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Mini #392 · Tuesday

Our Mini Crossword Hints: October 27, 2026

Step-by-step hints for Mini #392, 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: Romantic outing, or a calendar entryHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about what you'd call a fun evening out with a special someone, or a note on your schedule.
  2. Hint 2: It's both a romantic get-together and the day/month/year you'd write at the top of a letter.
  3. Hint 3: Meaning a planned meeting with a sweetheart, this word starts with D.
5 Across: Biblical garden paradiseHint
  1. Hint 1: This is a famous place from an old religious story about the first humans.
  2. Hint 2: It's often described as a perfect, blissful garden before anything went wrong.
  3. Hint 3: Meaning the original paradise garden, this word starts with E.
6 Across: Where birds lay their eggsHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about where feathered creatures keep their eggs safe.
  2. Hint 2: These are the woven homes birds build in trees or bushes for their young.
  3. Hint 3: Meaning the structures birds build to hold their eggs, this word starts with N.
8 Across: Urgent requestHint
  1. Hint 1: This is what you'd call a desperate ask for help.
  2. Hint 2: It's a heartfelt or urgent appeal, often made in court or in a crisis.
  3. Hint 3: Meaning an earnest request, this word starts with P.
9 Across: Small fruit-filled pastryHint
  1. Hint 1: Think of a bakery item you'd find with fruit filling in a pastry shell.
  2. Hint 2: It's smaller than a pie but has that same fruity, baked filling in a crust.
  3. Hint 3: Meaning a small open-faced fruit pastry, this word starts with T.

Down

1 Down: Cozy home room or lion's lairHint
  1. Hint 1: Think of a comfy room at home, or where a wild cat might live.
  2. Hint 2: It's the word for both a snug living room and the home of a lion or wolf.
  3. Hint 3: Meaning a cozy room or animal's lair, this word starts with D.
2 Down: Highly skilledHint
  1. Hint 1: This describes someone who's really good at what they do.
  2. Hint 2: It's the word for being proficient or expert after lots of practice.
  3. Hint 3: Meaning highly skilled, this word starts with A.
3 Down: Electric car brand named for an inventorHint
  1. Hint 1: This is a well-known car brand known for electric vehicles.
  2. Hint 2: It's named after a famous inventor who worked with electricity and alternating current.
  3. Hint 3: Meaning the EV company named for Nikola, this word starts with T.
4 Down: Go into a roomHint
  1. Hint 1: This is the simple action of walking into a space.
  2. Hint 2: It's what you do when you walk through a doorway into somewhere new.
  3. Hint 3: Meaning to go inside, this word starts with E.
7 Down: Took a seatHint
  1. Hint 1: This describes what you did when you found a chair and used it.
  2. Hint 2: It's the past tense of lowering yourself onto a seat.
  3. Hint 3: Meaning took a seat, this word 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 #392 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-Down and 7-Down; the four-letter slots are 1-Across, 5-Across, 8-Across and 9-Across; the five-letter slots are 6-Across, 2-Down, 3-Down and 4-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 8-Across, “Urgent request”, at two words; the longest is 3-Down, “Electric car brand named for an inventor”, at seven words.

More for October 27, 2026

Rather see the grid first? Play Mini #392. 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 #391 (October 26, 2026), opens with 1-Across, “Not her”.

October 27, 2026 Mini Crossword hints FAQ

Are these hints for the October 27, 2026 Mini Crossword?
Yes. Every clue on this page is from our own October 27, 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/2026-10-27 reveals one answer at a time.