Today's NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, April 9

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today's Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today's NYT Mini Crossword could be tricky. I'd never heard that 1-Down Confucius quote before, but once I figured it out, it's pretty witty. Need some help with today's Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times' games collection. If you're looking for today's Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET's NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let's get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

The completed NYT Mini Crossword puzzle for April 9, 2025.

NYT/Screenshot by CNET

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Word after "cheap as" or "old as"
Answer: DIRT

5A clue: Sean ___, director who won four Oscars for "Anora"
Answer: BAKER

6A clue: "It's the Hard-Knock Life" musical
Answer: ANNIE

7A clue: Pastry at a tea shop
Answer: SCONE

8A clue: Works on a quilt, perhaps
Answer: SEWS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: "Never give a sword to a man who can't ___": Confucius
Answer: DANCE

2D clue: "You don't need to tell me!"
Answer: IKNOW

3D clue: Straps for a horseback rider
Answer: REINS

4D clue: One might be shady
Answer: TREE

5D clue: Big Mouth Billy ___ (singing animatronic fish)
Answer: BASS

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day's Mini Crossword for free, but you'll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.