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Muscular dog with black and tan fur, familiarly - NYT The Mini Clue

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Solving today’s NYT Mini Puzzle and stuck on the 6-letter answer to the Muscular dog with black and tan fur, familiarly clue? Don’t worry—Lady Puzzle Pro has you covered! Whether you want the answer right away, revealed letter by letter, or this wordplay seems too puzzling, keep reading for the explanation.

Muscular dog with black and tan fur, familiarly Answer Explained

The answer is ROTTIE.

This clue refers to a Rottweiler, often affectionately called a Rottie. Known for their strong, muscular build and distinct black-and-tan coloring, these dogs are both tough and lovable. If this stumped you, maybe you’re more of a poodle person—but now you know the nickname for this breed!

Now that you've cracked the 10A Muscular dog with black and tan fur, familiarly clue, you're one step closer to completing today’s Mini Puzzle! If you're still stuck on other clues, don't worry—we've got you covered. Explore more NYT Mini crossword answers right here, or check out our tools for solving the NYT Crossword, Connections, or Strands.

Today’s NYT Mini Highlights

Today's 7x7 Mini by Wyna Liu offers a delightful balance of challenge and cleverness, true to her style. As the editor of Connections, it’s clear she brings that same sharp mind for grouping and pattern recognition to this puzzle. The grid flows smoothly, with some great longer entries to stretch your thinking, yet the puzzle still maintains a satisfying rhythm for solvers. There’s a mix of trivia and wordplay that should appeal to both seasoned solvers and those newer to the Mini. If you enjoy the mental dexterity of Connections, this puzzle is a great warm-up!

Lego piece

The answer is BRICK.
A fun, straightforward one. A Lego piece is often referred to as a brick, as it's a small block used to build larger structures. Solvers who’ve spent hours stepping on or stacking these colorful bricks likely smiled at this clue. No tricks here, just childhood memories flooding back! Empathizing with any who missed it: Well, at least you avoided a construction hazard!

Inventor of the first commercially available electronic instrument, a synthesizer

The answer is BOB MOOG.
Bob Moog revolutionized music with his invention, the Moog synthesizer, which was pivotal in electronic music’s evolution. Solvers who love music or have an ear for history might've had an edge here. For others, it’s a neat trivia fact to file away for future musical crossword moments! If you missed this one, now you're synth-savvy

Largest country without an official language

The answer is USA.
A factoid-style clue. While many might guess countries with diverse linguistic landscapes, the USA is unique in that it has no official language at the federal level, despite English being widely spoken. If you were stumped here, maybe your mind was wandering to multilingual nations like India. Now you know!

Some smart devices

The answer is TVS.
Many modern televisions are now 'smart,'' connected to the internet for streaming and apps. Simple, yet a good reminder that not all tech is handheld or wearable. If this one tripped you up, you might’ve been thinking of smartwatches or thermostats, but your TV wants some attention too!

Precipitates freezing rain

The answer is SLEETS.
Sleet refers to frozen rain that falls in small ice pellets, creating a messy combination of rain and snow. The wordplay here lies in the verb form, "precipitates," meaning to cause or result in sleet. If your brain got a little frozen on this one, don’t worry—it’s a slippery clue!

Warty hopper

The answer is TOAD.
A classic clue referring to the toad, a warty amphibian often hopping around damp environments. Straightforward and cute, this clue brings nature into your grid. If this one hopped right over your head, no worries! Frogs and toads can be tricky to tell apart sometimes, even in crosswords.

"Aha!"

The answer is I GOT IT.
When you see quotes in a crossword clue, it’s a clue-reading rule that the answer will be something conversational, as if someone is speaking. A straightforward clue, giving you that "aha!" feeling when you figure something out. Perfect for solvers who felt that way when they filled this one in! If you didn’t get it immediately, don’t worry—sometimes the simplest answers come last.

Pumpkin spice ingredients

The answer is CLOVES.
When it comes to that fall-favorite flavor, cloves are an essential spice in the mix. Whether you’re sipping a pumpkin spice latte or baking a pie, cloves bring warmth and a little spice to the season. If you missed this one, maybe you need more pumpkin treats in your life!

Large beer containers

The answer is KEGS.
A classic clue for any party-goer. Kegs hold large amounts of beer and are essential for bigger gatherings. This one was likely a breeze for anyone with Oktoberfest on the brain. If it threw you off, maybe you’re more of a bottled-beer person!

Break off from the rest of the band

The answer is GO SOLO.
A musician who decides to pursue a solo career might go solo, splitting off from their band. The clue cleverly uses band as both the literal sense (musical group) and a broader sense (any group). If this one broke your rhythm, no worries—time to march to the beat of your own grid!

Go "pop"

The answer is BURST.
Whether it’s a bubble, balloon, or even a kernel of popcorn, burst is the answer when something goes 'pop.' This clue is all about sound imagery, making it fun to think about what things might pop. If you didn’t catch it right away, maybe it’s time to pop open your word-solving skills!

Here’s what caught our attention today:

About NYT The Mini

NYT The Mini Crossword is a compact version of the New York Times Crossword puzzle. Usually 5 x 5, with larger grids on Saturdays, it offers mid-week equivalent difficulty clues with no progression over the week. It is accessible to anyone with or without a New York Times account. You can play it on nytimes.com/crosswords, The New York Times Games app (iOS and Android), and the Play tab of the New York Times News app. Games and All Access Subscribers can solve past Mini Crossword puzzles in the archive.

Daily Availability

Puzzles are accessible the evening before the publish date. Weekday and Saturday puzzles: 10 p.m. EST the previous day. Sunday puzzles: 6 p.m. EST on Saturday.

How to Play - Features and Tips

Fill white squares with letters to form intersecting words or phrases by solving clues in Across and Down columns. Read our guide to NYT Mini Mastery to learn how to read the different types of clues.  Successfully completed puzzle triggers music and a congratulatory message.

Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Arrow keys: Change direction within the same square, move in the direction of the arrow, jump back to the first blank in the word, or jump to the next clue.
  • Spacebar: Clear the current square, advance, or toggle between Across and Down.
  • Backspace (Delete on Macs): Remove words or a letter from a word.
  • Tab key: Jump to the next clue.
  • Shift + Tab keys: Jump to the previous clue.
  • Escape: Enter Rebus mode.
  • Pen and Pencil Modes. Switch between pen and pencil modes by selecting the respective icon. Letters in pen mode are black; in pencil mode, gray.

Letter Colors

Black: Default pen mode entries.
Gray: Pencil mode entries.
Blue: Confirmed letters with Check.
Mini Timer

Time your solving with the timer displayed above the puzzle. Pause/resume using the respective buttons. The timer restarts if the entire puzzle is cleared. Option to hide the timer in Puzzle settings.

In-game Help

  • Reveal: Unveil correct letters for a square, answer, or the entire puzzle.
  • Check: Verify correctness. 

The answers you get using help are marked with a red triangle in the upper right-hand corner of the box while those confirmed with check become blue.

Leaderboards

It’s an additional social resource provided by NYT. You can add friends (up to 100 invitees) to track daily completion and compete.