Need a nudge on the December 21, 2025, NYT Mini? Start with the clue-by-clue hints below; the complete Across and Down answers are in a separate spoiler section. The answer key is reported by Parade and matches the dated clues and crossing-letter patterns listed by The Word Finder.
Across clues and hints
Use the first- or last-letter nudge for each entry before opening the answer key.
| No. | Clue | Hint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Only U.S. president born in the month of September | Starts with T |
| 5 | “I’ll ___ it” (“Fine, I guess”) | Ends with W |
| 7 | Material for a reusable diaper | Starts with C |
| 8 | Land of Seoul and Pyongyang | Starts with K |
| 9 | One might be “Forever” | Ends with P |
Down clues and hints
| No. | Clue | Hint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Metal pins on a bulletin board | Ends with S |
| 2 | Separate into portions | Starts with A |
| 3 | Fauna’s counterpart | Ends with A |
| 4 | ___ pole (symbolic carving) | Ends with M |
| 6 | Sound from a fly swatter | Starts with W |
Full answer key
Spoilers ahead: the complete answers for the December 21, 2025, puzzle are listed below.
Across
- TAFT
- ALLOW
- CLOTH
- KOREA
- STAMP
Down
- TACKS
- ALLOT
- FLORA
- TOTEM
- WHAP
Play the Mini or open an older puzzle
The NYT Help Center says subscribers can play the Mini in the NYT Games app, on the web, or in the News app, and solve past puzzles in the archive. It lists Sunday’s availability as 6 p.m. EST on Saturday, before the puzzle’s stated Sunday publication date.
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If you want help without looking up a third-party answer key, the NYT Help Center says the in-game lifesaver can check or reveal a square, an answer, or the entire puzzle. The official help page explains access and solving tools; it does not provide this dated answer key.
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