The NYT Mini Crossword continues to be a quick hit of mental exercise for puzzle lovers every day. For those of us who don’t always have time (or frankly, the mental stamina) to sit through the full-size New York Times crossword puzzle, the Mini is a perfect bite-sized challenge—just five by five squares most days, with clever clues and fast-paced solving.
Today’s Mini for Monday, May 19 was on the trickier side compared to the usual Monday fare. While many of the clues were fair and solvable with a bit of logic, a couple stood out as especially clever or misleading, which made today’s puzzle a bit more of a thinker than usual. If you haven’t solved it yet, spoiler warning ahead.
Let’s break down all the clues and answers for today, along with some thoughts and commentary:
Also read: Today’s NYT Connections Hints And Answers for May 19, 2025
NYT Mini Crossword Answers May 19, 2025
ACROSS
- Network satirized on “30 Rock,” for short – NBC
If you’ve ever watched Tina Fey’s brilliantly meta sitcom “30 Rock,” you’d know this one immediately. NBC is the home network for “30 Rock,” which hilariously skewers corporate culture, television production, and yes, NBC itself. A solid, straightforward clue to start the grid. - Sport played on horseback – POLO
An easy one if you’re familiar with equestrian sports. Polo is one of those classic aristocratic sports that often shows up in crosswords. If you’ve ever seen people riding horses with mallets chasing a ball, you know what this is. - One for whom every day is Boxing Day? – MOVERS
This was, without a doubt, the cleverest clue of the puzzle. At first glance, you might think of literal boxing—like a boxer—or the British holiday after Christmas. But the pun here is on moving boxes. Brilliant misdirection. I stared at this one for a while before it clicked, and it’s one of those answers that makes you smile when you finally get it. - Like correct letters in Wordle – GREEN
A nice nod to the viral word game that has taken the internet by storm over the past couple of years. In Wordle, when you guess the right letter in the correct position, it turns green. This one should be easy for regular players of the game, and even those who’ve seen screenshots of it will likely know. - Blend together – MELD
A solid vocabulary-based clue here. “Meld” isn’t a word you use every day, but it’s common enough in crossword land. It fits perfectly with the theme of mixing, combining, or fusing.
Related:
DOWN
- “Invisible Man” or “Little Women” – NOVEL
A literary clue that spans genres and centuries. Both are classic novels, and the clue was simple and fair. No misdirection, just straight-up literature. - Run in the wash – BLEED
This might trip you up for a moment. “Run” could refer to a lot of things, but in this case, it’s about colors bleeding in the wash. Think of when you accidentally wash a red sock with white shirts. Yep. They bleed. - What bourbon whiskey is primarily made from – CORN
For bourbon lovers, this is a gimme. Legally, bourbon has to be made from at least 51% corn to qualify. It’s one of those bits of trivia you might only know if you’ve read the bottle label or spent time on a distillery tour. - Tiny hole in the skin – PORE
Another quick and clean clue. Nothing tricky here. It’s just factual. Everyone’s got pores. - Longtime movie studio acquired by Amazon in 2022 – MGM
A bit of recent business/entertainment news, so if you haven’t been following the streaming wars, this might have slipped past you. MGM, with its roaring lion logo, has a rich Hollywood history and is now part of the Amazon content empire.
Also read: Today’s Quordle Hints & Answers – May 19, Game #1211
Final Thoughts
Today’s Mini wasn’t brutal, but it was deceptively tricky. That “Boxing Day” clue threw me off at first, and it took me a minute to switch from “holiday” to “literal boxes.” The Wordle reference was a nice pop-culture touch, and it was fun to see bourbon, classic novels, and network TV all show up in one five-by-five puzzle.
That’s the beauty of the NYT Mini—it manages to mix pop culture, vocabulary, history, and clever wordplay in such a compact form. It’s the perfect little brain teaser to start your day.
