‘One end of a battery’ NYT Mini Crossword clue answer and hints

When did you last bash your TV remote on the couch to fix it? Never? Well, maybe that’s just how I try to fix it. Today’s NYT Mini Crossword clue, “one end of a battery,” calls out your scientific aptitude and tests your high school science knowledge. 

‘One end of a battery’ NYT Aug. 21 Mini Crossword hints and answer

• Hint 1: Don’t think literally about the clue; think science. 
• Hint 2: The five-letter word appears in the chapter- Electrolysis. 
• Hint 3: It starts with the letter “A.”
• Hint 4: The anagram for the solution is “EDNAO.”

Beyond this line lies the golden treasure. Here’s the answer.

Did you guess it? The answer to six across down in the Aug. 21 New York Times Mini Crossword is “ANODE.” The anode is the negative terminal of a battery, and the cathode is the positive end of a battery. Both of these are battery electrodes. When the clue says it’s one end of a battery, it refers to the scientific terms to refer to both ends.

‘One end of a battery’ NYT Mini Crossword difficulty rating

We all use batteries in various appliances, but the clue had me guessing left or right terminals as one of its ends. So, if that was your instinct while solving this clue, our first hint should’ve broken your chain of thought. 

However, guessing science terms like cathode and anode would require you to have some high school science knowledge of battery cells, so it might not be the word you’d have in your mind immediately. As the clue makes you work for it, I’d give it a four out of five for difficulty. 

NYT Mini Crossword (Aug. 21) answers

Are you stuck with the other clues in today’s NYT Mini Crossword? Here are some hints and answers to clues like “Bottom 10?” and more. 

How to play other word games like the NYT Mini Crossword

Are you having fun solving word games like the NYT Mini Crossword? Make sure to try out the LA Times and the Washington Post. If you want to test your vocabulary, check out Strands and Spelling Bee.