‘A maintenance shop with a broken doorbell is an example of it’ NYT Mini Crossword clue answer and hints

Contradictory.

Picture showing a maintenance shop's mechanic with a broken doorbell is an example of it clue NYT Mini Crossword.
Image via Dot Esports

Do you find contradictory things everywhere around you? Like taking a trip to McDonald’s, then realizing you have a stomach ache as soon as you get there? I do, and it pains me to admit that some things in life are beautifully scripted. Today’s NYT Mini Crossword clue dives deep into these moments.

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‘A maintenance shop with a broken doorbell is an example of it’ NYT Aug. 19 Mini Crossword hints and answer

Picture of today's NYT Crossword puzzle showing the ‘A maintenance shop with a broken doorbell is an example of it’ clue.
Really? Are you guys supposed to be the experts? Screenshot by Dot Esports
  • Hint 1: When you say something but mean something else. 
  • Hint 2: This five-letter word is often confused with sarcasm, though they’re not exactly the same.
  • Hint 3: It starts with the letter “I.”
  • Hint 4: It sounds similar to the name of a place called Ivory Coast.

You exhausted the limit of your daily hints. It’s time to show the answer. 

Did you already guess it? The answer to two down in the Aug. 19 New York Times Mini Crossword is “IRONY.” When a maintenance shop has a broken doorbell, it’s ironic that they repair things for their customers but neglect their store’s essentials. Personally, that’d be a red flag for me before entering the shop. 

It’s similar to a fire station being on fire. Thus, an example of these contradictory sentences would fall under irony, which is a figure of speech.

DID YOU KNOW?

The word “irony” comes from the ancient Greek theater, where a character named eiron used clever understatements to outsmart others. 

‘A maintenance shop with a broken doorbell is an example of it’ NYT Mini Crossword difficulty rating

While reading the clue, if your mind went “That’s a good irony,” then the answer must’ve been staring at your face. However, unlike other Crossword clues, this one was quite straightforward and easy to guess. So, difficulty-wise, I’d give it a two out of five

NYT Mini Crossword (Aug. 19) answers

Are you stuck with the other clues in today’s NYT Mini Crossword? Here are some hints and answers to “Number of Olympic gold medals won by Katie Ledecky,” “What four quarters can equal,” “Opera solo”Spa room,” and “Kind of short haircut for women.”

How to play other word games like the NYT Mini Crossword

Want to play more word games like the NYT Mini Crossword? Try your crossword skills to solve the LA Times and the Washington Post‘s puzzles. If you want something more challenging, Strands and Spelling Bee should be right up your alley. 

Author
Image of Rijit Banerjee
Rijit Banerjee
Staff Writer at Dot Esports. You'll find him grinding platinum trophies and breaking the meta with his "fun" picks in the ranked queue when he's not reading his favourite Fantasy books. Previously wrote for GG Recon, ESTNN, and many more. Contact: rijit@dotesports.com