Did you hit a wall on today’s puzzle? It happens. The New York Times Mini isn’t supposed to take long, but those three-letter answers can still snag you if you’re not looking for the right word. We have the solutions here, broken down by clue, so you can stop guessing and finish solving.
Why look for answers instead of just grinding it out? Maybe you’re late for work. Maybe you’re stubborn. Neither is wrong, really. Just don’t blame us if you accidentally read the answer for FILET before you’ve actually seen the clue.
Let’s look at the across entries first. They are mostly short. Sharp. Direct.
Solving the Mini Across Clues for May 31
The opening clue is pure fashion trivia. You have a dress shirt. What’s on the end? It’s not a patch. It’s not a logo.
1A: Ends of dress shirt sleeves.
CUFFS
It’s a button thing, mostly. Or maybe elastic if you’re feeling cheap. But in the context of the crossword grid, CUFFS is the only word that fits.
Move to 6A. We are talking sports here. Specifically, the heavy hitters. The NBA and the NHL don’t just wake up one day and play finals. They have a playoff structure. When does the madness typically begin?
6A: Month when the N.B.A and N.H.L. playoffs start typically.
APRIL
You knew it. April showers bring May flowers and April brings championship hopes.
Next is 7A. A one-syllable verb. Classic crossword fodder. If someone takes your sandwich, they didn’t borrow it. They didn’t share it.
7A: Pilfered.
STOLE
It’s blunt. It’s accurate. And it’s the answer.
8A asks what you did if you were bored. You played. But you played with something.
8A: Played (with).
TOYED
Think of it as a playful act. You toyed with the idea. Or you toyed with your phone for an hour. Same energy.
And then we hit 9A. A classic idiom. Or half of one. It’s a phrase you say when someone accuses you of being hypocritical, usually with a sigh.
9A: “Well isn
