Spoilers ahead: the NYT Mini Crossword for Friday, August 1, 2025, includes a pair of country-name vowel swaps. For a hint, the country names are PERU and TONGA; the full answer key is below.
Hints for the August 1 Mini
- 4-Across: Think of a country whose vowels can be rearranged to spell “undiluted.”
- 5-Across: A ballroom dance shares its letters with a country name after swapping the vowels.
The trick is to change the vowels in PERU to make PURE, and in TONGA to make TANGO. Forbes contributor Erik Kain wrote that he initially entered PERU and TONGA before correcting them; that is his personal solving account, not a general time or difficulty measure.
Across answers
| Clue | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1A. Arm-y greeting | HUG |
| 4A. Undiluted … or a country with its vowels swapped | PURE |
| 5A. Ballroom dance … or a country with its vowels swapped | TANGO |
| 6A. Played a role | ACTED |
| 7A. Eisenberg of “The Social Network” | JESSE |
Down answers
| Clue | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1D. Ketchup brand | HUNTS |
| 2D. Eggs on | URGES |
| 3D. Crystal-lined rock | GEODE |
| 4D. Marathoner’s concern | PACE |
| 5D. ___ Mahal | TAJ |
Answer-key discrepancy
Parade’s complete key gives 1-Down as HUNTS and 4-Down as PACE. Forbes lists HEINZ and EXERTION for those clues, respectively, but those entries conflict with Parade’s key and the short spaces implied by the crossing answers. The table above follows Parade for those two entries and Forbes for the shared entries.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #3
#1 Best Overall
Sources
- Parade’s August 1, 2025 NYT Mini answers and hints
- Forbes’ August 1, 2025 NYT Mini answers and hints
- Try Hard Guides’ clue listing
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