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Word before "flaw" or "Attraction" - NYT The Mini Clue
Across
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The word "FATAL" commonly precedes "flaw" and "attraction" as part of established phrases. A "fatal flaw" refers to a critical weakness leading to failure, while "fatal attraction" describes an irresistible but destructive allure. Both use "fatal" to signify something deadly or catastrophic, fitting the clue perfectly.
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BRINE is the solution because it refers to a salty water solution commonly used in the pickling process to preserve and flavor vegetables, like cucumbers, turning them into pickles. It directly matches the clue "Pickle liquid" as it’s the liquid essential for pickling.
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The answer is OMEGA because it is a letter in the Greek alphabet often depicted in a horseshoe-like shape (Ω). Its distinct rounded, open-bottomed form resembles a horseshoe, making it the correct solution for this clue.
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The answer "MOTIF" fits the clue "Literary theme" because a motif is a recurring element, idea, or theme in literature that reinforces the main message or adds layers to the narrative. It’s a key literary term directly aligned with the clue's description.
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The answer "BROEY" comes from "bro," a slang term often associated with frat culture, highlighting a casual, masculine, and often sporty or party-centric demeanor. Adding the suffix "-ey" makes it an adjective describing someone who embodies stereotypical frat dude traits, aligning perfectly with the clue's slangy tone.
Down
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The clue uses the phrase "drop" in quotes, signaling a figurative meaning. "Dropping an F-bomb" is slang for saying a strong expletive (the "F-word"). Such language is considered inappropriate and irresponsible around small children, aligning with the pun and context of the clue. Hence, the answer is FBOMB.
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The question mark in the clue indicates wordplay. A "knight" is associated with medieval times and is often "covered" or protected by ARMOR. The pun here plays on "cover" as both protection and literal covering, making ARMOR the perfect fit.
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The answer "TIETO" fits because "tie to" means to connect or associate something with another, effectively matching "Link with." The wording suggests a straightforward interpretation—"tie" indicates a link, and "to" completes the phrase, forming "tie to," which aligns with the clue.
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The Rolling Stones' hit song "Angie" features lyrics directed towards a person named Angie. The referenced line, "Don't you weep / All your kisses still taste sweet," addresses Angie explicitly, making her the "you" in the lyric and the correct crossword answer.
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The clue "Full of foliage" directly describes something abundant in leaves, which is precisely the meaning of "leafy." The word "leafy" conveys being covered with or characterized by lots of leaves, aligning perfectly with the clue's description. There’s no wordplay, so it’s a straightforward match.
Today’s Game Difficulty
Hard
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Solving today’s NYT Mini Puzzle and stuck on the 5-letter answer to the Word before "flaw" or "Attraction" 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.
Word before "flaw" or "Attraction" Answer Explained
The answer is FATAL.
This one feels like it’s asking for a word that commonly appears in two familiar phrases: “___ flaw” and “___ attraction.” I first think of emotional or dramatic adjectives like “major,” “deadly,” maybe even “tragic.” But FATAL jumps out as the perfect fit. A “fatal flaw” is a classic literary term, especially in tragedy like Hamlet’s indecisiveness or Oedipus’s pride. And “Fatal Attraction” is that famous 1987 thriller film. So, FATAL links both parts of the clue and also taps into pop culture and classical drama. It’s a clue about phrase pairing, so once you lock in one expression, the other helps confirm it.
Now that you've cracked the 1A Word before "flaw" or "Attraction" 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 Sunday Mini by Sam Ezersky, Spelling Bee editor, is a clever one, definitely on the tricky side. The grid is dense with 5-letter answers (no black squares), which menas every word has to pull its weight, and many of the clues involve layered wordplay or subtle definitions. You’ll find topics ranging from chemistry and classic toys to slang and culinary terms. It’s the kind of puzzle that rewards flexible thinking and careful parsing, fitting for a Sunday and very much in line with Sam's knack for stretching solvers just enough.
Here’s what caught our attention today:
- Pickle liquid
- Horseshoe-shaped Greek letter
- Literary theme
- Like a stereotypical frat dude, in slang
- Irresponsible thing to "drop" around small children, perhaps
- Cover of knight?
- Link with
- The "you" in the Rolling Stones lyric "Don't you weep / All your kisses still taste sweet"
- Full of foliage
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.