Answers for today's NYT Mini Crossword are just ahead.New York TimesIn case you missed Thursdays NYT Mini, you can find the answers here:Wondering what team signed Juan Soto to a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million contract? Not sure what a noted octet in higher education might be? Dont worry, because Im here to help you with some hints and the answers for today's NYT Mini crossword.The NYT Mini is a quick and dirty version of the newspaper's larger and long-running crossword. Most days, there are between three and five clues in each direction on a five by five grid, but the puzzles are sometimes larger, especially on Saturdays.Unlike its larger sibling, the NYT Mini crossword is free to play on the NYT Games app. However, youll need an NYT Games subscription to access previous puzzles in the archives.To help you avoid getting stuck and having to reveal missing letters, here are the NYT Mini Crossword hints and answers for Friday, March 14.Spoilers lie ahead, so remember to scroll slowly:NYT Mini Crossword HintsNYT Mini Across Hints1 Across: Female parent of a horse4 Across: A type of shot in tennis6 Across: Not heavy7 Across: Like poison and grape8 Across: Teachers _____, an educators favorite studentNYT Mini Down Hints1 Down: A finger2 Down: Feel compassion3 Down: Sounds like Brooklyns NBA team4 Down: Watch out for banana peels on the floor or you might do this5 Down: Have an interesting lifeNYT Mini Crossword Clues And AnswersNYT Mini Across Answers1 Across: Hydroelectric project DAM4 Across: Piece of the pie SLICE6 Across: Concern for a basement apartment LIGHT7 Across: Noted octet in higher education IVIES8 Across: Fur-riend PETNYT Mini Down Answers1 Down: Piece of the pi? DIGIT2 Down: Feel the pain ACHE3 Down: Team that signed Juan Soto to a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million contract METS4 Down: Mess (up) SLIP5 Down: Like podcasts with a studio audience, say LIVECompleted NYT Mini crossword for Friday, March 14.New York TimesIt took me 0:46 to complete today's NYT Mini.Have to say, I didnt love this one. I know its a crossword puzzle from The New York Times, but it was a little too American-centric for my tastes in terms of references I didnt totally get. I dont think I would have figured out METS quickly without having a couple of the letters in place already, thanks to DAM and SLICE.I struggled with IVIES too, while I initially though LIGHT was night. To find the right answers for 6 and 7 Across, I had to tinker with the middle two letters of SLIP (which I have to admit I didnt figure out quickly either).Still, I cant be too mad about a sub-minute time.See you in two weeks for more NYT Mini fun!Make sure to follow my blog for more coverage of the NYT Mini and other word games, as well as video game news, insights and analysis. It helps me out a lot! Want to chat about the Mini, Connections and other NYT games? Join my Discord community!