‘Make extremely happy’ NYT Mini Crossword solution and hints

Most people deserve to be happy to make life more enjoyable. “Make extremely happy” can be achieved in multiple ways, but today’s NYT Mini Crossword has one particular answer to this conundrum—it’s less a method and more of a description.

‘Make extremely happy’ NYT Mini Crossword clue hints

• Hint one: It has three vowels.
• Hint two: It rhymes with reducing a balloon.
• Hint three: One letter short of a family bond.
• Hint four: It begins with “r.”

I can’t give you any more hints, so now it’s time to reveal the complete answer to this clue.

‘Make extremely happy’ NYT Mini answer

“ELATE” is the answer to today’s “Make extremely happy” clue for six down in the NYT Mini.

To make someone happy is to elate them—it’s just not commonly spoken this way. Aside from having three vowels and beginning with “r,” Elate rhymes with deflate, and if you add “r” to relate, you get “relate.”

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword answers

Along with Elate, we have answers to every other across and down clue in the Aug. 14 edition of the NYT Mini Crossword.

Across

• 1A Get some shut-eye — SLEEP
• 6A Like some difficult running paths — HILLY
• 7A Kind of chain you might wish to be off — EMAIL
• 8A “Same here!” — DITTO
• 9A Late riser, stereotypically — TEEN

Down

• 1D Remove, as a layer of snakeskin — SHED
• 2D Value that a function approaches, in math — LIMIT
• 3D Make extremely happy — ELATE
• 4D In the top 1% — ELITE
• 5D End zone marker — PYLON

NYT Mini Crossword Aug. 14 difficulty, explained

Overall, this is a challenging edition of the NYT Mini and is the most I’ve struggled for a while. “SLEEP” and “SHED” are easy to get, and after this, I had a bunch of five-letter words missing. Many answers are easy once the pieces fall into place, but unfortunately, my uncertainty left me needing a hint or two. It’s a five out of five for difficulty and one of the harder NYT Mini Crosswords you’ll likely face.

How to play more daily word games

Don’t waste your time reading this and get stuck into more daily word games. The LA Times and Washington Post are perfect for crossword lovers, whereas Strands and Spelling Bee spice things up a bit.