Table of Contents

• Soaring Through Today’s NYT Mini Crossword
• Cracking the Feathered Theme
• Landing the Answers: Your Mini Crossword Solutions
• Frequently Asked Questions

Soaring Through Today’s NYT Mini Crossword

Here at WordFinder Tips, we’re always ready to tackle the daily NYT Mini Crossword puzzle, and today’s May 22, 2026 grid by Joel Fagliano was a real treat! Man, I thought I had it in the bag, but that ‘Advocate of war’ clue really threw me for a loop initially; my brain was stuck on military terms, not feathered friends!

It’s always fun when a puzzle has a clear, clever theme, and this one definitely delivered. Don’t worry if you got a bit tangled up, we’ve got all the nyt mini crossword answers and hints you need right here.

Cracking the Feathered Theme

The Avian Agenda: Unpacking Today’s Theme

Today’s nyt mini crossword puzzle had a fantastic avian theme, subtly hinted at by 1-Across: “___ Birds” (Hitchcock film that suggests this puzzle’s theme), which was THE. Once you got that, it was clear we were looking for bird names!

All the across answers were types of birds, which made solving a lot more satisfying. It’s a classic Joel Fagliano move to weave in a pop culture reference to kick off a fun category.

Where the Feathers Got Ruffled: Tough Spots

Even with a clear theme, some clues in today’s nyt mini crossword can be tricky. The down clues didn’t always stick to the bird theme, which is where many players might have stumbled.

Specific knowledge, like a certain comedian or a Hogwarts test, can also be a hurdle. It’s all part of the fun of the daily mini crossword nyt.

Landing the Answers: Your Mini Crossword Solutions

Ready to see how you did on today’s nyt mini crossword? Here are some of the clues that might have given you a bit of trouble, along with their solutions and a quick breakdown.

• 6-Across: Advocate of war – HAWK. This clue is a great example of a themed answer using a metaphorical meaning. A ‘hawk’ isn’t just a bird; it also refers to someone who favors aggressive policies or war.
• 7-Across: Test for fifth-year Hogwarts students – OWL. This one requires a bit of pop culture knowledge from the Harry Potter series. O.W.L.s (Ordinary Wizarding Levels) are crucial exams for Hogwarts students, and fittingly, an owl is also a bird!
• 1-Down: Fish using a large net – TRAWL. Moving away from the bird theme, this clue is about a specific fishing method. If you weren’t thinking nautical, this could have been a head-scratcher.
• 4-Down: Stick in one’s ___ (bird-related idiom) – CRAW. This idiom means something that’s hard to accept or bothersome. A ‘craw’ is a bird’s gullet, making it a clever, albeit less common, bird-related term.
• 5-Down: Comedian Margaret – CHO. This clue relies on knowing specific public figures. Margaret Cho is a well-known stand-up comedian and actress, but if you’re not familiar with her work, this could’ve been a pure guess.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What’s the theme of today’s NYT Mini Crossword? The theme of today’s May 22, 2026 NYT Mini Crossword is ‘birds’, hinted at by the Hitchcock film ‘The Birds’ and featuring various bird names as across answers.
• Who is the author of today’s May 22, 2026 NYT Mini Crossword? Today’s nyt daily mini crossword puzzle was crafted by the talented Joel Fagliano, a regular contributor known for his clever grids.
• What does ‘Advocate of war’ refer to in today’s puzzle? In today’s puzzle, ‘Advocate of war’ refers to a ‘HAWK’, which is both a type of bird and a term for someone who supports aggressive military action.