‘Focuses on the road?’ NYT Mini Crossword clue answer and hints

Have you ever driven a car on a shallow river? Today’s NYT Mini Crossword clue “Focuses on the road?” features a witty wordplay where you have to use your vocabulary to describe the term or simply find one of the most iconic vehicles in automobile industry.

If you are having trouble understanding the clue, here are today’s hints and answers for the NYT Mini Crossword on Sept. 2 to help you solve the cryptic crossword.

‘Focuses on the road?’ NYT Sept. 2 Mini Crossword hints and answer

• Hint 1: The answer is one of America’s leading automobile companies.  
• Hint 2: The clue features the name of the car which remained the best-seller for decades.
• Hint 3: It starts with the letter “F.”
• Hint 4: The answer is also a term that describes crossing a river.

Let’s go on a long drive and reveal the answer. 

Did you see it coming? The answer to four down in the Sept. 2 New York Times Mini Crossword is “FORDS.” The “Focuses on the road?” clue can be deciphered in two ways. First, the word “Ford” is one of America’s leading automobile brands, and its best-selling model is known as Focus. So, on the “road” part of the clue also describes a vehicle. According to Merriam-Webster, a ford is “to cross (a body of water) by wading,” so the clue can also be interpreted as “fording” (crossing a river), which happens on roads or bridges.

‘Focuses on the road?’ NYT Mini Crossword difficulty rating

Typically, the NYT Mini Crossword saves its layered and witty clues for the weekend, but it seems today’s crossword saved one, adding to your Monday blues. Even the wordplay was tough to understand, if you have the knowledge of the term “Fording” or know about Ford’s vehicles, the answer should come to you. I’d give it a four out of five for difficulty.

NYT Mini Crossword (Sept. 2) answers

Across

• 1A Professional in a toque—CHEF
• 5A “I’m not a ____” (online affirmation next to a checkbox)—ROBOT
• 7A Love, in Italian—AMORE
• 8A Wards (off)—FENDS
• 9A Secret rendezvous—TRYST

Down

• 1D Woodcarving or metalsmithing, e.g.—CRAFT
• 2D It’s going…going…gone!—HOMER
• 3D Dark wood once used for drinking cups, as it was thought to neutralize poison—EBONY
• 4D Focuses on the road?—FORDS
• 6D One might be multiple-choice—TEST

How to play other word games like the NYT Mini Crossword

Love working your brain on word games like the NYT Mini Crossword? You should also try solving other crosswords at the LA Times and the Washington Post. If you’re done with traditional crosswords, then Strands and Spelling Bee are fun to play, too.