Here are the answers to the NYT Mini Crossword for Friday, January 16, 2026. The key below is cross-checked against two answer guides published that day.
Across
- 1A. “___ Max”: HBO
- 4A. “Where Marco Polo is played”: POOL
- 5A. “Overwhelming amount, metaphorically”: FLOOD
- 6A. “Reason for success in games like Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders”: LUCK
- 7A. “That’s just the worst”: UGH
Down
- 1D. “Liquor, informally”: HOOCH
- 2D. “Winner of a Booker prize, fittingly”: BOOK
- 3D. “Antiquated”: OLD
- 4D. “Give a short promotion for”: PLUG
- 5D. “Winter malady”: FLU
Two clues to notice
4A: “Where Marco Polo is played”
The answer is POOL: Marco Polo is a game played in a swimming pool.
2D: “Winner of a Booker prize, fittingly”
The answer is BOOK, a wordplay clue that points to the Booker Prize’s connection to books.
How this answer key was checked
Mashable and Technobezz list the same five Across and five Down clue-answer pairs for January 16, 2026. The key is cross-checked against those two secondary guides; an official NYT archive page confirming the grid was not located.
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