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Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? 1-Across stumped me until I filled in some more letters. Read on for the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

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Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Butterfingers
Answer: KLUTZ

6A clue: Letter before beta
Answer: ALPHA

7A clue: Like «ad hoc» or «ad hominem»
Answer: LATIN

8A clue: Prestigious university in Atlanta
Answer: EMORY

9A clue: Word drawn out in speech before «… they’re off!»
Answer: AND

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Dinosaur ___, vegetable so-named for its bumpy green texture
Answer: KALE

2D clue: Animal in a Peruvian herd
Answer: LLAMA

3D clue: Sinclair who wrote «The Jungle»
Answer: UPTON

4D clue: Base that’s 90 feet from home
Answer: THIRD

5D clue: Wild and funny
Answer: ZANY

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Online shoppers in New York are now seeing a new warning on product pages thanks to consumer protection legislation that took effect in early November. Particularly noticeable during Black Friday sales were messages that told shoppers: «This price was set by an algorithm using your personal data.»

This piece of legislation requires companies (with exceptions for rideshare apps) to show buyers when they use surveillance pricing to set online prices, potentially raising costs for some people while lowering them for others. 

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So what data are these companies collecting to shift prices? Well, unlike surge pricing, this type of algorithm pricing calculates data related to the individual person or device. That could include the type of device (Android versus iPhone, etc.), your account’s browsing history, recent purchases made from that browser and — most importantly — your location.

In other words, reported examples have shown that items like eggs will increase in cost for wealthy neighborhoods while staying at lower standard costs for less prosperous zones. But it can get far more complicated than that: Some pricing algorithms study millions of online purchases to predict buyer patterns.

A representative for the New York Senate didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Is surveillance pricing legal?

So far, yes. What laws like this New York legislation do is enforce transparency about what may be affecting prices, instead of banning it. And even that was too much for business groups, which immediately sued to block the law in federal court, alleging that it violates the businesses’ First Amendment rights.

It’s not clear whether companies are complying with the law as directed, or what it fully entails, either. The bill requires «clear and conspicuous disclosure» near the price, but some companies appear to be putting the information in a harder-to-spot area behind an information icon at the bottom of a pop-up.

Efforts to control pricing via algorithm

New York isn’t the only state to tackle surveillance pricing. Other states and cities are entertaining similar legislation, as well as complete bans on the practice. But it’s an uphill battle due to the many details and strong pushback from, well, every industry that sells products online.

The most recent example was from September, when California’s congress went through its proposed ban on surveillance pricing and cut out nearly everything. In its current state, the California law would only apply to grocery prices, which is still not a common online purchase. Colorado, Illinois and other states are also working on their own versions of related laws.  

The question of whether shoppers would appreciate transparency laws, or whether they’d be less likely to purchase products if they knew the price was based on their personal data, is tough to answer (what if the algorithms are giving you a lower price than other nearby shoppers?). But the privacy question has a more far-reaching impact: Once shoppers see how much of their personal data is being harvested for pricing, they may start to wonder what else it’s being used for. 

Music streaming service Spotify has unveiled new features in its 2025 Wrapped listener recap, including a party game and the most popular albums, at an event in New York City.

Spotify Wrapped is one of the biggest events in the year’s music calendar, and 2025 promises to be even bigger, thanks in part to the new game. Wrapped Party is Spotify’s first multiplayer game included in Wrapped, allowing you to compete against up to nine friends with questions based on your listening habits.

Also read: Best Music Streaming Services

Matthew Luhks, Spotify’s senior director of global marketing, said the new game is the Wrapped feature he’s most excited about.

«I think Wrapped Party is amazing, and it’s something we’ve been talking about for years. Wrapped is usually a solo experience, and now you can play Wrapped with your friends and your family,» Luhks said at the event.

Wrapped Party is one of almost a dozen new features for the company’s viral wrap-up, which also includes your Listening Age (giving this writer an age of 100!) and Top Artist Sprint, which shows your favorite artist listens «racing» over twelve months. This year is also the first time that the recap highlights a user’s most popular albums. 

Read more: Spotify Says I Have the Music Taste of a 79-Year-Old: Is That Bad?

Meanwhile, the new Clubs feature assigns you, Harry Potter sorting hat-style, to one of six fan clubs based on your listening and designates you a role such as «Archivist.»

As with every year, the company also revealed its most popular content across all categories for 2025. After six years in a row, it was no surprise that Joe Rogan had the platform’s most popular podcast, but the biggest upset was when Bad Bunny pipped Taylor Swift for most popular global artist. However, Swift was the most popular artist in the US for 2025.

Other popular categories included:

• Global top song: Die With A Smile by Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars
• Global top album: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS by Bad Bunny
• Top Audiobook in Premium: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

To access Spotify Wrapped, look for the Wrapped feed on the Home tab. To find Wrapped Party, just search for it in Spotify or access it at the end of your personalized wrap.

In 2025, almost every streaming service has its own yearly stats roundup, including YouTube’s new Recap feature, but Spotify Wrapped is still arguably the most famous.

Spotify is the most popular music streaming service, with over 100 million tracks, and it currently costs $12 a month for Premium (including audiobooks). The company is rumored to be planning a price increase in early 2026, however.