Mini #11 — the answers

The Mini crossword from September 12, 2026: a 5×5 grid, 5 across and 5 down, filled in the order the crossings give it away.

The clues

Across

1. 1. Douglas ___ — FIR
2. 4. Evolve to fit — ADAPT
3. 7. General drift, as of a conversation — TENOR
4. 8. Scout’s top rank — EAGLE
5. 9. Wapiti — ELK

Down

1. 1. Kismet — FATE
2. 2. Light bulb, in comics — IDEA
3. 3. Home, home on the ___ — RANGE
4. 5. Exit ___ — POLL
5. 6. "Star ___" — TREK

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, “Douglas ___” — nothing given yet: FIR.
2. 1-Down, “Kismet” — F··· from the crossings: FATE.
3. 4-Across, “Evolve to fit” — A···· from the crossings: ADAPT.
4. 2-Down, “Light bulb, in comics” — ID·· from the crossings: IDEA.
5. 7-Across, “General drift, as of a conversation” — TE··· from the crossings: TENOR.
6. 3-Down, “Home, home on the ___” — RAN·· from the crossings: RANGE.
7. 8-Across, “Scout’s top rank” — EAG·· from the crossings: EAGLE.
8. 5-Down, “Exit ___” — POL· from the crossings: POLL.
9. 6-Down, “"Star ___"” — TRE· from the crossings: TREK.
10. 9-Across, “Wapiti” — already spelled out by its crossings: ELK.

The answer

Previous: Mini #10 (Fri, Sep 11) · Next: Mini #12 (Sun, Sep 13)

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.