Midi Crossword Hints

The Midi is a mid-size crossword — bigger than the 5×5 Mini, smaller than the full daily grid. That middle size changes your approach: there’s enough room for a little theme or longer fill, but the grid is still dense enough that crossings resolve most of it quickly.

Treat it like a slightly roomier Mini: grab the easy entries, then ride the crossings, but expect one or two longer answers that need a real foothold.

• Fill-in-the-blank and short three/four-letter answers first — they give the most crossing letters per second.
• Work outward from any confident answer into its crossing words rather than reading clues in order.
• Use plural and tense signals in clues to drop a likely last letter (S, D, G) that cracks a crossing.

The fastest mid-size technique is the same as the Mini’s: the instant an answer is uncertain, pivot to the words crossing it. Each placed letter shrinks the candidate list for the stuck word until it’s obvious. Don’t over-commit to a clever long answer before its crossings confirm it.

A “?” in a clue flags a pun; an abbreviation in the clue means an abbreviated answer. And like every crossword, the Midi reuses short, vowel-friendly “crosswordese” (OREO, ETUI, ALOE, ETA) — recognizing those by clue style is the quickest way to unstick a corner. A new Midi is published on its regular schedule.