NYT Mini Crossword Hints for November 1, 2025
Each clue gets a first letter, a wordplay nudge and the answer. Revealed answers fill the grid.
Across
1A Ethically sourced, as some eggs (8)
9A Residents of Tehran (8)
10A Air sign? (8)
11A ___ Faire (medieval-themed festival, informally) (3)
12A Athlete from Cleveland or the University of Virginia (8)
17A Kind of bathing suit (8)
18A Musical whizzes (8)
Down
1D Certain gender identity (3)
2D Holy object sought in the first "Indiana Jones" movie (3)
3D ___ pride (3)
4D Completely surrounds (7)
5D Like a cozy campsite on a cool autumn night, say (7)
6D Washington's Mount ___, the highest peak in the Cascades (7)
7D Sinus-treating doctor, for short (3)
8D Opposite of WNW (3)
12D _ _ _mon URL ending (3)
13D De Armas who starred in 2025's "Ballerina" (3)
14D Shape of flying geese (3)
15D Prefix with friendly (3)
16D Restaurant booking, informally (3)
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Mini-sized tactics
In a 5×5, every across answer crosses every down answer, so one sure word gives you a letter in five others. Start with fill-in-the-blank clues and short, concrete nouns; leave question-mark clues, which signal wordplay, until you have crossings.
A question mark at the end of a clue is the constructor telling you not to read it literally. Abbreviations in the clue (“Org.”, “Abbr.”) mean the answer is abbreviated too.
Questions
When is the new Mini Crossword published?
Weekday Minis appear at 10 p.m. Eastern the night before; weekend Minis appear at 6 p.m. Eastern. This page loads the Mini for your device’s date.
Is the Mini Crossword free?
Yes, the daily Mini is free to play on the NYT Games app and website. The Mini archive needs a subscription.
Why is Saturday’s Mini bigger?
Saturday Minis are often larger than 5×5, sometimes 7×7, and a bit harder. The grid on this page adapts to whatever size the puzzle is.
What’s a good Mini time?
Many regulars solve in under a minute. Around two minutes is a solid everyday time; hints only affect your pride, not the NYT timer.