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The Naked Gun or Scary Movie — NYT Mini Crossword Clue (October 17, 2025)

A franchise clue calling out two slapstick classics begs for the genre label rather than a specific sequel. Below you will confirm why the five letter answer resolves to SPOOF, how every crossing validates the fill, and what solving insights separate casual fans from streak perfectionists. All apostrophes render as ' and quotation marks appear as " to guarantee clean markup.

1 Across

The Naked Gun or Scary Movie

SPOOF

Both film franchise titles reference parodies that lampoon genre tropes instead of continuing canonical storylines. The word tips entry highlights the same interpretation and confirms the fill SPOOF. Alternative guesses like parody or satire fail the five letter requirement or misalign with the Mini's breezy tone.

Why SPOOF Wins

Definition Snapshot

  • Describes a humorous imitation that exaggerates conventions, matching the clue's cited films.
  • Verb or noun usage matches the clue's flexible phrasing, so the fill remains natural to read.
  • Five letter length fits the Mini grid without forcing obscure pop culture names.

Cross-Letter Checks

  • 1-Down SPECS underlines a single letter and reciprocally depends on SPOOF to hold the grid together.
  • 2-Down PIXEL underlines a single letter and reciprocally depends on SPOOF to hold the grid together.
  • 3-Down OXIDE underlines a single letter and reciprocally depends on SPOOF to hold the grid together.
  • 4-Down OILED underlines a single letter and reciprocally depends on SPOOF to hold the grid together.

Mini Solve Blueprint

Think in Genres

When a clue cites multiple titles with shared comedic DNA, switch to genre triggers. This locks in SPOOF before you waste cycles on specific characters or plot details.

Start with Peaks

Minis often place the marquee answer at 1-Across. Locking it quickly catalyzes the cross solving cascade, saving precious seconds.

Reconcile Letter Economy

SPOOF uses only one vowel. If your early crosses give you P and O in a stack, you know to seek a term that recycles letters.

Compare With Word Tips

The external resource highlights the same answer but omits the nuance about repeated consonants. Use that insight to accelerate later tricky Minis.

Further Study

Continue with the October 17 roster or jump to adjacent days in October 2025 to see how the editors balance culture, tech, and sports imagery across the week.