Mini #57 — the answers

The Mini crossword from October 28, 2026: a 5×5 grid, 5 across and 5 down, filled in the order the crossings give it away.

The clues

Across

1. 1. Tennis unit — SET
2. 4. Serious — GRAVE
3. 6. Measuring stick — RULER
4. 7. Morning wake-up — ALARM
5. 8. Flower ___ — BED

Down

1. 1. Lettuce dish — SALAD
2. 2. At any time — EVER
3. 3. Word — TERM
4. 4. Snatch — GRAB
5. 5. Golden ___ — RULE

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, “Tennis unit” — nothing given yet: SET.
2. 1-Down, “Lettuce dish” — S···· from the crossings: SALAD.
3. 4-Across, “Serious” — ··A·· from the crossings: GRAVE.
4. 2-Down, “At any time” — EV·· from the crossings: EVER.
5. 6-Across, “Measuring stick” — ··LE· from the crossings: RULER.
6. 3-Down, “Word” — TER· from the crossings: TERM.
7. 7-Across, “Morning wake-up” — ··ARM from the crossings: ALARM.
8. 4-Down, “Snatch” — GRA· from the crossings: GRAB.
9. 5-Down, “Golden ___” — RUL· from the crossings: RULE.
10. 8-Across, “Flower ___” — already spelled out by its crossings: BED.

The answer

Previous: Mini #56 (Tue, Oct 27) · Next: Mini #58 (Thu, Oct 29) · All Mini solutions

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.