Here are graduated hints for the NYT Mini Crossword dated Monday, May 12, 2025, followed by the complete answer key. Stop before the spoiler section if you want to solve the grid yourself.
Hints for Monday’s NYT Mini Crossword
The date refers to the Monday, May 12, 2025 puzzle, as identified by guides published the day before by Forbes and Parade.
Across
- 1A — The “D” of D.J. Hint: A type of golf played with a Frisbee.
- 5A — Yet to tie the knot. Hint: Not married.
- 7A — Clothing material that becomes 3-Down after “doubling” a letter. Hint: Starts with S.
- 8A — Like the motion of the ocean. Hint: Ends with L.
- 9A — Actress Garr. Hint: Starts with T.
Down
- 1D — “___ in the Wind” (Kansas classic). Hint: Fine, dry particles of solid matter.
- 2D — People of the Arctic. Hint: Inuktitut for “the people.”
- 3D — Stockholm resident. Hint: A person from Sweden; the word is also the name used in Britain for a rutabaga.
- 4D — Traditional wood for a hope chest. Hint: A durable wood that can also repel pests.
- 6D — Where one looks for lox. Hint: Katz’s was the location of a famous scene in When Harry Met Sally…
Answers: spoiler warning
The complete answer key is below.
Across answers
- 1A: DISC
- 5A: UNWED
- 7A: SUEDE
- 8A: TIDAL
- 9A: TERI
Down answers
- 1D: DUST
- 2D: INUIT
- 3D: SWEDE
- 4D: CEDAR
- 6D: DELI
How the SUEDE and SWEDE clue connects
The unusual “doubling” clue links 7-Across and 3-Down. Changing the U in SUEDE to W makes SWEDE, the answer for a Stockholm resident. The letter change—not adding an extra letter—is the wordplay noted in the Forbes guide.
Grid and archive access
Forbes described the Mini in May 2025 as generally a five-by-five grid, with three to five clues in each direction and occasional larger puzzles, especially on Saturdays. That guide also said the current Mini was free on the NYT website or NYT Games app, while older archive puzzles required an NYT Games subscription. Those are source-dated statements, not confirmation of current access terms.
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