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Animal with "white" and "black" varieties (really, they're both gray) - NYT The Mini Clue
Across
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The "opposite ends of the earth" refer to the two extreme geographical points on Earth's axis: the North Pole and the South Pole. These are the literal opposites on the globe, making "POLES" the fitting solution to this straightforward geographical clue.
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The answer is RHINO because it refers to the rhinoceros, which has two main species commonly called "white rhino" and "black rhino." Despite these names, their skin colors are similar—both are gray. The clue humorously clarifies this fact, adding a bit of trivia to the solution.
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The clue "Plant deeply" refers to firmly placing or fixing something, much like embedding an object into a surface. "EMBED" captures this meaning, as it describes securely planting, inserting, or lodging something, aligning perfectly with the idea of planting deeply.
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The clue "What's coming to you?" with a question mark indicates wordplay. KARMA refers to the concept of actions having consequences—good or bad—that "come back to you" in the future, aligning with the idea of "what's coming to you." It cleverly plays on karma's cause-and-effect principle.
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The answer "NAY" fits the clue "No" vote because "nay" is a common term used in formal voting settings, such as parliamentary or legislative procedures, to represent a negative vote or disagreement. The quotation marks in the clue indicate the answer is spoken or verbal, matching "nay" as a vocalized "no."
Down
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The answer "PREK" is short for "pre-kindergarten," a program for children aged 3-5 before formal schooling begins. The clue says "informally," indicating an abbreviation or casual term. "PREK" is commonly used to refer to this early childhood education stage in a concise, informal way.
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The clue "That's crazy, dude!" is informal and conversational, indicated by the slangy tone. The phrase "OH MAN" is an exclamation expressing disbelief, surprise, or shock, aligning perfectly with the sentiment of someone reacting to something wild or unbelievable. Hence, OHMAN fits as the answer.
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LIBRA is the astrological sign that follows Virgo in the zodiac calendar. The zodiac consists of 12 signs, each associated with specific dates. Virgo ends around September 22nd, and LIBRA starts immediately after, typically on September 23rd.
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The phrase "Sworn ___" refers to someone committed to opposition or hostility. A "sworn enemy" is a person with a deep, declared animosity or hatred towards someone else. The word "enemy" completes the common phrase, making it the correct and logical answer.
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The clue “Pop bottles, e.g.” uses wordplay. "Pop" refers to the fizzy drink (a synonym for soda), and "bottles" are the containers they come in. Thus, “Pop bottles” describes soda bottles, making SODA the correct answer. The "e.g." confirms it's an example.
Today’s Game Difficulty
Easy
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Solving today’s NYT Mini Puzzle and stuck on the 5-letter answer to the Animal with "white" and "black" varieties (really, they're both gray) 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.
Animal with "white" and "black" varieties (really, they're both gray) Answer Explained
The answer is RHINO.
This clue sounds tricky at first because of the color words, but the parenthetical is a great hint—it tells us both "white" and "black" varieties are actually gray. So we’re not looking for something that's literally black or white, but an animal that’s referred to that way. I think of African animals and remember that white rhino and black rhino are common species, despite the misleading names. Other guesses like “bear” (polar or black) don’t fit the color detail or the trick. RHINO is the only animal where those terms are used despite the animal being gray.
Now that you've cracked the 6A Animal with "white" and "black" varieties (really, they're both gray) 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 playful and balanced Wednesday Mini by Joel Fagliano. The puzzle blends concepts from astrology, animals, morality, early education, and casual slang, touching on everything from preschool to cosmic justice.
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.
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