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For the NYT Mini Crossword dated Tuesday, February 18, 2025, the key to 8-Across is the shared word that turns park and drive into car-related places: WAY. Below are progressive hints and the complete answer key.
Confirm the puzzle date
This is the Tuesday, February 18, 2025 puzzle. The year matters: February 18, 2026 fell on a Wednesday. The New York Times makes weekday Minis available at 10 p.m. Eastern Time on the previous evening, so this Tuesday puzzle could be played from Monday night, February 17. NYT Mini Crossword access information
Hints before the answers
- 1-Across and 5-Across: Think of two words that combine with the same final answer to make places or routes for cars.
- 6-Across: The first name of the young protagonist in Inside Out.
- 7-Across: The emergency-care word abbreviated by the letters E.M.T.
- 1-Down: The word that precedes “donna.”
- 2-Down: Alvin, the choreographer and dancer.
Complete answer key
Spoilers below.
Across
| Clue | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1. Urban green space | PARK |
| 5. Place to store computer files | DRIVE |
| 6. Inside Out girl | RILEY |
| 7. The “E” of E.M.T.: Abbr. | EMER |
| 8. Word that can follow 1- and 5-Across to make locales for cars | WAY |
Down
| Clue | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1. ___ donna | PRIMA |
| 2. Alvin of dance | AILEY |
| 3. One going cross-country in a camper, for short | RVER |
| 4. Escape room item | KEY |
| 5. Played a round of Pictionary | DREW |
Why 8-Across is WAY
The shared wordplay joins PARK and DRIVE with WAY: a parkway and a driveway are both car-related locales. It is the hinge that resolves the unusual wording of the clue.
Play or find the dated puzzle
The New York Times says the Mini can be played on its website and in the Games and News apps for subscribers whose plans include Games. To locate an older puzzle, open the NYT Games archive, choose Mini, select a month and year, then choose the puzzle. Games and All Access subscribers have archive access; readers without those subscriptions have limited access.
#1 Best Overall
The NYT describes the Mini as a grid puzzle in which answers to Across and Down clues form words or phrases that cross. Its in-game tools can check or reveal a square, a word, or the full puzzle, so solvers can request only as much help as they need. NYT Mini Crossword help
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