Here are the clues and answers for the Monday, December 23, 2024 NYT Mini Crossword. This is an archive guide to that specific puzzle, not today’s current puzzle.
Across clues and answers
- Character who’s blue in the face? — SMURF
- Mideast country that juts out from Saudi Arabia — QATAR
- Loosen, as a knot — UNTIE
- Author’s negotiator — AGENT
- Labourite’s rival, in British politics — TORY
Down clues and answers
- What catchers do behind home plate … or an adjective that might describe their physique — SQUAT
- Tropical fruit in a sweet salsa — MANGO
- Say aloud — UTTER
- Like stereotypical weather in the Pacific Northwest — RAINY
- Bar on a guitar’s neck — FRET
A couple of clues that hinge on interpretation
“SQUAT” works in two senses: catchers squat behind home plate, and squat can describe a person’s build. The country clue points to Qatar; Forbes contributor Paul Tassi noted that Yemen also came to mind before the crossings settled the answer. That was his commentary on this puzzle, not a general solving tip or a reported time for other players.
Tassi described the Mini as “a quick and dirty version of the newspaper’s larger and long-running crossword.”
Quick Recap
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