If today’s 5x5 felt stickier than usual, you’re not alone. Below are light, spoiler‑controlled hints to keep you moving, followed by the complete answer key. If you want to solve first, play the Mini in the NYT Games app or on the web at nytimes.com/crosswords/game/mini.

NYT Mini Crossword letter hints (Sept. 30, 2025)

First letters only — use these to confirm your instincts without giving away the whole entry.

Across

  • 1A Exclamation made with a shiver — B
  • 4A Putt ’er there! — G
  • 6A “___ gotta be kidding me!” — Y
  • 7A Negative attribute, so to speak — M
  • 8A Got some shut-eye — S

Down

  • 1D Oven button with a “high” or “low” setting — B
  • 2D Get together again, like alumni — R
  • 3D Make go “Vroom!” — R
  • 4D Spots where you might spot some spotters — G
  • 5D Egg container — N

NYT Mini Crossword answers (Sept. 30, 2025)

No. Clue Answer
1A Exclamation made with a shiver BRR
4A Putt ’er there! GREEN
6A “___ gotta be kidding me!” YOUVE
7A Negative attribute, so to speak MINUS
8A Got some shut-eye SLEPT
1D Oven button with a “high” or “low” setting BROIL
2D Get together again, like alumni REUNE
3D Make go “Vroom!” REVUP
4D Spots where you might spot some spotters GYMS
5D Egg container NEST

Notable clue explanations

  • 4A “Putt ’er there!” points to the putting surface in golf — the GREEN — not a handshake.
  • 6A Grid entries drop punctuation, so “YOU’VE” appears as YOUVE.
  • 2D REUNE is a valid verb meaning to reunite, especially used for alumni events.
  • 3D “Make go ‘Vroom!’” is REV UP; in the grid it’s written as REVUP.
  • 4D “Spotters” are people who watch and assist lifters, so a place you’ll see them is GYMS.
  • 1D BROIL dials often offer “High/Low,” which distinguishes it from BAKE.

Today’s main NYT Crossword theme (quick overview)

The full-size Tuesday puzzle leans on a neat letterplay: theme entries sound like familiar phrases with their Ds dropped. Highlights include CROW CONTROL (crowd control), GARBAGE UMP (garbage dump), ON‑KEY KONG (Donkey Kong), and CAR CATALOG (card catalog). A late-grid revealer, “IT’S A DELIGHT,” ties it together — each is a “D light.” Elsewhere, a few clue notes stand out: FLEABAG as a “Sleazy hotel,” the tidy double meaning on PORT (“Left of a ship … or what a ship may have left”), and the exacting spelling of fitness icon LALANNE. There’s also a nod to Muppetry with FRANK OZ in the grid, and a fresh conversational entry, “HOW’D IT GO?”

Whether you used the letters to nudge a square or two or filled the whole grid, you’re set for the streak. When you’re ready for another round, the next Mini unlocks nightly.