NYT Mini Crossword — October 19, 2025

The October 19 Mini swings from double-take disgust to Festivus nostalgia in under two minutes. Use this conversational recap to flow through each entry, cross-check the trickier letters without spoilers, and enjoy a breezy tour of Word Tips insights. All apostrophes display as ' and quotation marks as " so the HTML stays spotless.

Across Clues

Down Clues

Quick Takeaways

Open with GAG and GUTS to cross-check the G, then ride that letter through GENIE.
USEUP lands as soon as you confirm the U in GUTS; Word Tips calls it a total depletion hint.
TANGO and SPILL are high-energy five letter anchors that clear out the mid grid quickly.

Hustle Tips

Lock the corner: dropping GAG and GUTS gives you two Gs that validate GENIE instantly.
Scan clue tone: "Dish : dirt" screams gossip, so SPILL clicks before the hint buttons load.
Watch for short anatomy abbreviations; the Mini loves spelling them out, hence EYE over EEG.

Solve Vibe Check

Lightning Round

Across entries flip between pop culture and body parts, so you never sit on one topic too long.
Everything checks with only one letter guess; the grid is streak friendly if you place your vowels early.

Crossing Confidence

GUTS crosses USEUP on the U, boxing out alternative endings like grind or milk.
POLE and UGLY trade the L to fill the bottom cleanly; no stray consonants to untangle.

Keep Your Streak Rolling

Ready for more Minis? Use the archive link below to hop straight into the full October lineup and compare your solve path with Word Tips on-demand hints.

Browse every October 2025 NYT Mini puzzle →