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Mini #381 · Friday

Our Mini Crossword Hints — October 16, 2026

Step-by-step hints for Mini #381, 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: Guides for road tripsHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about what you'd use for navigation on a long drive.
  2. Hint 2: These are the paper or digital charts that show you routes and destinations.
  3. Hint 3: A word for navigational charts, starts with M.
5 Across: Rights-focused org. with "Civil Liberties" in its nameHint
  1. Hint 1: This is a well-known American organization focused on protecting personal freedoms.
  2. Hint 2: It's an advocacy group often involved in legal cases about constitutional rights.
  3. Hint 3: An abbreviation for a civil liberties organization, starts with A.
6 Across: Boy's name shared by Monty Python's "Life of ___"Hint
  1. Hint 1: This is a common male first name, also referencing a famous comedy film.
  2. Hint 2: Monty Python made a satirical movie about a man with this name who's mistaken for a religious figure.
  3. Hint 3: A man's name from a Monty Python film title, starts with B.
7 Across: Slight shade of colorHint
  1. Hint 1: This word describes a subtle variation when describing something visual.
  2. Hint 2: It's the word you'd use for a faint touch of a hue, like a hint of pink in white paint.
  3. Hint 3: A word for a light trace of color, starts with T.
8 Across: Weekly pay for a jobHint
  1. Hint 1: This is what you earn for doing work, often calculated per hour or per week.
  2. Hint 2: It's the compensation an employee receives regularly for their labor.
  3. Hint 3: A word for salary or pay, starts with W.

Down

1 Down: "The Sound of Music" heroineHint
  1. Hint 1: This is the name of the main character in a classic musical film.
  2. Hint 2: She's the singing nun-turned-governess in a beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein story.
  3. Hint 3: The heroine's name in a famous musical about Austria, starts with M.
2 Down: Nailing a test with a top gradeHint
  1. Hint 1: This describes doing extremely well on an exam.
  2. Hint 2: It's what you call performing excellently, earning the highest possible score.
  3. Hint 3: A word for scoring top marks, starts with A.
3 Down: Dish you eat fromHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about what's on your table at mealtime holding your food.
  2. Hint 2: It's the flat dish you serve or eat a meal from.
  3. Hint 3: A word for a flat dish used for serving food, starts with P.
4 Down: Star at the center of our solar systemHint
  1. Hint 1: This is the giant ball of light that our planet orbits.
  2. Hint 2: It's the star that provides light and warmth to Earth.
  3. Hint 3: A word for our solar system's central star, starts with S.
6 Down: "By the way," in texting shorthandHint
  1. Hint 1: This is common shorthand used in quick messages or texts.
  2. Hint 2: People type this when adding an extra thought, meaning 'incidentally.'
  3. Hint 3: An abbreviation meaning 'incidentally,' starts with B.

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 #381 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 4-Down and 6-Down; the four-letter slots are 1-Across, 5-Across, 7-Across and 8-Across; the five-letter slots are 6-Across, 1-Down, 2-Down and 3-Down.

Clues to try first

  • 6-Across, “Boy's name shared by Monty Python's ‘Life of ___’”, is a fill-in-the-blank: say the phrase out loud and the missing word often jumps out.
  • 6-Down, “‘By the way,’ in texting shorthand”, is marked as a short form, so expect an abbreviated answer.
  • Some clues lean on a name or title, such as 5-Across, “Rights-focused org. with ‘Civil Liberties’ in its name”, 6-Across, “Boy's name shared by Monty Python's ‘Life of ___’” and 1-Down, “‘The Sound of Music’ heroine”; if one is unfamiliar, work its crossing answers first.

More for October 16, 2026

Rather see the grid first? Play Mini #381. 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 #380 (October 15, 2026), opens with 1-Across, “Shark's dorsal feature”.

October 16, 2026 Mini Crossword hints FAQ

Are these hints for the October 16, 2026 Mini Crossword?
Yes. Every clue on this page is from our own October 16, 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/2026-10-16 reveals one answer at a time.