PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchThe NYT Mini Crossword puzzle for Wednesday, January 1, 2025 has the answers MARCH, ADORE, TIMEX, CEASE and SEEKS across, and MATCH, ADIEU, ROMAN, CREST and HEXES down. This is a historical edition: the date is January 1, 2025, not today’s puzzle.
Spoiler notice
The answers are listed below. If you want to finish the puzzle yourself, stop here and return to the clues once you have tried them.
Why the date is January 1, 2025
The title says “Wednesday, Jan. 1,” but the weekday is the detail that pins down the year. January 1, 2026 fell on a Thursday, so a Wednesday, January 1 must be the 2025 edition. A dated answer guide from Try Hard Guides lists the January 1, 2025 NYT Mini clues and answers, and its page metadata is dated December 31, 2024, which fits a puzzle published ahead of the holiday. A Yahoo search listing also describes the January 1, 2025 Mini as a Wednesday puzzle. Neither source is an official NYT archive, so treat the answers as reported by that guide rather than checked against the Times’ own site.
Across answers
| Clue number | Clue | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1A | Month that was the first of the new year in early 3-Down calendars | MARCH |
| 6A | Love SO much | ADORE |
| 7A | Maker of Ironman Triathlon watches | TIMEX |
| 8A | Stop | CEASE |
| 9A | Searches (for) | SEEKS |
Down answers
| Clue number | Clue | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1D | Soccer contest | MATCH |
| 2D | Francophile’s farewell | ADIEU |
| 3D | Like Janus, the god of beginnings | ROMAN |
| 4D | Feature of a cockatoo’s head | CREST |
| 5D | Not-so-nice magic spells | HEXES |
How the grid fits together
The Mini is a 5-by-5 grid, so every entry is five letters long. The Across and Down answers cross at shared squares, and the set above is consistent in that respect. Cross-checking is the easiest way to confirm a single answer: for example, 1A MARCH begins the same square as 1D MATCH, and 3D ROMAN’s letters should match the crossing entries in its column.
Recommended Free Tools
#1 Best Overall
Checking an answer against a different puzzle
If you are looking at a puzzle that does not match these clues, first confirm the date and weekday. The NYT publishes a new Mini each day, and the same weekday name recurs roughly every year, so a matching weekday alone does not prove the date. Compare the clue numbers and the first Across clue before using this list.
- Confirm the month and day, then the year, using the weekday.
- Compare clue 1A and clue 1D first; if they differ, the puzzle is a different edition.
- Use the crossing letters to check any answer you are unsure of.
Answers for other dates are not covered here.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Scope of the source
The clue and answer pairs above come from a third-party answer guide and its linked clue pages. No separate NYT source was located that could independently confirm each clue wording, so the list reflects the reported puzzle rather than a verified archive copy.
Also note that the wording of a few clues, such as “Love SO much,” is reproduced as the guide lists it.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
