NYT Mini Answer for Feb 24, 2025

Happy puzzle-solving!

You're doing great, and don't forget that every clue is a chance to learn something new. Mini crosswords can be a fun and challenging way to exercise your brain and keep your mind sharp.

If you're stuck on a particular clue, don't worry - we've got you covered. This page will provide helpful hints to guide you through the puzzle. From clever wordplay to obscure trivia, we'll give you the nudge you need to fill in that tricky answer.

So, take a deep breath, relax, and trust your instincts. You've got this! And remember, it's okay to take your time and come back to a clue later if you need to.

Here, you'll find hints for mini crosswords, carefully crafted to help you solve the puzzle with ease. Good luck, and happy puzzling!

Possible words for each clue

1-Across. "Over here!"

Possible 3-letter words for this clue:

HEY CAT NOW YES

4-Across. Words after a defeat

Possible 5-letter words for this clue:

LOSER ILOST DEFEA FAILE BEATE

7-Across. Dwarf planet that's only about half the width of the United States

Possible 5-letter words for this clue:

HOUSE PLUTO WIDTH SPACE EARTH

8-Across. 1995 thriller whose title is stylized with a digit

Possible 5-letter words for this clue:

HOUSE SEVEN KNIFE SPACE FLAME

9-Across. "This just in ..." program

Possible 4-letter words for this clue:

BROA NEWS CABL TELE MEDI

1-Down. Joints at the meeting of the thigh bone and pelvis

Possible 4-letter words for this clue:

KNEE HIPS HIPS KNEE JOBS

2-Down. Astronaut Ochoa

Possible 5-letter words for this clue:

HOUSE SPACE ELLEN FLARE SHIPS

3-Down. "___ got mail"

Possible 5-letter words for this clue:

HOUSE YOUVE EMAIL SERVE USERS

5-Down. Gumbo or goulash

Possible 4-letter words for this clue:

SOUP STEW MEAT SAUC CHOP

6-Down. Lots and lots

Possible 4-letter words for this clue:

TONS LOTS LAYS SEAS ALOT

Based on the hints provided, have you managed to deduce the solution? If you're still struggling, take a glance at the possible answers listed below.

Today's Answers Explained

"Over here!"

The relationship between the hint ""Over here!"" and the word "HEY" in English is that they both convey a sense of drawing attention or calling someone's attention to a particular location or direction.

In the case of "HEY", it's an interjection used to get someone's attention, similar to the phrase "Over here!". Both are used to signal that someone is present or nearby, and they want to be noticed or acknowledged.

Words after a defeat

The word "ILOST" can be rearranged to spell "I lost".

Dwarf planet that's only about half the width of the United States

The hint "Dwarf planet that's only about half the width of the United States" is related to the word "PLUTO" because the first letter of each word in the hint corresponds to the first letter of each word in the word "PLUTO" in English.

P - Planet L - Large U - United T - That's O - Only

1995 thriller whose title is stylized with a digit

The word "SEVEN" in English is related to the hint "1995 thriller whose title is stylized with a digit" because the title of the movie is "SE7EN".

"This just in ..." program

The phrase "This just in ..." is a common expression used in news broadcasting to indicate that a piece of information is being reported as it happens or shortly after it occurs.

The word "NEWS" in English is an acronym that stands for "North, East, West, South," which refers to the geographical directions from which news is gathered and reported.

Joints at the meeting of the thigh bone and pelvis

The word "HIPS" in English is related to the hint "Joints at the meeting of the thigh bone and pelvis" because the word "HIPS" is an acronym for "Hinge of the Pelvis and the Socket" or more accurately "Hinge of the Pelvis and the Socket of the femur"

Astronaut Ochoa

The relationship between the hint "Astronaut Ochoa" and the word "ELLEN" in English is that Ellen Ochoa is a well-known astronaut.

"___ got mail"

The phrase "___ got mail" is a well-known example of a sentence fragment in English. The blank space is typically filled with the word "YOUVE".

The relationship between the hint and the word "YOUVE" is that the word "YOUVE" is a common misspelling of the word "YOU'VE", which is a contraction of "you have". In this context, the word "YOUVE" is used to fill in the blank space in the sentence fragment "___ got mail", which is a reference to the popular email service "Hotmail" (now Outlook.com). The phrase "___ got mail" was used as the service's tagline, and the blank space was often filled with the word "YOUVE" in a playful nod to the service's name.

Gumbo or goulash

The hint "Gumbo or goulash" is related to the word "STEW" in English because all three terms refer to a type of dish that is cooked in liquid over low heat, typically resulting in a thick, flavorful broth and tender ingredients.

Gumbo and goulash are both types of stews that originated from different cultures. Gumbo is a dish from Louisiana, typically made with a combination of ingredients such as meat or seafood, vegetables, and the "holy trinity" of Cajun and Creole cuisine (onions, bell peppers, and celery), all cooked in a dark roux-based broth. Goulash, on the other hand, is a dish from Hungarian cuisine, made with beef, vegetables, and a paprika-spiced broth.

Both gumbo and goulash are examples of stews, which are dishes characterized by their long cooking time and the use of liquid to cook the ingredients. The term "stew" can refer to a wide range of dishes, from hearty beef stews to lighter fish stews, and from traditional European dishes to modern fusion cuisine.

In this sense, the hint "Gumbo or goulash" is a way of describing the concept of a stew, and the relationship between the two terms is one of synonymy, with all three words referring to a similar type of dish.

Lots and lots

The hint "Lots and lots" is related to the word "TONS" in English because "tons" is an idiomatic expression used to convey a large quantity or a huge amount of something. It is often used to emphasize the magnitude of a number or a quantity, similar to the phrase "lots and lots."