‘Slight trace of color’ NYT Crossword clue hints and answer

I’ve been picking out colors to paint my new house recently, so when I saw the NYT Mini clue “slight trace of color,” I thought I’d have no problem. Wrong—the Dulux color chart couldn’t help me here.

When I think of “slight trace of color,” several worlds spring to mind, but I admit, this one didn’t.

‘Slight trace of color’ hints and solution – NYT July 19 Crossword

Before we get to the solution, I’ll give you a few hints so you can try and uncover the answer yourself. If you’d rather get to the good bit, though, scroll down.

• Hint 1: Can refer to taste or smell, too.
• Hint 2: A trace or smattering.
• Hint 3: “I graduated, but felt a xxx of sadness.”
• Hint 4: Starts with the letter “T.”

Stop scrolling if you don’t want to see the answer!

The answer to the “slight trace of color” clue is “TINGE.” According to the folks over at Merriam-Webster, the noun “Tinge” means “a property that becomes apparent when light falls on an object and by which things that are identical in form can be distinguished.” That’s a lot of words to say to give a little color to something. Maybe your latest risotto has a tinge of garlic, or your bedroom walls are white with a tinge of yellow (I’m sorry, I am a paint fanatic now).

Full answers for the July 19 NYT Mini Crossword

Across

• 1A “Blue Ribbon” brewery — PABST
• 6A Put at ease, as fears— ALLAY
• 7A Sound heard at a ramen restaurant — SLURP
• 8A Slight trace of color — TINGE
• 9A Starts a pot, in poker — ANTES

Down

• 1D Popular meal the night before a marathon — PASTA
• 2D 100% committed — ALL IN
• 3D Untactful to a fault — BLUNT
• 4D Boot camp boss, informally — SARGE
• 5D Goes tap-tap-tap in a texting app — TYPES

‘Slight trace of color’ clue difficulty rating

This is one of those clues that once you know the answer, you feel like an idiot for not getting it in the first place. To be fair, “tinge” isn’t exactly a word we use daily. I would give this clue a 3/5, because we don’t use the word on a day-to-day basis, and most of us will have thought of words like “tint” first.

How to play more Crosswords after solving the NYT Mini

Once you finish the NYT Mini, you’ll likely want more crossword fun (who needs to do work, right?) I tend to jump to Strands and Spelling Bee next, but the LA Times and Washington Post also have word games for you to try. My personal favorite, however, is The Atlantic‘s daily crossword puzzles. These crosswords get increasingly more difficult as the week goes on, so on Monday, you get an easy crossword, but Sunday’s is tough.