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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Spoilers: The Thursday, December 18, 2025, NYT Mini is a 5×5 puzzle with 11 clues. Its Across answers are PAS, DRAFTS, AISLOP, BOTANY and ATE; the Down answers are PASTA, AFLAT, STONE, DAB, RIO and SPY.
Thursday, December 18, 2025: full answer key
The clue wording and answers below follow Forbes’ published list. If you only need help with one entry, use the clue number and direction to find it; otherwise, the full key is here.
Across
- Faux ___ (misstep): PAS
- Folder for unfinished emails: DRAFTS
- Low-quality, machine-generated content, informally: AISLOP
- Field of plants: BOTANY
- Had a bite: ATE
Down
- Small yellow bowties, say: PASTA
- Black piano key next to G: AFLAT
- Piece of equipment in curling: STONE
- Faddish dance move of the mid-2010s: DAB
- ___ de Janeiro: RIO
- Costume that might include a black trench coat and sunglasses: SPY
Puzzle details
Crossword Chef identifies this puzzle as published Thursday, December 18, 2025, credits Joel Fagliano as its constructor, and lists a 5×5 grid with five Across clues and six Down clues. Forbes published its answer guide on December 17, 2025, at 10:41 p.m. EST. Try Hard Guides independently lists the same date and clue prompts.
How to use the clues without revealing every answer
If you are solving and want to preserve the rest of the grid, find the numbered entry you are stuck on in the relevant direction above, then stop there. Across entries run left to right; Down entries run top to bottom. The clue numbers are shared across directions, so a number alone is not enough: match both the direction and clue.
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Where to play or find earlier puzzles
Forbes reports that the Mini is available on the New York Times website or in the NYT Games app, and that access to previous puzzles in the archive requires an NYT Games subscription. Those access details are Forbes’ reported information; current official terms are not established here. Crossword Chef’s entry is a separate source for the date, constructor and grid metadata.
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