18 Across

NYT Daily • August 29, 2025

Language whose name consists of four consecutive U.S. state postal abbreviations

Answer:

MANDARIN

Hint:

Not available

Explanation:

The answer "MANDARIN" comes from breaking down the name into four U.S. state postal codes in a row: MA (Massachusetts), ND (North Dakota), AR (Arkansas), and IN (Indiana). The clue plays on the fact that these abbreviations appear consecutively in "MANDARIN," spelling out the name of the language. It’s a clever way to hide a word inside well-known postal codes.

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