Looking for help with today's NYT Mini Crossword puzzle? Here are some hints and answers for the ... [+] puzzle.Credit: NYTIn case you missed Tuesdays NYT Mini Crossword puzzle, you can find the answers here:Happy New Years, puzzle solvers! Im sure everyone is busy with the holidays, so Ill keep the preamble brief. We have a Mini Crossword to solve, so lets solve it!The NYT Mini is a smaller, quicker, more digestible, bite-sized version of the larger and more challenging NYT Crossword, and unlike its larger sibling, its free-to-play without a subscription to The New York Times. You can play it on the web or the app, though youll need the app to tackle the archive.Answers to todays Mini Crossword below . . . .Spoilers ahead!MORE FOR YOUACROSS1 Month that was the first of the new year in early 3-Down calendars MARCH6 Love so much ADORE7 Maker of Ironman Triathlon watches TIMEX8 Stop CEASE9 Searches (for) HUNTSDOWN1 Soccer contest MATCH2 Francophile's farewell ADIEU3 Like Janus, the god of beginnings ROMAN4 Feature of a cockatoo's head CREST5 Not-so-nice magic spells HEXESToday's NYT Mini CrosswordScreenshot: Erik KainTodays puzzle is a lot easier if you know two things: First, that the New Year used to start in MARCH and second if you know that TIMEX makes Ironman Triathlon watches. I knew the first but not the second. Most everything else fills in nicely once you have these two, of course, but if you dont you have to go about it a little differently. I had to get MATCH, ROMAN and HEXES in there before I could guess TIMEX. This one took me 1:33. Happy New Years everyone!How did you do? Let me know on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.If you also play Wordle, I write guides about that as well. You can find those and all my TV guides, reviews and much more here on my blog. Thanks for reading!