‘Botches’ NYT Mini Crossword clue answer and hints

Blunder. 

Picture showing the Botches clue cover in NYT Mini Crossword.
Image by Dot Esports

Have you ever tried taking acting lessons and missed your lines? Today’s NYT Mini Crossword clue “Botches,” asks you to find a similar word that refers to the embarrassing situations where you’d forget your lines and look for your notes. 

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If you’re struggling with today’s NYT Mini Crossword clues then our hints and answers will help you breeze through the puzzle. 

‘Botches’ NYT Sept. 29 Mini Crossword hints and answer

Picture showing the Botches clue in NYT Mini Crossword.
What was the next line? Screenshot by Dot Esports
  • Hint 1: The answer is a common term for making mistakes or errors, especially in a performance context.
  • Hint 2: Other synonyms include “blunders” and “messes up.”
  • Hint 3: It starts with the letter “F.”
  • Hint 4: The solution rhymes with pubs.

Let’s jump in and reveal the answer.

The answer to eight across in the Sept. 29 New York Times Mini Crossword is “FLUBS.”. The word is commonly associated with actors, speakers, and performers to highlight moments when they misspeak, forget lines, or make errors during a presentation.

DID YOU KNOW?

The word flub likely comes from 19th-century American slang, with its roots in the phrase “to flub a line,” referring to forgetting or mispronouncing lines in a performance.

‘Botches’ NYT Mini Crossword difficulty rating

There are multiple words to use while describing a mistake of a person but flub is definitely not a word that you’d use in regular conversations. However, if you’re into the acting business or just American then you might know this word already and even used your knowledge to solve the crossword. So, I’d give it a three out of five for difficulty.

NYT Mini Crossword (Sept. 29) answers

Across

  • 1A Politician whose last name sounds like 1-Down (and not like a dance!)—WALZ
  • 5A ___ Hawkins dance—SADIE
  • 6A The person I used to be, self-descriptively—OLDME
  • 7A Botches—FLUBS
  • 8A Egyptian snakes—ASPS

Down

  • 1D See 1-Across—WALLS
  • 2D Make sense, so to speak—ADDUP
  • 3D Arms or legs … or branches—LIMBS
  • 4D Features of puzzles, blizzards and jazz—ZEES
  • 5D Spot to sleep when you’re in the doghouse—SOFA

How to play other word games like the NYT Mini Crossword

Are you tired of the same old NYT Mini Crossword word games? Then, it’s time to try new challenges at LA Times or Washington Post. You can also have a crack at the Strands and Spelling Bee for improving your vocabulary. 

Author
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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