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Mini #379 · Wednesday

Our Mini Crossword Hints — October 14, 2026

Step-by-step hints for Mini #379, 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: Exhale forcefullyHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about what you do with your breath when you're tired or relieved.
  2. Hint 2: It's what a strong wind does, or what you do to candles on a cake.
  3. Hint 3: To push air out forcefully; starts with B.
5 Across: Piece of pizza or breadHint
  1. Hint 1: This is about how food gets divided into portions.
  2. Hint 2: You'd ask for one more of this at a pizzeria.
  3. Hint 3: A single wedge-shaped portion cut from something whole; starts with S.
6 Across: Tiny unit of weightHint
  1. Hint 1: This is a small measurement used in cooking or weighing things.
  2. Hint 2: Sixteen of these make up a pound.
  3. Hint 3: A small unit of weight; starts with O.
7 Across: Thoroughly sick of somethingHint
  1. Hint 1: Think of how you'd describe being completely done with something annoying.
  2. Hint 2: It's an informal way to say you've had more than enough of something.
  3. Hint 3: Feeling utterly exhausted or disgusted with something; starts with F (two words joined together).
8 Across: Russian emperor of oldHint
  1. Hint 1: This is a historical title for a ruler, specifically from Eastern Europe.
  2. Hint 2: Think of rulers like Nicholas II before the Russian Revolution.
  3. Hint 3: A historical title for a Russian monarch; starts with T.

Down

1 Down: Melancholy music genreHint
  1. Hint 1: This is a music genre often associated with sadness and soulful guitar.
  2. Hint 2: Think of artists like B.B. King who play this heartfelt style of music.
  3. Hint 3: A genre of music expressing sorrow, often with a twelve-bar structure; starts with B.
2 Down: A common first name for a womanHint
  1. Hint 1: This is a popular given name you might hear in everyday conversation.
  2. Hint 2: Think of the name of the character in 'Perfect Strangers' or many other classic shows.
  3. Hint 3: A common feminine first name; starts with L.
3 Down: Happen or take placeHint
  1. Hint 1: This verb is about something happening or coming to pass.
  2. Hint 2: You'd use this word to describe an event taking place, like 'when did it ___?'
  3. Hint 3: To take place or happen; starts with O.
4 Down: Cry hardHint
  1. Hint 1: This is what you do when you're overwhelmed with emotion and crying hard.
  2. Hint 2: Think of sobbing uncontrollably, perhaps at a sad movie.
  3. Hint 3: To cry intensely; starts with W.
5 Down: Not hard to the touchHint
  1. Hint 1: This describes texture, the opposite of firm or hard.
  2. Hint 2: Think of how a pillow or marshmallow feels when you touch it.
  3. Hint 3: Describes something gentle and easily compressed to the touch; 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 #379 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 1-Across, “Exhale forcefully”, at two words; the longest is 2-Down, “A common first name for a woman”, at seven words.

More for October 14, 2026

Rather see the grid first? Play Mini #379. 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 #378 (October 13, 2026), opens with 1-Across, “African country south of Libya”.

October 14, 2026 Mini Crossword hints FAQ

Are these hints for the October 14, 2026 Mini Crossword?
Yes. Every clue on this page is from our own October 14, 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/2026-10-14 reveals one answer at a time.