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Chef's creation - NYT The Mini Clue
Across
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The answer "DISH" fits the clue "Chef's creation" because a chef typically creates meals or recipes, which are often referred to as "dishes." It's a straightforward and logical connection, as "dish" is a common term for a prepared food item served to eat.
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The answer is VOGUE because "Vogue" is an iconic song released by Madonna in 1990. It became a global hit, celebrated for its danceable beat. The song is among Madonna's most famous works, matching the clue's description perfectly.
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In tennis, the "alley" refers to the narrow section on each side of the court, located between the singles and doubles sidelines. These alleys are only counted as in-play during doubles matches, making them the "section of a tennis court" specifically used for doubles.
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The clue "State of mind" directly describes a person's emotional or mental condition, which is exactly what "MOOD" represents. "Mood" is commonly used to express one's current feelings or state, making it a precise match for the clue.
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The answer "PRO" fits the clue "Not amateur" because a professional (PRO) is someone skilled or experienced in a field, contrasting with an amateur, who lacks professional-level competence. This straightforward clue uses the opposite relationship between "amateur" and "professional" to guide you to the correct answer.
Down
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The answer is DOLOR because "dolor" is a rarely-used English word derived from Latin, meaning "pain" or "grief," which directly relates to sadness. Its rarity and formal tone align with the clue's description of the word being uncommon.
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The clue "Snow place like home?" uses wordplay with the phrase "no place like home" and the pun "snow place." An IGLOO is a snow structure used as a home in cold climates, making it a fitting answer for this clever, pun-based clue.
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The answer "SUED" fits "Went after in court" because "sued" is the legal term for initiating a lawsuit against someone, effectively "going after" them in a court of law to seek justice or damages. The clue directly refers to this legal action.
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The clue "Yo" is enclosed in quotes, indicating the answer mimics a spoken word or expression. "Yo" is an informal greeting or attention-grabber, and a common synonym for it is "HEY," making it the correct answer.
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The answer "VAMP" fits "Fill time on stage" because in theater or music, to "vamp" means to improvise or repeat a simple musical phrase to fill time, often while waiting for something to happen, like a performer to be ready. It’s a term used in performance contexts.
Today’s Game Difficulty
Easy
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Solving today’s NYT Mini Puzzle and stuck on the 4-letter answer to the Chef's creation 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.
Chef's creation Answer Explained
The answer is DISH.
When I see "Chef’s creation," my mind goes straight to food. The first impulse might be something fancy like “meal” or “entrée,” but those don’t quite fit the feel of the clue or the number of letters. DISH is perfect! It’s general enough to cover anything a chef might cook up, from a simple soup to a Michelin-star plate. It's one of those words that’s short, simple, and fits neatly in a crossword. Even if you think of more elaborate answers, the brevity of the clue points to a straightforward answer like this.
Now that you've cracked the 1A Chef's creation 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 Monday Mini by Joel Fagliano keeps the easy streak alive, it's a quick and smooth solve! We get a nice mix of food, music, sports, and a little legal drama. It’s been a run of lighter, accessible puzzles lately, and it's fun for a breezy start to the week. It makes you wonder: When will they raise the bar again and throw a real curveball our way?
Here’s what caught our attention today:
- Iconic Madonna hit of 1990
- Section of a tennis court used when playing doubles
- State of mind
- Not amateur
- Rarely-used word meaning "sadness"
- Snow place like home?
- Went after in court
- "Yo"
- Fill time on stage
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.