Need help with the Friday, November 21, 2025 NYT Mini? Start with the spoiler-light hints below, then open the answer key when you’re ready. This puzzle has five Across and five Down clues.
Hints for the November 21, 2025 Mini
Try these clue nudges before revealing the solutions.
Across
- 1. Pump iron: what you do with weights.
- 5. A person or thing matching another in status or measure.
- 7. Rick James and James Brown are associated with this musical style.
- 8. The striped animal in the old saying about changing its stripes.
- 9. The pointed part of a fork.
Down
- 1. Ohtani’s batting side, not his pitching hand.
- 2. A two-word declaration of resignation.
- 3. The broad group that includes mushrooms, mold, and mildew.
- 4. The word that completes “Is this seat ___?”
- 6. An ancient Greek instrument with a U-shaped frame.
Show the full answer key
Answers for Friday, November 21, 2025
Across and Down solutions are listed below. The answer pairs are from Forbes’ dated answer guide.
Across
- Pump iron — LIFT
- Peer — EQUAL
- Like the music of Rick James and James Brown — FUNKY
- Animal that can’t change its stripes, per an old adage — TIGER
- Pointed part of a fork — TINE
Down
- Dominant hand for Shohei Ohtani when batting, but not pitching — LEFT
- Resignation proclamation — I QUIT
- Mushrooms, mold, mildew, etc. — FUNGI
- “Is this seat ___?” — TAKEN
- U-shaped instrument in ancient Greece — LYRE
About the Mini
The Mini is a compact version of the larger NYT crossword. Forbes describes the usual format as a five-by-five grid with three to five clues in each direction, while noting that some days—especially Saturdays—may use larger grids. The November 21 answer guide lists five entries in each direction.
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The New York Times Help Center search result says the Mini is available with qualifying NYT subscriptions, that subscribers can solve past puzzles in the archive, and that the game provides options to check or reveal a square, an answer, or the full puzzle. The Help Center article itself was not available to verify current eligibility or terms, so consult the current NYT Games page for access details.
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