O.
4 Down: Lively dance with a bouncy beatHint
  1. Hint 1: Think of a cheerful European folk dance.
  2. Hint 2: This energetic dance style is known for its bouncy, upbeat rhythm often played with accordions.
  3. Hint 3: A lively folk dance with a bouncy two-step rhythm, starts with P.
6 Down: Trickle slowly through a crackHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about liquid slowly moving through a small opening.
  2. Hint 2: This is what water does when it slowly leaks through a tiny crack or gap.
  3. Hint 3: To ooze or leak gradually through a small opening, starts with S.

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 #376 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, 9-Across, 1-Down and 6-Down; the five-letter slots are 5-Across, 7-Across, 8-Across, 2-Down, 3-Down and 4-Down.

Clues to try first

  • 5-Across, “Sandwiches that are also leading characters?”, ends in a question mark, which in crosswords usually signals wordplay.
  • Some clues lean on a name or title, such as 7-Across, “Bald bird on the US seal”; if one is unfamiliar, work its crossing answers first.

More for October 11, 2026

Rather see the grid first? Play Mini #376. 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 #375 (October 10, 2026), opens with 1-Across, “Similar or related”.

October 11, 2026 Mini Crossword hints FAQ

Are these hints for the October 11, 2026 Mini Crossword?
Yes. Every clue on this page is from our own October 11, 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/2026-10-11 reveals one answer at a time.