NYT Midi Crossword Answers Today, November 13, 2026

The New York Times (NYT) Midi Crossword for Friday, Nov. 13, 2026: hints for all 41 clues, how the Dinner and a Show title shows in the grid, answers.

By Fresh Calendars News Desk, Editorial team, daily puzzles

Published November 12, 2026, 10:28 p.m. ET 8 min read

NYT Midi Crossword answers for Nov. 13, 2026 on an eleven-by-eleven grid — The New York Times Midi Crossword for Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, with a hint for every clue before the answers. Illustration: Fresh Calendars

In this article

Where “Dinner and a Show” turns up in the grid
The least literal clue today
Hints for every clue
Which entries to fill first
What changed since Thursday
Today’s NYT Midi answers (spoilers)

The New York Times (NYT) Midi Crossword for Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, is titled “Dinner and a Show” and has 41 clues on an 11-by-11 grid, credited to Ian Livengood. Every clue gets a hint behind a tap, and the answers sit in a marked section at the bottom.

Where “Dinner and a Show” turns up in the grid

The title is the whole theme: a meal on one side, a stage production on the other. Three clues carry both. Each ends with a question mark, mentions a Broadway musical and gives its opening year, which is the tell. The years are 2009, 2018 and 1996, and each clue also names a food.

The three entries sit in rows 3, 6 and 10 of the grid. Row 6 is the one full-width row, so its answer has 11 letters and runs from edge to edge; row 3 holds 10 letters and row 10 holds 9. Together they use 30 of the 94 letters. Each answer joins the title of a show to a food word: the show is the “show” in the title and the food is the “dinner”.

There is a decoy. 29-Across, in row 9, also has 10 letters and sits directly above the 9-letter theme answer. Its clue is about stereo gear and has no question mark. Treat it as ordinary fill.

The least literal clue today

That is 17-Across: Italian pie at a 2018 Broadway musical? The question mark is the signal that the clue is a pun and the words cannot be taken at face value. Read “Italian pie” as the food half. “At a 2018 Broadway musical” says the other half of the answer is a show that opened that year. The result has two words, 6 and 5 letters, and an 11-letter answer is only possible in row 6. The pie is more of a dinner than a dessert, which makes the title a literal description.

Hints for every clue

Clues are quoted as printed, including blanks (___) and abbreviation tags. Several answers are two words run together, and the hints say where the split falls.

Across

1-Across (4 letters), “What’s the meaning of all ___?”
a pointing word that fills the blank; it starts with T and finishes with S.
Show the answer
This
5-Across (3 letters), Helper in a red-and-green hat
a worker in a holiday toy shop; it starts with E and finishes with F.
Show the answer
Elf
8-Across (5 letters), Lift
to raise something heavy with rope or a pulley; it starts with H and finishes with T.
Show the answer
Hoist
9-Across (3 letters), Squeezing snake
a constrictor, also a fluffy scarf; it starts with B and finishes with A.
Show the answer
Boa
10-Across (10 letters), Rack of ribs at a 2009 Broadway musical?
a show named for a Tennessee city plus the abbreviation for a smoky cookout meal; two words, 7 and 3 letters; it starts with M and finishes with Q.
Show the answer
Memphis BBQ
12-Across (5 letters), Shoe parts that can have treads
the undersides you walk on; it starts with S and finishes with S.
Show the answer
Soles
13-Across (5 letters), Climbs
goes up, the way the sun does each morning; it starts with R and finishes with S.
Show the answer
Rises
14-Across (3 letters), One on the campaign trail, informally
a short form of a word for someone in government; it starts with P and finishes with L.
Show the answer
Pol
15-Across (4 letters), ___ de force
a French phrase for an impressive feat; the missing word is also a trip with stops; it starts with T and finishes with R.
Show the answer
Tour
17-Across (11 letters), Italian pie at a 2018 Broadway musical?
a show about a snowy kingdom, then a dinner from the freezer aisle; two words, 6 and 5 letters; it starts with F and finishes with A.
Show the answer
Frozen Pizza
22-Across (3 letters), Dublin’s land: Abbr.
the short form of the country whose capital is Dublin; it starts with I and finishes with E.
Show the answer
Ire
23-Across (3 letters), Word with baron, boom or barrel
a fuel liquid pumped from wells; it starts with O and finishes with L.
Show the answer
Oil
24-Across (4 letters), Assemble ingredients in the kitchen, say
the chopping and measuring done before cooking starts; it starts with P and finishes with P.
Show the answer
Prep
27-Across (5 letters), Marvin Gaye song with the lyric “Oh, the dark days are done, and the bright days are here”
a word for a cloudless day; it starts with S and finishes with Y.
Show the answer
Sunny
29-Across (10 letters), Stereo system cable hookups
the small ports where headphones plug in; two words, 5 and 5 letters; it starts with A and finishes with S.
Show the answer
Audio Jacks
32-Across (9 letters), Sushi servings at a 1996 Broadway musical?
a one-word show title that is also what a tenant pays, followed by a plural food; two words, 4 and 5 letters; it starts with R and finishes with S.
Show the answer
Rent Rolls
33-Across (3 letters), Bag-screening org.
the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), whose officers work airport checkpoints; it starts with T and finishes with A.
Show the answer
Tsa
34-Across (4 letters), Phi ___ Kappa
the Greek letter that follows alpha; it starts with B and finishes with A.
Show the answer
Beta

Down

1-Down (4 letters), Weighty book
a large, heavy volume; it starts with T and finishes with E.
Show the answer
Tome
2-Down (7 letters), Person who embraces non-mainstream trends
someone who prefers the offbeat to the popular; it starts with H and finishes with R.
Show the answer
Hipster
3-Down (3 letters), “Kinda sorta”
a tag meaning roughly; it starts with I and finishes with H.
Show the answer
Ish
4-Down (6 letters), Provoke, as trouble
to cause a fuss on purpose; two words, 4 and 2 letters; it starts with S and finishes with P.
Show the answer
Stir Up
5-Down (4 letters), ___ and flows
what the tide does when it goes out; it starts with E and finishes with S.
Show the answer
Ebbs
6-Down (4 letters), Part of the ear
the soft, fleshy lower part you could pierce; it starts with L and finishes with E.
Show the answer
Lobe
7-Down (4 letters), Common queries, for short
the plural of an acronym for frequently asked questions; it starts with F and finishes with S.
Show the answer
FAQs
8-Down (5 letters), Meaning of “Ni hao” and “Ciao”
an everyday greeting in English; it starts with H and finishes with O.
Show the answer
Hello
10-Down (4 letters), Tie up, as a boat
to secure a vessel at a dock; it starts with M and finishes with R.
Show the answer
Moor
11-Down (4 letters), Apple’s virtual assistant
the voice you summon on an iPhone; it starts with S and finishes with I.
Show the answer
Siri
12-Down (3 letters), Letters on lotion bottle
a sunscreen rating, the Sun Protection Factor (SPF); it starts with S and finishes with F.
Show the answer
Spf
16-Down (3 letters), ”___ potato, two potato …”
the number that opens the counting rhyme; it starts with O and finishes with E.
Show the answer
One
18-Down (5 letters), “Hush!”
a command to be quiet; two words, 3 and 2 letters; it starts with Z and finishes with T.
Show the answer
Zip It
19-Down (5 letters), Falls deeply asleep, with “out”
drops off at once; it starts with Z and finishes with S.
Show the answer
Zonks
20-Down (4 letters), Red wine selections, for short
a clipped name for a grape popular in California; it starts with Z and finishes with S.
Show the answer
Zins
21-Down (3 letters), Olympic gymnast Raisman
her first name, a short one; it starts with A and finishes with Y.
Show the answer
Aly
24-Down (4 letters), Role played on stage
what an actor performs; it starts with P and finishes with T.
Show the answer
Part
25-Down (4 letters), Wishes undone
feels regret about, in the third person; it starts with R and finishes with S.
Show the answer
Rues
26-Down (4 letters), Teacher Krabappel on “The Simpsons”
her first name, four letters; it starts with E and finishes with A.
Show the answer
Edna
27-Down (4 letters), Mineral once called “white gold”
a seasoning found on most dinner tables; it starts with S and finishes with T.
Show the answer
Salt
28-Down (4 letters), The Bruins of the N.C.A.A.
the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), a four-letter abbreviation; it starts with U and finishes with A.
Show the answer
Ucla
30-Down (3 letters), Sphere
a ball or globe; it starts with O and finishes with B.
Show the answer
Orb
31-Down (3 letters), QB Montana
the quarterback’s first name; it starts with J and finishes with E.
Show the answer
Joe

Which entries to fill first

Count the crossings, meaning how many other entries each answer shares a square with, and the theme answers come out on top. Entries of 3 letters are the most common length in this grid, with 12 of 41 clues, and 16 of the entries have 4 letters. In order of crossings:

17-Across: 11 letters, 11 crossings.
10-Across and 29-Across: 10 letters and 10 crossings each.
32-Across: 9 letters, 9 crossings.
2-Down: 7 letters, 7 crossings.
4-Down: 6 letters, 6 crossings.

Solving 17-Across opens a Down entry at every square of row 6, so solve it before the others. Five clues are fill-in-the-blank: 1-Across, 15-Across, 34-Across, 5-Down and 16-Down. They are the shortest way into the corners. 29-Across is a good second target because its clue needs no wordplay at all, and it feeds the theme entry right below it.

What changed since Thursday

Thursday’s Midi had 31 black squares, 90 letters and 34 clues. Friday has 27 black squares, 94 letters and 41 clues, so the grid is more open. Both are 11 by 11. Counts come from the official grid data.

Today’s grid has 41 entries to fill; the rules for the format are on our Midi Crossword page.

Plan the week around the puzzle with our weekly planner you can print or the printable calendar for November 2026.

More of Friday’s puzzles: Wordle hints, Connections hints and Strands hints.

Today’s NYT Midi answers (spoilers)

Stop here if you still want to solve it yourself.

Clue	Answer
1-Across	This
5-Across	Elf
8-Across	Hoist
9-Across	Boa
10-Across	Memphis BBQ
12-Across	Soles
13-Across	Rises
14-Across	Pol
15-Across	Tour
17-Across	Frozen Pizza
22-Across	Ire
23-Across	Oil
24-Across	Prep
27-Across	Sunny
29-Across	Audio Jacks
32-Across	Rent Rolls
33-Across	TSA
34-Across	Beta
1-Down	Tome
2-Down	Hipster
3-Down	Ish
4-Down	Stir Up
5-Down	Ebbs
6-Down	Lobe
7-Down	FAQs
8-Down	Hello
10-Down	Moor
11-Down	Siri
12-Down	SPF
16-Down	One
18-Down	Zip It
19-Down	Zonks
20-Down	Zins
21-Down	Aly
24-Down	Part
25-Down	Rues
26-Down	Edna
27-Down	Salt
28-Down	UCLA
30-Down	Orb
31-Down	Joe

The filled grid, with each clue number in its first square. Drawn from the official puzzle data published by The New York Times.

The three Zs in 17-Across, at columns 4, 9 and 10, each start a Down entry: 18-Down, 19-Down and 20-Down. If one of those three gives you trouble, the other two cover most of its crossings.

Yesterday's Midi Crossword answer

The Midi on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026: Across 1 Miata, 6 Pin Curl, 8 Performer, 10 Car, 11 Ilk, 12 Get, 14 Smiley Emoji, 17 Penalty Shot, 18 Ala, 19 Des, 20 Oil, 21 Nate, 23 Puce, 24 Say Cheese, 28 Le Havre, 29 Salem; Down 1 Mir, 2 Infield, 3 Acolyte, 4 Turkeys, 5 Arm, 6 Perinatal, 7 Lego House, 8 Pamelas, 9 Rejoice, 10 Cspan, 13 Title, 15 La, 16 Ms, 22 Eyes, 23 Perm, 25 Cha, 26 Hal, 27 Eve. Yesterday's hints and full solution.

Frequently asked questions

Who built the NYT Midi Crossword for Nov. 13, 2026?

Ian Livengood is the only constructor listed in the puzzle's official data. Thursday's Midi had two credited builders, Zhou Zhang and Kevin Curry.

Is 29-Across part of the Dinner and a Show theme?

No. It has 10 letters, the same length as one theme answer, but its clue has no question mark and names no Broadway year. The three theme answers are 10-Across, 17-Across and 32-Across, whose clues each say "Broadway musical?" with a year: 2009, 2018 and 1996.

What are the NYT Midi Crossword answers for Nov. 13, 2026?

Spoilers: Across, This, Elf, Hoist, Boa, Memphis BBQ, Soles, Rises, Pol, Tour, Frozen Pizza, Ire, Oil, Prep, Sunny, Audio Jacks, Rent Rolls, TSA, Beta; Down, Tome, Hipster, Ish, Stir Up, Ebbs, Lobe, FAQs, Hello, Moor, Siri, SPF, One, Zip It, Zonks, Zins, Aly, Part, Rues, Edna, Salt, UCLA, Orb, Joe.

Sources

The Midi Crossword (The New York Times)

Fresh Calendars News Desk

Editorial team, daily puzzles

The Fresh Calendars News Desk is the editorial team behind Fresh Calendars News. It publishes the daily puzzle pages for games such as Wordle, NYT Connections, Strands, Pips, Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword and Contexto, each with graded hints first and a clearly marked answer section after them. Answers come from the publisher's own game data where it exists and are checked against that saved data before a page goes live; for games without official data, a page waits until two independent published solutions agree. The desk also handles reader tips and correction reports for the whole site, works with the editors who cover holidays, school calendars, money, time changes and seasonal events, and notes each correction at the end of the article with the date it was made.