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Hit a pen - NYT The Mini Clue
Across
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ACME is the fictional company famously featured in Looney Tunes, known for providing wacky and often malfunctioning gadgets to Wile E. Coyote in his endless pursuit of Road Runner. The "Little Giant Do-It-Yourself Rocket-Sled Kit" aligns with ACME's signature absurd and impractical inventions.
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The clue uses quotes, signaling a nonverbal or imitative sound. "VROOM" mimics the noise of a motorcycle engine being revved. Since the context involves an "imaginary motorcycle," the answer represents the verbalized sound someone might make to imitate such an action. Thus, "VROOM" fits perfectly.
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The answer is AGAVE because mezcal is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of various agave plants, primarily native to Mexico. The agave plant's heart, or "piña," is roasted and fermented, forming the key ingredient for mezcal production.
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The term "POSER" refers to someone who pretends to be something they’re not, often to impress others—essentially a "wannabe" or "tryhard." This aligns with the clue's context, as both describe insincere efforts to embody a particular image or identity.
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The clue "What a ticket entitles you to" directly refers to what a ticket grants access to. A ticket typically provides you with ENTRY into an event, venue, or location. The word "entry" perfectly aligns with this context, making it the correct solution.
Down
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The answer is ARGON because it is one of the noble gases, which are chemically inert, making it ideal for creating an unreactive atmosphere in semiconductor manufacturing. It is often used in processes like plasma etching and as a carrier gas in producing semiconductor materials.
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The answer "COAST" fits the clue "Shore" because both refer to the edge of a landmass bordering water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. The terms are often synonymous in geographic contexts, making "COAST" an apt solution.
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A "mover" is busiest around the end of the month because people often schedule moves when leases end, making it a peak time for moving services. The play on "last day of each month" refers to this common moving period.
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An EMERY board is a tool commonly used at nail salons for filing and shaping nails. It has a rough texture made from emery, a coarse mineral abrasive, making it perfect for smoothing and refining nail edges. This fits the "board" referenced in the clue.
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In this clue, "Hit a pen?" is a play on words. "Pen" refers to a vape pen, a device for inhaling vaporized substances. To "hit" a vape pen means to take a puff or inhale from it. Thus, the answer is VAPE.
Today’s Game Difficulty
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Solving today’s NYT Mini Puzzle and stuck on the 4-letter answer to the Hit a pen 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.
Hit a pen Answer Explained
The answer is VAPE.
This is one of those slang clues that might confuse you if you haven’t heard the terminology. “Hit a pen” sounds vague, maybe something to do with writing? But in modern slang, especially among younger folks, “pen” refers to a VAPE pen, a small electronic device used to inhale vapor, often flavored or containing nicotine or cannabis. So to “hit” a pen means to take a puff from one. It’s casual, current, and entirely dependent on knowing that meaning of “pen.” If you took the clue literally, you might picture swatting a writing pen off a desk, but not quite!
Now that you've cracked the 5D Hit a pen 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
This Thursday Mini by Wyna Liu is a fun and accessible solve, just what you'd expect from the creative mind behind Connections. The clues touch on classic cartoon references, slang tied to vaping culture, and even a bit of chemistry with a noble gas. There’s some food-and-drink flair with a distilled plant, plus nods to moving day stress. A nice balance of pop culture, science, and everyday life, nothing too obscure, but still varied enough to keep things interesting.
Here’s what caught our attention today:
- Fictional maker of the Little Giant Do-It-Yourself Rocket-Sled Kit
- Plant from which mezcal is distilled
- Wannabe or tryhard
- Noble gas used in semiconductor manufacturing
- Worker who's typically busiest around the last day of each month
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.