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With 5-Down, road trip with frequent stops for reds - NYT The Mini Clue

Across

  • The clue uses wordplay with "reds," a common shorthand for red wines. Paired with 5-Down (TOUR), "road trip with frequent stops for reds" references a WINE TOUR, where travelers visit wineries to sample and enjoy wines, including red varieties. Hence, WINE is part of the solution.

  • The clue "Printer supply" refers to an essential material used by printers to produce prints. TONER is the powdered substance used in laser printers and photocopiers to form text and images on paper. It's a direct and logical answer to the straightforward clue without any additional wordplay or tricks.

  • The clue "Use DoorDash or Grubhub" directly refers to placing a food order. These apps allow users to order meals for delivery or pickup. The word "order" perfectly matches the action facilitated by these platforms and ties to the clue seamlessly.

  • The clue “Like thrift shop items” is straightforward. Thrift shop items are generally secondhand or pre-owned, meaning they've been USED before. "USED" perfectly aligns with the clue, capturing the condition of items typically found in thrift shops.

  • REX is the solution because it refers to “Tyrannosaurus rex,” a dinosaur often depicted as a powerful predator in the "Jurassic" franchise. The name "Distortus REX" suggests a genetically modified version of the classic T-Rex, fitting the mutant dinosaur theme in "Jurassic World Rebirth."

Down

  • The clue "Not as good" describes something of a lower quality or standard. WORSE fits perfectly as it directly means "of inferior quality," fulfilling the definition provided by the clue. It is a comparative term that naturally contrasts "good" with something less favorable.

  • The answer "INDEX" fits because an index is a common feature found at the end of many books. It provides a reference list of topics, names, or terms along with the pages where they appear, making it a go-to tool for quickly locating information in a book.

  • The clue "Have to have" refers to something essential or required. The word "NEED" aligns perfectly, as it means a necessity or something one must have. The phrasing directly connects the idea of an imperative requirement with the definition of "NEED."

  • The answer "ERR" is fitting because "to err" means to make a mistake or go wrong, aligning directly with the clue. It succinctly captures the concept of making an error, which matches the clue's straightforward phrasing.

  • This clue works in tandem with 5-Down, and together they hint at a specific type of trip. “Reds” cleverly refers to red wines, not traffic or politics. With a few crossing letters (like T‑O‑U), it becomes clear the answer is part of WINE TOUR—a classic vineyard-hopping experience.

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Solving today’s NYT Mini Puzzle and stuck on the 4-letter answer to the With 5-Down, road trip with frequent stops for reds 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.

With 5-Down, road trip with frequent stops for reds Answer Explained

The answer is WINE.

Okay, so this clue starts with “With 5-Down,” which tells me the answer is part of a longer phrase that spans across two entries. That means I need to figure them out together. I take a look at 5-Down, but it just says “See 1-Across,” so not much help from the clue itself. However, I’ve already filled in a few of the Across answers crossing it, and I’ve got T‑O‑U starting to form. That immediately makes me think the full word is probably TOUR.
Now I go back to this clue: “road trip with frequent stops for reds.” What kind of road trip would involve reds? At first, I briefly consider red lights or even red states, but that doesn’t quite track. Then it hits me—reds as in red wines. And a road trip with lots of stops to try different red wines? That’s got to be a WINE TOUR. The phrase fits perfectly, both thematically and literally, and the TOU‑ from 5-Down locks it in. A fun moment where the clue doesn’t fully open up until you work both halves in tandem.

Now that you've cracked the 1A With 5-Down, road trip with frequent stops for reds 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 Sunday’s Mini by Joel Fagliano is a clever and breezy solve with a subtle but satisfying theme. The standout is the 1-Across/5-Down pairing, referencing a road trip with “frequent stops for reds,” a nod to wine tasting. The rest of the grid sticks to familiar ground, with everyday topics like food delivery, office supplies, and shopping.

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.

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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.
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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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