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Official state mammal of Alaska and Maine - NYT The Mini Clue
Across
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The answer "MAST" fits because it is the vertical post on a sailboat that supports the sails and rigging. The clue refers directly to this structural element of a sailboat, making it a straightforward and precise solution.
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The phrase "My ___ car is a ..." is a common bumper sticker joke. The missing word is OTHER, completing the popular humor: "My other car is a [fancier vehicle]." It’s often used ironically, implying the driver owns something impressive alongside their current car. Thus, OTHER fits perfectly.
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The answer is MOOSE because both Alaska and Maine have officially designated the moose as their state mammal. Moose are native to these regions, thriving in their cold climates and forested habitats, making them symbolic representatives of the wildlife in these two states.
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The clue "T-shirt size" directly refers to standard clothing sizes. "SMALL" is one of the common T-shirt sizes, alongside others like medium and large. The clue is straightforward, asking for a specific size category, and "SMALL" fits perfectly as a valid T-shirt size.
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The answer "SLAY" fits the clue "Defeat, as a dragon" because "slay" is commonly used to describe the act of defeating or killing mythical creatures, particularly dragons, in storytelling and folklore. It captures the dramatic and specific context of overcoming a formidable foe.
Down
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The clue "Story time readers, perhaps" suggests people who commonly read stories, often to children. The word "perhaps" indicates it's not exclusive. MOMS fits as they are commonly associated with reading bedtime or storytime tales to their kids. It's a conversational and familial connection.
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The clue refers to the microscopic building blocks of matter. A grain of salt, composed primarily of sodium and chloride, contains an incredibly large number of ATOMS due to their small size. The number 10^16 aligns with the immense quantity of atoms in even minute objects.
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The answer "SHOAL" fits the clue "Sandbank" as both refer to a similar geographical feature. A shoal is a shallow area in a body of water, often formed by a sandbank or accumulation of sediment beneath the surface, making the terms closely related.
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The answer is TESLA because the automaker Tesla, Inc. is named after Nikola Tesla, the famous inventor and engineer known for his contributions to electricity and electromagnetism, such as the AC power system. The company pays homage to his innovations in energy and technology.
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The phrase "Count (on)" means to depend or trust in someone or something. The word "RELY" is a synonym for "depend on" or "trust in," making it the correct solution. The parenthetical "(on)" clarifies the intended meaning of "count."
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Solving today’s NYT Mini Puzzle and stuck on the 5-letter answer to the Official state mammal of Alaska and Maine 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.
Official state mammal of Alaska and Maine Answer Explained
The answer is MOOSE.
Here’s a case where geography and animal knowledge meet. The clue tells us this is the official state mammal in two U.S. states (Alaska and Maine). Both are known for their wilderness and large wildlife, so I think of iconic animals: bear, moose, caribou. Bears are common but not specific to just those states. Caribou aren’t the official mammal for both. MOOSE, on the other hand, are emblemati, they are huge, antlered, and common in forests up north. The double-state reference locks it in. Crossings with the M or double O make it impossible to miss.
Now that you've cracked the 7A Official state mammal of Alaska and Maine 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 Wednesday Mini by Ian Livengood packs a nice mix of general knowledge and playful clueing. You’ll find touches of nautical language, bits of science trivia, and references to pop culture and everyday life. A couple of clues lean into less common vocabulary, while others are straightforward once you spot the connection. The grid balances easy entries with a few that might require working from crossings. It’s the kind of puzzle where solving one corner can give you the momentum to unlock the rest.
Here’s what caught our attention today:
- Sailboat's post
- "My ___ car is a ..." (bumper sticker phrase)
- There are roughly ten million billion (10^16) of these in a grain of salt
- Sandbank
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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