Start with the hints below if you want to keep solving; the full Across and Down answers are farther down. The Saturday, November 1, 2025, Mini includes fills such as CAGEFREE, SKYWRITE and MAESTROS.
Hints for the November 1, 2025, Mini
Each hint gives the clue and one letter cue. Try the Across and Down entries before scrolling to the answer key.
Across
- Ethically sourced, as some eggs — starts with C.
- Residents of Tehran — ends with S.
- Air sign? — starts with S.
- ___ Faire (medieval-themed festival, informally) — ends with N.
- Athlete from Cleveland or the University of Virginia — ends with R.
- Kind of bathing suit — starts with O.
- Musical whizzes — ends with S.
Down
- Certain gender identity — starts with C.
- Holy object sought in the first Indiana Jones movie — ends with K.
- ___ pride — starts with G.
- Completely surrounds — ends with S.
- Like a cozy campsite on a cool autumn night — ends with T.
- Washington’s Mount ___, the highest peak in the Cascades — starts with R.
- Sinus-treating doctor, for short — ends with T.
- Opposite of WNW — ends with E.
- ___mon URL ending — starts with C.
- De Armas who starred in 2025’s Ballerina — ends with A.
- Shape of flying geese — starts with V.
- Prefix with friendly — ends with O.
- Restaurant booking, informally — starts with R.
Full answer key (spoilers)
Stop here if you do not want the answers revealed.
Across
- CAGEFREE — Ethically sourced, as some eggs
- IRANIANS — Residents of Tehran
- SKYWRITE — Air sign?
- REN — ___ Faire
- CAVALIER — Athlete from Cleveland or the University of Virginia
- ONEPIECE — Kind of bathing suit
- MAESTROS — Musical whizzes
Down
- CIS — Certain gender identity
- ARK — Holy object sought in the first Indiana Jones movie
- GAY — ___ pride
- ENWRAPS — Completely surrounds
- FIRELIT — Like a cozy campsite on a cool autumn night
- RAINIER — Washington’s Mount ___
- ENT — Sinus-treating doctor, for short
- ESE — Opposite of WNW
- COM — ___mon URL ending
- ANA — De Armas
- VEE — Shape of flying geese
- ECO — Prefix with friendly
- RES — Restaurant booking, informally
Why the Mount Rainier spelling matters
The mountain answer is RAINIER. Parade’s dated guide prints “RANIER,” which appears to be a typo; DocumentaryTube’s independent answer guide confirms the spelling RAINIER. It is not an alternate answer.
When the November 1 Mini became available
The New York Times Help Center says weekday and Saturday Mini puzzles become available at 10 p.m. EST on the previous day; Sunday puzzles become available at 6 p.m. EST on Saturday. That schedule explains why Parade’s guide for this Saturday-dated puzzle appeared Friday evening, October 31, 2025, at 10:30 p.m. EDT.
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#1 Best Overall
The Times describes the Mini’s goal as filling the white squares with letters to form intersecting words or phrases by solving the Across and Down clues. Eligible subscribers can play in the NYT Games app, on the website, or in the News app, and can access past Mini puzzles in the archive. See The New York Times Help Center’s Mini Crossword guide for its access and gameplay information.
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