Successful gain of ten yards, when combined with this answer's direction?

The answer to “Successful gain of ten yards, when combined with this answer's direction?” in the New York Times Mini crossword is FIRST — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Mini crossword on February 8, 2026 at 3-Down. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Successful gain of ten yards, when combined with this answer's direction?” answer

FIRST (5 letters)

Use the reveal tiles above to uncover the solution one letter at a time if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Prefer the full answer straight away? It's FIRST.

Why the answer is FIRST

FIRST is the 5-letter solution that fits "Successful gain of ten yards, when combined with this answer's direction?" in the NYT Mini crossword on February 8, 2026 (3-Down). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does FIRST mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of FIRST is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

When else has “Successful gain of ten yards, when combined with this answer's direction?” appeared?

New York Times Mini reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

February 8, 2026 (most recent) → FIRST. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions