‘Put at ease, as fears’ July 19 NYT Crossword clue hints and answer

I’ll be honest: I found today’s NYT Mini clue “put at ease, as fears” clue challenging.

Immediately, I thought of words like “reassure” and “calm,” but I was wrong. If you’re stumped, too, fear not: I’ll help you get to the answer.

‘Put at ease, as fears’ hints and solution – NYT July 19 Crossword

Before I give you the answer, take one more crack at solving the clue with help from the hints below.

• Hint 1: To reduce in intensity.
• Hint 2: Synonym is “relieve.”
• Hint 3: Anagram is “YLAAL.”
• Hint 4: Begins with the letter “A.”

YOU SHALL NOT PASS. Well, unless you want the answer, which I’m about to reveal below.

The answer to the “put at ease, as fears” clue in today’s NYT Mini is “ALLAY.” As in to allay someone’s fear. According to Merriam-Webster, allay means “to subdue or reduce in intensity or severity” or “to make quiet.” I sure would like to allay my neighbors.

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

‘Put at ease, as fears’ clue difficulty rating

This is definitely one of the trickier clues in today’s NYT Mini. You may get closer to it by solving the other clues, but it’s still not a commonly used term. So, I’m going to give this one a four out of five difficulty rating, mainly because the clue’s wording is a bit awkward.

How to play more Crosswords after solving the NYT Mini

It’s Friday, but before you get up to your weekend shenanigans, do your brain a favor and get a few more word games in (most likely while pretending to work).

You can start by trying out NYT’s other word games, Strands and Spelling Bee. If you want more brain juice after that, try out the LA Times and Washington Post‘s daily crosswords. I’ll be heading over to The Atlantic, which has daily crosswords that get harder each day—with Monday’s crossword being the easiest and Sunday’s the most challenging.