Another day, another NYT Mini Crossword. This one is kind of fun,as it has the mysterious circles that always contain some kind of secret word or clue. Let’s dive right in!

The Nyt Mini is a smaller, quicker, more digestible, bite-sized version of the larger and more challenging Nyt Crossword, and unlike its larger sibling, it’s free-to-play without a subscription to The New York Times. You can play it on the web or the app, though you’ll need the app to tackle the archive.

Spoilers ahead! Here’s the first letter of each word.

Across

1A. ___ chi – starts with the first letter T

4A.Financially compensated – starts with the first letter P

5A. Some things off the top of your head? – starts with the first letter H

6A. Feels sick – starts with the first letter A

7A. ___ peacock, character in Clue – starts with the first letter M

Down

1D. Coin flip call – starts with the first letter T

2D. Shows on TV – starts with the first letter A

3D.Requests at the bar, informally – starts with the first letter I

4D. Decent poker holding – starts with the first letter P

5D. Person who loves attention – starts with the first letter H

Spoilers ahead! Here are all the answers.

Across

1A.___ Chi – Ears

4A. Financially compensated – Paid

5A. Some things off the top of your head? – Hairs

6A. Feels sick – Ails

7A. ___ Peacock, character in Clue – Mrs

Down

1D. Coin flip call – Tails

2D. Shows on TV – Airs

3D. Requests at the bar, informally – Ills

4D. Decent poker holding – Pair

5D. Person who loves attention – Ham

Notice the circles on this puzzle. It’s a clue. Each one has AI, so once you notice the pattern with, say, Tai and paid, you can just plug in the next two and help yourself with Hairs and Ails. All told, this was a pretty fun, clever little puzzle. A couple tricky ones but nothing terrible.