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These are the hints and answers for the NYT Mini Crossword dated Friday, December 12, 2025. Try the first-letter hints before opening the answer key below. Forbes and Parade publish matching clue-and-answer lists; an official NYT puzzle page was not available to confirm the grid independently.
Across hints
- 1A — “Bullet ___ (insect known for its painful sting)”
Hint: The answer starts with A. - 4A — “Setting for the children’s book Good Night, Gorilla”
Hint: The answer starts with Z. - 5A — “Mixed-breed dogs”
Hint: The answer starts with M. - 7A — “Language that gave us the words ‘democracy’ and ‘philosophy’”
Hint: The answer starts with G. - 8A — “Untidy”
Hint: The answer starts with M.
Down hints
- 1D — “Brilliant shade of blue”
Hint: The answer starts with A. - 2D — “Classroom jottings”
Hint: The answer starts with N. - 3D — “‘100%,’ in slang”
Hint: The answer starts with T. - 5D — “Longtime movie studio now owned by Amazon”
Hint: The answer starts with M. - 6D — “Chicago W.N.B.A. team”
Hint: The answer starts with S.
Spoiler warning: full answer key
The following list gives the answers. The clue-and-answer sets match the guides from Forbes and Parade.
Quick Recap
SaleBestseller No. 5
#1 Best Overall
Across
- 1A: ANT
- 4A: ZOO
- 5A: MUTTS
- 7A: GREEK
- 8A: MESSY
Down
- 1D: AZURE
- 2D: NOTES
- 3D: TOTES
- 5D: MGM
- 6D: SKY
For 3D, TOTES is the slang answer for “100%.”
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