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They're often abuzz about coneflowers - NYT The Mini Clue
Across
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The clue "Clean with elbow grease" directly suggests a cleaning method requiring physical effort. "Elbow grease" is a common idiom for hard work or vigorous scrubbing. SCRUB fits perfectly as it means to clean a surface by rubbing it forcefully, aligning with the clue's intent.
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The answer is PRUNE because wrinkly fingers, such as those seen after soaking in water, resemble the deeply wrinkled surface of this dried fruit. The clue uses a visual pun—comparing the texture of prunes to water-wrinkled skin. Thus, the wordplay connects the fruit (prune) to its wrinkled appearance.
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The clue "Meenie miney" preceder refers to the famous counting rhyme "Eeny, meeny, miney, moe." The word that comes before "meenie" in this sequence is "eenie," making it the correct solution. The quotes signal it's a phrase or spoken reference.
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The clue "Light bulb units" refers to the measurement of electrical power used by light bulbs, which is measured in WATTS. A watt is the standard unit of power, quantifying the energy consumed by the bulb. This precisely fits the clue as it relates to the technical measure for bulbs.
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The clue "Meenie miney" follower refers to the well-known rhyme "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe." In this sequence, "Moe" directly comes after "Meenie miney," making it the correct answer. The quotation marks indicate the clue is referencing something verbal or familiar like this rhyme.
Down
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The word "SPEW" means to eject or expel something forcefully, often in large amounts, such as liquid, gas, or words. This matches the clue "Erupt with force," as it describes a powerful, uncontrolled release, making SPEW the fitting answer.
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The clue "Doughnut filling" directly references common ingredients found inside doughnuts. CREAM is a classic and popular filling, such as in Boston cream or cream-filled doughnuts, making it the correct and logical solution. It's a straightforward association with no wordplay involved.
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The phrase "Total, as expenses" refers to calculating the overall amount of costs. "Run to" is often used idiomatically to mean "add up to" or "amount to" a specific total. Therefore, the total expenses can "run to" a certain sum, making RUNTO the correct answer for this clue.
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The clue "Come together as one" directly implies merging, joining, or forming a single entity. The word UNITE perfectly captures this meaning, as to "unite" means to combine or join together into a unified whole, aligning clearly with the clue's request.
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The clue "They're often abuzz about coneflowers" contains wordplay. "Abuzz" refers to the buzzing sound bees make. Coneflowers are known for attracting pollinators, especially bees, which are often found around them. Therefore, BEES is the fitting answer connecting the buzz and the flowers.
Today’s Game Difficulty
Easy
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Solving today’s NYT Mini Puzzle and stuck on the 4-letter answer to the They're often abuzz about coneflowers 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.
They're often abuzz about coneflowers Answer Explained
The answer is BEES.
This one is poetic in its construction, and “abuzz” gives it away a little, especially when paired with flowers. I immediately think of insects that literally buzz, which pretty much means BEES (flies buzz too, but they don’t have that strong flower connection). Coneflowers are known to be pollinator-friendly plants, and bees are major pollinators, always hovering around blooms like these. The clue is fun because it works on both sound (abuzz) and nature knowledge. If you don’t know coneflowers, you might still get there through the buzzy hint.
Now that you've cracked the 5D They're often abuzz about coneflowers 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 and fun Wednesday Mini by Tracy Bennett, who also edits Wordle! Today’s puzzle leans easy, with smooth fill and two charming clues that play off a well-known rhyme. The rest of the grid touches on everyday topics like cleaning, fruit, light, sweets, and nature. Nothing too obscure, making this a perfect warm-up for newer solvers or a less than one-minute challenge for the speedy crowd.
Here’s what caught our attention today:
- Clean with elbow grease
- Fruit to which wrinkly fingers are compared
- "Meenie miney" preceder
- Total, as expenses
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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It’s an additional social resource provided by NYT. You can add friends (up to 100 invitees) to track daily completion and compete.