NY Times Mini Logo

Yet to tie the knot - NYT The Mini Clue

Across

  • The "D" in "D.J." stands for "Disc," as D.J. abbreviates "Disc Jockey." A disc refers to records or CDs traditionally played by DJs to mix and play music. This solves the clue through its direct reference to the role of a D.J. in music.

  • The clue "Yet to tie the knot" refers to someone who has not gotten married. "Tie the knot" is a phrase meaning to marry, so "unwed" directly describes someone who is not currently married or has not married yet. Thus, the answer is UNWED.

  • This one’s a clever two-part clue. First, “clothing material” points to SUEDE, a soft leather used in jackets and shoes. But then the clue says it becomes 3-Down after “doubling” a letter. That clue is “Stockholm resident,” and the answer there is SWEDE. Replacing the U in SUEDE with a double U (literally a W) leads to SWEDE.

  • The answer "TIDAL" fits because it describes the ocean's movement, which is governed by tides. Tides cause regular, rhythmic rising and falling of ocean levels, perfectly aligning with the clue's description of the motion of the ocean. This makes "TIDAL" a natural and accurate choice.

  • The answer is TERI because Teri Garr is a well-known actress, recognized for roles in films like Young Frankenstein and Tootsie. The clue directly references her last name, making TERI the fitting solution based on her first name. No additional wordplay or hints are involved here.

Down

  • The answer is DUST because "Dust in the Wind" is a famous song by the American rock band Kansas. The clue explicitly references this classic, and the blank indicates the missing word in the title.

  • The clue "People of the Arctic" refers to the Indigenous group traditionally inhabiting Arctic regions of Canada, Greenland, and Alaska, known as the INUIT. The term "Inuit" means "the people" in their native language. This clue directly defines the answer without wordplay or misdirection.

  • Stockholm is the capital of Sweden, and a resident of Sweden is called a Swede. The clue directly references Stockholm as a city in Sweden, leading to the answer "SWEDE."

  • CEDAR is traditionally used for hope chests because it is naturally resistant to insects and decay, making it ideal for storing keepsakes and clothing. Its pleasant aroma also repels moths, protecting stored items like linens from damage. This practical and durable quality aligns with the clue's description.

  • The answer is "DELI" because a deli, short for delicatessen, is a shop known for selling specialty foods like cured meats, cheeses, and smoked fish, including lox (thinly sliced, cured salmon). The clue plays on the expectation that lox is commonly found in such establishments.

Today’s Game Difficulty

2.2 / 5
Easy

Rate Your Difficulty

Rate This Solver

View Yesterday's Puzzle

Solving today’s NYT Mini Puzzle and stuck on the 5-letter answer to the Yet to tie the knot 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.

Yet to tie the knot Answer Explained

The answer is UNWED.

The phrase “tie the knot” is a common idiom meaning “to get married.” So “yet to tie the knot” is a poetic way of saying someone hasn’t married yet. The answer UNWED fits that perfectly. It’s a bit of a formal word, and not something you hear every day, but it’s common in legal or formal contexts—like “unwed mother.” Other options like “single” or “alone” might come to mind first, but they don’t fit either in tone or length. Once I had a couple of crossing letters, UNWED stood out as the best fit.

Now that you've cracked the 5A Yet to tie the knot 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

A breezy Monday Mini from Tracy Bennett, Wordle editor, and a bit easier than her usual. Topics include materials, music, geography, and a clever letter-doubling twist. Clean and accessible.

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.

Lady Puzzle Pro Avatar