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The NYT Mini Crossword for Friday, January 3, 2025 has the answers FLOW, AIRES, CABAL, ERIVO, and STEW across, and FACE, LIARS, ORBIT, WEAVE, and SLOW down.
Spoiler warning: the full answer list follows. Stop here if you want to solve the puzzle yourself first.
Across answers
| No. | Clue | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Just go with it! | FLOW |
| 5 | Buenos ___, Argentina | AIRES |
| 7 | Group of conspirators | CABAL |
| 8 | “Wicked” star Cynthia | ERIVO |
| 9 | Irish ___, dish that might be made with a pint of Guinness | STEW |
Down answers
| No. | Clue | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confront, as facts | FACE |
| 2 | You can’t trust their stories | LIARS |
| 3 | Move like a planet | ORBIT |
| 4 | Salon job involving hair extensions | WEAVE |
| 6 | Not busy, business-wise | SLOW |
This list follows the January 2, 2025 guide by Forbes contributor Erik Kain. It has not been cross-checked against NYT’s own archive. Kain reports solving the puzzle in 35 seconds; that is one writer’s time, not a benchmark for typical solvers.
Why the year is 2025
The headline date has no year, so the weekday is the check. January 3, 2025 fell on a Friday, and it was the first Friday of 2025. January 3, 2026 was a Saturday, so a Friday, January 3 Mini points to 2025.
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Where to play the Mini and find past puzzles
The New York Times Help Center describes the Mini as a smaller version of the New York Times Crossword. It lists three places to play:
- The NYT Games app
- The web at nytimes.com/crosswords
- The News app
Subscribers can solve past Minis through the web and app archive. The Help Center lists All Access, Home Delivery, and Games subscriptions as access options. Subscription terms change, so check the current plan details before subscribing.
Release schedule
| Puzzle day | When it becomes available (per the Help Center) |
|---|---|
| Weekday puzzles, including Friday | 10 p.m. EST the prior day |
| Saturday puzzles | 10 p.m. EST the prior day |
| Sunday puzzles | 6 p.m. EST Saturday |
How the Mini works
The Help Center sums up the goal this way: “The goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases that cross each other, by solving clues in the Across and Down columns which lead to the answers.” (The New York Times Help Center, “The Mini Crossword.”)
In the Games app and on the web, the lifesaver icon can check or reveal a single square, a whole answer, or the entire puzzle. If you want the answers without the full reveal, use the check option on one square at a time.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →The answers above are for the January 3, 2025 puzzle only. Past puzzles are in the archive, so a search for a different date will need its own answer list.
Quick Recap
Sources
- Erik Kain, “Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Clues And Answers For Friday, January 3rd,” Forbes, January 2, 2025. Source of the clue and answer list and the solve-time note.
- The New York Times Help Center, “The Mini Crossword.” Source of the play locations, archive access, release schedule, and gameplay description. Subscription and interface details may change.
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.
