Quick Answer
Clue: “Childhood”
Answer: YOUTH
Length: 5 letters
Clue number and direction: 6-Across
Why “YOUTH” Is the Right NYT Answer
- “Childhood” and youth both describe the early stage of life before full adulthood, so the meaning lines up cleanly with the clue. The grid needs a 5-letter answer for 6-Across, and YOUTH matches that letter count exactly.
- You might see it in the grid as Y O U T H with a pattern like YOUTH, _OUTH, or YOU_H, depending on which crossings you’ve already filled. This clue–answer pair has appeared in NYT Mini puzzles before, confirming it as a standard, accepted solution.
What “YOUTH” Means in Plain English
- In everyday language, youth is the period when someone is still young, roughly spanning childhood through the teenage years. It can refer both to a time of life (“in my youth”) and to a young person (“a youth standing on the corner”).
- For crossword purposes, setters often use “youth,” “childhood,” “early years,” or “salad days” to gesture at this same general life stage. When you see a clue about an early life period in a short slot, YOUTH is often a strong candidate.
Crossword-Specific Help for 6-Across
- This answer is not obscure “crosswordese”; it’s a very common, clean entry that appears across many mainstream crosswords, including the NYT Mini.
- Crossings for 6-Across (the downs running through Y, O, U, T, H) should all be straightforward vocabulary, helping you confirm each letter as you go.
Solving Tips for Similar NYT Clues
When you see clues like these, YOUTH is often in play:
- “Early years”
- “Time before adulthood”
- “Salad days”
- “Period of immaturity”
Setters also flip the idea: clues like “Childhood period” or “Time of youthful innocence” have been answered with YOUTH or related words such as ADOLESCENCE, TEENS, or SALAD DAYS, depending on the slot length. Always match:
- Meaning: early stage of life.
- Length: 5 letters → YOUTH.
If the grid wants a longer answer (9 letters, for instance), alternatives like SALAD DAYS might fit instead.
