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"I'm bad with ___" (party excuse) - NYT The Mini Clue
Across
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The answer is NBA because the clue is a playful pun. "Shooting stars" refers to basketball players who "shoot" the ball to score and are often celebrated as "stars" in the National Basketball Association (NBA), a prominent basketball organization.
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The answer is BARNS because weather vanes are traditionally associated with rural settings and agriculture. Barns, as stereotypical farm buildings, often have weather vanes on their roofs to indicate wind direction, helping farmers with tasks like planting or drying crops. The keyword "stereotypically" confirms this common association.
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OMEGA is the solution because it is a renowned Swiss luxury watch brand, famous for its precision and innovation. Established in 1848, it is one of Switzerland's most iconic watchmakers, known for its association with the Olympics, space exploration, and James Bond movies, fitting the "Swiss watch brand" clue perfectly.
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The clue refers to a physical characteristic shared by Santa Claus, Gandalf, and Dumbledore, each is famously depicted with a prominent BEARD. This straightforward answer matches the clue, as all three characters are known for their iconic facial hair.
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The phrase "Pie in the sky" refers to unrealistic or overly optimistic hopes or plans, making "SKY" the right completion to the clue "Pie in the ___". It’s a common idiomatic expression, often used to describe something desirable but unlikely to happen.
Down
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The clue suggests a party excuse where someone admits to a personal shortcoming. "I'm bad with ___" fits with "NAMES" because it’s common to struggle remembering people’s names at social events, making it a relatable and plausible excuse for social awkwardness.
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In billiards, the "break" is the initial shot that starts the game. This shot involves striking the cue ball to disperse the racked balls on the table. The clue directly asks for the "start" of the game, making BREAK the fitting solution.
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The phrase "Seeing red" is an idiom that means being extremely upset or furious, often associated with anger. ANGRY fits as the solution because it directly describes the emotional state implied by the clue, aligning with the idiomatic meaning.
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In the 2024 film "A Complete Unknown," Timothée Chalamet plays Bob Dylan, the iconic musician. The answer, BOB, refers to Dylan's first name. "A Complete Unknown" is also a nod to lyrics from Dylan's song "Like a Rolling Stone." This makes BOB the fitting solution.
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The clue "Feeling blue" refers to experiencing sadness or melancholy. "Blue" here is figurative, often used to describe a low emotional state. The three-letter answer SAD directly embodies this sentiment, making it the correct solution for the clue.
Today’s Game Difficulty
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Solving today’s NYT Mini Puzzle and stuck on the 5-letter answer to the "I'm bad with ___" (party excuse) 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.
"I'm bad with ___" (party excuse) Answer Explained
The answer is NAMES.
When I read “I'm bad with blank,” my inner voice fills in “names.” It’s the classic party excuse for forgetting someone you just met. The clue literally prompts me to insert bad with blank while solving, reinforcing that the missing word is NAMES. Alternatives like “directions” or “faces” are plausible in real life, but they’re not nearly as idiomatic. As soon as I jot down N-A-, crossings confirm it. Everyone has uttered that apologetic line “Sorry, I’m bad with names!” so, it lands as both relatable and crossword-friendly.
Now that you've cracked the 1D "I'm bad with ___" (party excuse) 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 smooth and fun Sunday Mini from Joel Fagliano, touching on topics like basketball, iconic movie characters, and common emotions. There’s a nice mix of pop culture and everyday language, with one or two clues that might catch you off guard if you’re not up on current films or wordplay. Overall, a clean and clever set to wrap up the week.
Here’s what caught our attention today:
- Org. with shooting stars
- Buildings with weather vanes, stereotypically
- Swiss watch brand
- What Santa, Gandalf and Dumbledore each have
- Start of a billiards game
- Timothée's role in "A Complete Unknown"
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.