‘Just barely make it through’ NYT Mini Crossword answers and hints

“Just barely make it through” resembles how I felt trying to solve this confusing clue from today’s NYT Crossword puzzle. It’s not that it was totally impossible to solve, but the answer isn’t really what it seems—at least, not at first.

This clue, “Just barely make it through,” is from the NYT’s July 25 mini crossword puzzle. If you’re fed up with trying to solve this one, I’ve got the answer.

‘Just barely make it through’ July 26 NYT Mini Crossword hints and answer

• Hint 1: The answer is two words.
• Hint 2: It starts with an “E.”
• Hint 3: It contains two vowels.
• Hint 4: It also means to scrape through.

Spoiler: Today’s clue is tricky to solve, and if you’re struggling, I’ve included the answer in the next paragraph.

The answer to “Just barely make it through” is “EKE BY.” Technically, eke by isn’t a phrase in the dictionary. However, eke means to “get with great difficulty.” So, to eke by, you’re barely getting through something. With Eight-across now solved, you can finally get on with completing the July 26 NYT mini crossword puzzle.

NYT Mini Crossword puzzle (July 26): All clues and answers

Across

• 1A Highly praises — LAUDS
• 6A Admit (to) — OWN UP
• 7A ___ Lakshmi, longtime host of “Top Chef” — PADMA
• 8A Just barely make it through — EKE BY
• 9A “Goose eggs” — ZEROS

Down

• 1D Tabloid partner of Affleck — LOPEZ
• 2D Not sleeping — AWAKE
• 3D ___ Armour (athletic brand) — UNDER
• 4D Disney elephant with oversized ears — DUMBO
• 5D Neuters — SPAYS

‘Just barely make it through’ clue difficulty, rated

Today’s clue, “Just barely make it through,” is quite challenging because not only is the answer (the phrase) not in the dictionary, but eke is more often combined with out (eke out). With that in mind and the fact this was two words, I’d give today’s clue a four out of five in difficulty.

Truthfully, I solved this clue by completing every other clue. Looking at the answer, I thought “What’s ekeby?” Certainly an odd word…and that’s when it hit me—it’s eke by, and it’s two words. These puzzles can be pretty confusing when the answers are a mix of one and two words. So, if you did ask yourself what ekeby was, don’t worry, you’re not alone.

Word games and mini crosswords to play after the NYT Mini Crossword puzzle

If you want to complete more mini crosswords that won’t always have you questioning your English language skills, try the mini crosswords from the LA Times and the Washington Post. They’re released daily and are just as fun and, sometimes, just as challenging.

But if you want to stretch your English language skills, try the word games Strands and Spelling Bee, where you can enjoy a themed word search or attempt to make as many words as possible from a small group of letters.