Coming from the September 20, 2025, edition of the NYT Mini Crossword puzzle, we have the clue a swirl of water. We’re looking for a flow of water term that is made up of four letters. Here’s one clue: it sounds like a guy’s name.
Your friend might have the same name as this swirl of water formation.
The answer to this clue is an EDDY. An eddy is a flow of water that circles around and opposite the main flow of water. Think about the flow of the river going to the left. Then, somewhere in the flow, there is a circular flow that counterflows the river, which is going left. The problem here is that the flow can go back to the opposite end.
So the main flow is going left, and the eddy’s flow can take you back to the right. This flow is dangerous, especially in the wide ocean. Even on the beach, if you get scooped up by the eddy, you can be tossed out to the sea if you don’t get out of the flow.
