Quick Answer
Clue: “___ is just another defense against the universe”: Mel Brooks”
Answer: HUMOR
Answer length: 5 letters
Clue number and direction: 6-Across
The New York Times crossword clue ““___ is just another defense against the universe”: Mel Brooks” is answered with HUMOR, completing the full quotation “Humor is just another defense against the universe.”
Why HUMOR Is the Right NYT Answer
- The clue clearly references a well-known Mel Brooks quote, whose full line is “Humor is just another defense against the universe.” That means the missing word before “is just another defense…” must be HUMOR, matching the 5-letter requirement.
- NYT Mini answer pages and crossword-helper sites for the January 27, 2026 puzzle all list HUMOR as the 6-Across solution, confirming it in the official grid. No other 5-letter word would complete the quote accurately or match the Mel Brooks attribution.
What HUMOR Means in Plain English
- Humor is the quality of being funny, or the ability to see and express things in a comical way. In the quote, Brooks is saying that humor helps people cope with the chaos and challenges of life essentially, a psychological “defense” against the universe.
- In everyday language, humor can refer both to jokes and comedy, and to someone’s general sense of fun or playfulness.
Crossword-Specific Help for HUMOR
- In the grid, HUMOR appears as H U M O R at 6-Across, and you might first see patterns like H_MOR, HU_OR, or _UMOR from crossings.
- In this Mini, 6-Across intersects with down entries SHINE, CUMIN, AMPLE, ROLE, and FRY, which provide letters that quickly confirm HUMOR once a few squares are filled.
- HUMOR is a common crossword answer, often clued as “Funniest stuff,” “Wit,” “Comic quality,” or through quotes like this one. Recognizing it as a go-to 5-letter fill makes similar quote-based clues easier.
Solving Tips for Similar NYT Clues
- When a clue shows a partial quote followed by an attribution (like “: Mel Brooks”), try recalling or googling the full line in your own solving; the missing word is usually a key noun like HUMOR.
- For 5-letter answer slots where the clue definition is essentially “funny quality” or “sense of fun,” HUMOR is often the best candidate.
Use crossings: in this Mini, the H from SHINE (1-Down), U from CUMIN (2-Down), M from AMPLE (3-Down), O from ROLE (4-Down), and R from FRY (5-Down) all work together to lock in HUMOR.
