Today’s NYT Mini Crossword for August 22, 2025, features a domino-shaped grid with clever clues and sharp answers.
Answers include SHEDS, TWANG, SWAMP, AMISH, and more, blending culture, trivia, and everyday life.
NYT Games keeps the daily puzzle tradition alive with the Mini, alongside Wordle, Connections, and Strands.
A new day brings a new puzzle from the NYT Mini Crossword. That bite-sized challenge drops every morning, a short yet satisfying burst of wordplay. Each clue invites a quick spark of logic. Each filled square adds pace to the rhythm. Friday’s puzzle carries a special twist, arriving in a domino-shaped grid as a nod to the new domino game, Pips.
This fresh layout doubles the usual structure. That unusual shape creates an added layer of fun while keeping the quick-fire style alive. Today’s NYT Mini Crossword clues balance culture, language, and daily life. Let’s break down every answer with clarity.
1A Clue: Places to store shovels and leaf blowers
Answer: SHEDS
Explanation: A shed is a small outbuilding where tools rest until the next use.
5A Clue: Coating for Babybel cheese
Answer: WAX
Explanation: Babybel’s red wax covering keeps the cheese fresh and distinctive.
6A Clue: “___ vs. Predator” (2004 sci-fi film)
Answer: ALIEN
Explanation: This franchise creature faced the Predator in a popular crossover film.
8A Clue: Streaming glitch
Answer: LAG
Explanation: Lag is the dreaded delay that interrupts a smooth video or game stream.
9A Clue: Docking spots
Answer: PIERS
Explanation: Boats and ships tie up at piers for arrival, departure, or unloading.
10A Clue: Feature of a Southern accent
Answer: TWANG
Explanation: Twang is that stretched tone often linked with Southern speech.
14A Clue: Sweet potato lookalike
Answer: YAM
Explanation: A yam resembles a sweet potato but is botanically different.
15A Clue: Top-notch, informally
Answer: PRIMO
Explanation: “Primo” is slang for excellent or first-class quality.
17A Clue: Greenskeeper’s roll of grass
Answer: SOD
Explanation: Sod is the ready-to-lay grass used to cover fields or lawns.
18A Clue: Campfire remnants
Answer: ASHES
Explanation: After flames fade, ashes remain as the fire’s last trace.
1D Clue: Nickname for the Florida Gators football stadium, with “the”
Answer: SWAMP
Explanation: “The Swamp” is the famed nickname of Florida’s football home turf.
2D Clue: “2001: A Space Odyssey” villain
Answer: HAL
Explanation: HAL 9000 is the chilling AI that turned against the astronauts.
3D Clue: Cast out from a country
Answer: EXILE
Explanation: Exile means being forced to live away from one’s homeland.
4D Clue: “Uptown Funk” and “Downtown,” for two
Answer: SONGS
Explanation: Both are popular tracks, one a chart-topper by Mark Ronson.
7D Clue: “Can I bend your ___ for a second?”
Answer: EAR
Explanation: The phrase “bend your ear” means to chat or share thoughts.
10D Clue: Like an ambitious, competitive personality
Answer: TYPE A
Explanation: A Type A personality shows drive, competitiveness, and urgency.
11D Clue: Simple-to-play card game for two
Answer: WAR
Explanation: In War, higher cards win, making it one of the easiest games.
12D Clue: Simple-living sect
Answer: AMISH
Explanation: The Amish live by tradition, simplicity, and community values.
13D Clue: Shop owner’s stock
Answer: GOODS
Explanation: Goods represent items on display and for sale in stores.
16D Clue: Barkeep on “The Simpsons”
Answer: MOE
Explanation: Moe Szyslak is Springfield’s grumpy yet memorable bartender.
Also Read – NYT Wordle Answer Today for August 22, 2025: Hints and Expert Walkthrough
The grid today holds a playful rhythm. Pop culture, daily life, and regional identity all blend into quick clues. Each word stands firm in its place, creating a crisp solve. That domino-shaped layout adds an extra layer, linking crossword fun to a new Times game.
The NYT Mini resets daily, drawing solvers back with anticipation. A short puzzle, yet a dependable source of joy. From the first clue to the last letter, today’s crossword carried both novelty and balance.
The NYT Mini Crossword continues to deliver that quick spark of wordplay each day. Today’s domino-shaped puzzle proved how even a small grid can surprise and entertain. The clues blended humor, culture, and everyday life, creating a satisfying challenge that ended with smooth completion.
Tomorrow awaits another fresh crossword. A new set of clues will drop, ready to test speed, wit, and focus all over again. That cycle of daily puzzles has become a signature part of NYT Games, alongside favorites like Wordle, Connections, and Strands. Together, these puzzles keep the tradition of brain-teasing play alive for millions worldwide.
Each day’s solve is more than just filling boxes. It is a pause, a spark of clarity, and a simple delight that waits again tomorrow. So, tomorrow begins with a new one.
Also Read – Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for August 21, 2025