Mini #9 — the answers

The Mini crossword from September 10, 2026: a 5×5 grid, 5 across and 5 down, filled in the order the crossings give it away.

The clues

Across

1. 1. ___ low — LAY
2. 4. Watch part — FACE
3. 5. Eye socket — ORBIT
4. 6. Have to have — NEED
5. 7. Slippery swimmer — EEL

Down

1. 1. Record company — LABEL
2. 2. Litmus test subject — ACID
3. 3. "Are we there ___?" — YET
4. 4. Toll-___ — FREE
5. 5. Number of stars in a bad review — ONE

The walkthrough

One way through: start at 1-Across, then let each answer feed the words it crosses — the slot with the most letters already showing is the one to fill next.

1. 1-Across, “___ low” — nothing given yet: LAY.
2. 1-Down, “Record company” — L···· from the crossings: LABEL.
3. 4-Across, “Watch part” — ·A·· from the crossings: FACE.
4. 2-Down, “Litmus test subject” — AC·· from the crossings: ACID.
5. 5-Across, “Eye socket” — ··BI· from the crossings: ORBIT.
6. 3-Down, “"Are we there ___?"” — already spelled out by its crossings: YET.
7. 6-Across, “Have to have” — ··ED from the crossings: NEED.
8. 4-Down, “Toll-___” — FRE· from the crossings: FREE.
9. 7-Across, “Slippery swimmer” — ·EL from the crossings: EEL.
10. 5-Down, “Number of stars in a bad review” — already spelled out by its crossings: ONE.

The answer

Previous: Mini #8 (Wed, Sep 9) · Next: Mini #10 (Fri, Sep 11)

About Mini

Mini is Noggin’s five-by-five crossword, on the second shelf: one grid a day against the clock, outside the daily line-up. How to play Mini, or play today’s.