NYT Mini Crossword — October 3, 2026
Hints — one at a time
Hint 1 of 5
Today's grid opens across with the medical professionals who work alongside registered nurses, then a word for a towering pile of something.
Hint 2 of 5
Continue across with a basic bathing bar you'd use instead of liquid body wash, and the opening in a shirt where your arm goes through.
Hint 3 of 5
Keep going across with someone who guides you through workouts at the gym, and an exclamation of dismay when something goes wrong.
Hint 4 of 5
Down starts with a mythical half-woman, half-fish creature, and a colorful traditional West African garment.
Hint 5 of 5
Finish down with a word for cuddling closely from behind, the first name of Prince William's younger brother, and the sound of a baseball bat connecting with a pitch.
The answer — spoilers!
Reveal the full answer
- R.N.'s co-workers — MDS
- Piles upon piles — HEAPS
- Alternative to body wash — BARSOAP
- O in a tee? — ARMHOLE
- Exercise expert — TRAINER
- "Oof ... that's not good" — YIKES
- "I see what you ___ there" — DID
- Half woman, half fish — MERMAID
- West African shirt — DASHIKI
- Cuddled closely — SPOONED
- William's brother in the British monarchy — HARRY
- Register ring-ups — SALES
- Crack of the ___ (ballpark sound) — BAT
- The "p" of m.p.h. — PER
This puzzle by the numbers
- 7 across, 7 down
- BARSOAP (7)
Counted from our own archive of NYT Mini Crossword answers — not published anywhere else.
