NYT Mini Crossword Answers May 8, 2025

Across
1 Adjective that rhymes with “sheesh” or “pitch,” depending on who you ask (Answer: NICHE)
🧩 5 letters, starts with N, ends with E
📦 Specialized or narrowly focused
📈 Common in marketing strategies
🛍️ Tailored for specific audiences
📖 Pronunciation debated
👩‍💼 Niche market example: eco-friendly baby gear
🔬 Small but profitable segment
📚 Found in academic research contexts
🎯 Often used with hobbies
🗣️ Rhymes with “quiche” to some

6 Colossal ___, marine animal filmed in its natural habitat for the first time in 2025 (Answer: SQUID)
🦑 5 letters, starts with S, ends with D
🌊 Deep-sea dweller
👁️ Has huge eyes
📹 Recently captured on camera
📖 Subject of many myths
🦐 Tentacled
🧠 Surprisingly intelligent
📏 Can grow enormous
🧪 Studied in marine biology

7 Like some caterpillars (Answer: FURRY)
🐛 5 letters, starts with F, ends with Y
🧥 Covered in soft hair
🌿 Found crawling on leaves
🐾 Resembles a fuzzy pet
👶 Touch-friendly
🪰 May deter predators
🌡️ Sometimes an indicator of weather
🎨 Cute in children’s books
🚫 Can cause skin irritation

8 Some spouses (Answer: WIVES)
💍 5 letters, starts with W, ends with S
👰 Married women
👩‍👦 May be mothers
🏠 Household co-managers
📚 Word found in vows
❤️ Romantic partners
📆 Celebrated on anniversaries
📜 Often in legal docs
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Plural of “wife”

9 Bill’s time-traveling partner of film (Answer: TED)
🎬 3 letters, starts with T, ends with D
🕰️ Time-hopping teenager
🎸 Plays guitar in a duo
📺 Pop culture icon
🤣 Comedic character
🧑 First name only
🚀 Part of “Excellent Adventure”
📓 Appears in school report
🎭 Played by Keanu Reeves

Down
1 Letters meaning “Don’t click this in public!” (Answer: NSFW)
💻 4 letters, starts with N, ends with W
🚫 Content warning acronym
👀 Best viewed in private
📨 Used in subject lines
🫣 Could be explicit
💬 Slangy internet label
📂 Applied to links/media
🔐 HR’s nightmare
🧠 Mental red flag

2 “You can take this job and shove it!” (Answer: IQUIT)
✌️ 5 letters, starts with I, ends with T
📝 Dramatic resignation
🏃‍♂️ Storming out
😤 Job frustration expression
📅 No two-week notice
💬 Final message
💼 Career-ending phrase
📢 Mic drop moment
🔚 End of employment

3 Feature of a winding road (Answer: CURVE)
🛣️ 5 letters, starts with C, ends with E
↩️ Bends left or right
🚗 Requires slowing down
🏎️ NASCAR-heavy feature
📏 Not a straight line
📊 Also seen in graphs
📚 Related to learning
🚧 Dangerous if sharp
🎢 Roller coasters have them

4 Added to the payroll (Answer: HIRED)
📋 5 letters, starts with H, ends with D
🧍‍♂️ Job offer accepted
🛠️ Officially working
📇 Name in the system
💼 Start of a new role
📈 Business onboarding
🧑‍💼 First paycheck coming
📝 Contract signed
📧 HR confirmation

5 Dreyer’s ice cream, on the East Coast (Answer: EDYS)
🍦 4 letters, starts with E, ends with S
📍 East Coast branding
📦 Found in freezers
🥄 Chocolate swirl supplier
📜 Brand variant
🏷️ Label switch
🥧 Found in sundaes
🧊 Cold dessert maker
🎨 Retro-style logo