‘Narrow shape of a cat’s pupil’ NYT Mini Crossword puzzle clue answer and hints

Need a hand with the Nov. 8 NYT Mini Crossword? We have all the answers.

Narrow shape of a cat's pupil crossword clue
Image by Dot Esports

I have three cats, so I knew the answer as soon as I saw this clue for the New York Times Mini Crossword. Read on if you’re more of a dog person and can’t get your feline-hating head around the “Narrow shape of a cat’s pupil” clue.

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“Narrow shape of a cat’s pupil” Nov. 8 NYT Mini Crossword hints

narrow shape of a cat'd pupil nyt mini crossword hint
Eight across. Screenshot by Dot Esports
  • Hint 1: It starts with the letter “S.”
  • Hint 2: The shape of the thing in the center of a cat’s eye.
  • Hint 3: Squint.
  • Hint 4: A long, narrow opening.

Stop scrolling if you don’t want me to spoil the answer.

“Narrow shape of a cat’s pupil” NYT Mini answer

Did you get it? The solution for the “Narrow shape of a cat’s pupil” clue on the Nov. 8 NYT Mini Crossword puzzle is “SLIT.” The pupil is the round opening in the center of the iris. When it’s bright outside, a cat’s pupil narrows into a small slit. This helps them dim the lights and prevent themself from being blinded by the blistering sun.

“Narrow shape of a cat’s pupil” clue difficulty rating

A cat’s pupil isn’t always the shape of a slit, so this is slightly misleading. But what other shape could it realistically be? As a cat lover, this was relatively easy. I’m giving this NYT Mini Crossword clue a three out of five on the difficulty rating scale.

All Nov. 8 NYT Mini Crossword clues and answers

Across

  • 1A Boringly dull — BLAH
  • 5A Take a moment to think — PAUSE
  • 7A Herb that gives flavor to black jellybeans — ANISE
  • 8A Conduced, as a campaign — WAGED
  • 9A Narrow shape of a cat’s pupil — SLIT

Down

Games like the NYT Mini Crossword

You want to play more word games after today’s NYT Mini? Greedy! I thoroughly recommend the LA Times and the Washington Post. If you want to try something completely different, check out Strands and Spelling Bee. The New York Times has a handful of fun alternatives to the daily crossword.

Author
Image of Jerome Heath
Jerome Heath
Senior editor at Dot Esports. Jerome has been in and around the gaming industry for the last eight years, and he's not going anywhere anytime soon.