NYT Mini Crossword — October 14, 2025

This hub delivers detailed walkthroughs for every clue in the October 14, 2025 New York Times Mini Crossword. Each entry drills into meanings, pattern recognition, and expert-level tactics so you can solve faster and sharpen your crossword intuition. All apostrophes render as ' and quotation marks as " to ensure clean HTML output.

Across Clues

Down Clues

Mini Puzzle Strategy Snapshot

The October 14 grid leans on pop culture, idioms, and short noun phrases. Solve all six Across clues first for high-leverage consonants, then drop into the Down stack for confirmation. Pattern spotting and controlled guesses will keep your solve streak intact.

What to Prioritize

Look for informal register signals like “informally” and quoted slang.
Note the theme question in 6-Across—it often links to a marquee answer.
Expect abbreviations and letter-pocketed nouns in the Down clues.

Crossing Power Moves

Across entries supply C, G, and S clusters that anchor the Down fill.
Leverage the five-letter Down answer for marathon prep—it resolves other ambiguous squares.
If a slot seems tricky, chart vowels first; the puzzle favors classic consonant frames.

Related Resources

Need broader practice? Explore prior-day grids, monthly archives, and our letter-pattern database for additional training. Sharpen recognition of common crossword abbreviations and learn how editors clue cultural touchstones to stay ahead of the curve.

Browse every October 2025 NYT Mini puzzle →