Today’s NYT mini -crosswords and answers for Friday August 22nd

We have reached the end of the road. This is my last mini nyt guide for the next two weeks. I pass the baton to my colleagues, Kris Holt and Paul Tassi, who will guide you along your crossword journey until I come back. Let’s dive right!

Looking for yesterday’s NYT NYT crossword? Depart Our tips and answers here.

NYT MINI is a smaller, faster, more digestible version of NYT’s largest and most provocative crosswords and, unlike its older brother, is free to play with the New York Times without subscription. You can play it online or in the application, although you will need the app to deal with the file.

Spoilers in front!

How to solve today’s mini -crossword

Tips and indications

We will start with a few additional indications:

The additional indication today is this: CircLed boxes explain the pieces used in the new NYT game pips, which you can read here.

Before we get to the answers, here is the first letter for each word in today’s mini.

Opposite

1a. Places to save shovel and leaf blowers → Ss

5a. Coating for Babybel → W

6a. “___ vs. Predator” (2004 sci-fi film) → A

8a. Flow glitch → large

9a. Connection Points → P.

10a. Characteristic of a southern pronunciation → T

14a. Sweet potato lookalike → Y

15a. Top, informally → P.

17a. Greenskeeper’s grass cylinder small

18a. Fire residues → A

Below

1d. Nickname for Florida Gators’ football stadium, with “The” → small

2d. “2001: A space -led” villain ” H

3D. Set from a country → MI

4D. “Uptown Funk” and “Downtown”, for two → small

7d. “Can I bend ___ for a second?” → MI

10d. As an ambitious, competitive personality → T

11d. Play card game for two → W

12d. Simple damage zone → A

13d. Store owner stock → G

16d. Barkeep to “The Simpsons” → M

Okay, in the answers! Remember, spoilers in front!

Opposite:

1a. Places to save shovel and leaf blowers → Throws

5a. Coating for Babybel → CERIUM

6a. “___ vs. Predator” (2004 sci-fi film) → FOREIGN

8a. Flow glitch → DELAY

9a. Connection Points → Container

10a. Characteristic of a southern pronunciation → TWANG

14a. Sweet potato lookalike → SWEET POTATO

15a. Top, informally → Primary

17a. Greenskeeper’s grass cylinder SOD

18a. Fire residues → ASHES

Below:

1d. Nickname for Florida Gators’ football stadium, with “The” → End

2d. “2001: A space -led” villain ” Saliva

3D. Set from a country → EXILE

4D. “Uptown Funk” and “Downtown”, for two → Songs

7d. “Can I bend ___ for a second?” → EAR

10d. As an ambitious, competitive personality → Typography

11d. Play card game for two → WAR

12d. Simple damage zone → Amish

13d. Store owner stock → GOODS

16d. Barkeep to “The Simpsons” → Bomb

I feel that the New York Times accidentally posted on Saturday mini CrossWord a day earlier. This mini was much more difficult than a typical version of Friday. But it’s a very clever puzzle! As you can see, the crossword itself looks like a domino, and when you complete the circles, it writes domino. It must be a tribute to the new NYT game pips.

As for the resolution of this monster, I was lucky enough to know enough of them to fill the rest. I was very sure of the sheds because my current home has six sheds, all of which was there when I bought it … from people whose surname threw. I’m not joking. I certainly knew that 6-ACross was a foreigner and was 99% sure that 4-year was songs. The 7-year was clearly ear.

In the second block, Yam was an obvious sweet potato and the ashes looked like a safe bet. 12-Lower it was obviously amish. And Moe is the bartender from Simpsons. At this point, I had completed enough to start taking a crack to the rest. The whole thing got me 1:46, but I could see what took people more only because of how strange and different it is. But also fun! We say it in a few weeks, crosswordlers!

How did you do it? Let me know Twitter; Instagram or Facebook.

If you also play Wordle, I write drivers for that too. You can find these and all the TV guides, my reviews and much more here on my blog. Thanks for reading!