‘Cool and distant’ NYT Mini Crossword hints and answer

Have you ever met someone reserved who only minds their own business? I pray for these people to come and sit next to me on a long flight. Today’s NYT Mini Crossword clue, “Cool and distant,” asks you to find a word to describe these people based on their behavior. 

If you’re struggling to solve the clue, here are some hints and answers for the NYT Mini Crossword on Sept. 15 to solve the puzzle. 

‘Cool and distant’ NYT Sept. 15 Mini Crossword hints and answer

• Hint 1: The answer is a word denoting someone emotionally detached, uninvolved, or purposely keeping their distance. 
• Hint 2: The five-letter solution is a word used in the works of popular classic literature by authors like Jane Austen and Charles Dickens.
• Hint 3: The word starts with the letter “A”
• Hint 4: The solution also has a British band formed in 1990 making electronic music. 

Let’s jump in and reveal the answer. 

Did you see it coming? The answer to two down in the Sept. 15 New York Times Mini Crossword is “ALOOF.” According to Merriam-Webster, an Aloof person is someone who is “distant either physically or emotionally” from other people, which perfectly fits the clue description of a person who is “cool and distant.”

‘Cool and distant” NYT Mini Crossword difficulty rating

Aloof as a word isn’t something you’d use in your regular conversations so it’s a bit of an odd word to guess. However, if you used our hints to understand its usage, then there aren’t many other words than “Stoic” to describe a cold and distant person. So, I’d give it a four out of five for difficulty.

NYT Mini Crossword (Sept. 15) answers

Across

• 1A Green herb on a margherita pizza—BASIL
• 6A Like somebody once everybody else has 8-Across—ALONE
• 7A Some Mad Libs words—NOUNS
• 8A Sight rhyme (but not a real rhyme) of 6-Across—GONE
• 9A Longest-serving U.S. president, familiarly—FDR

Down

• 1D Loud sound—BANG
• 2D Cool and distant—ALOOF
• 3D Based on good reasoning, like an argument—SOUND
• 4D Word before tube or turmoil—INNER
• 5D Famed guitarist Paul—LES

How to play other word games like the NYT Mini Crossword

Do you enjoy solving word games like the NYT Mini? Then, you can also solve the LA Times and the Washington Post crosswords. However, if you’re looking for something out of the box, then Strands and Spelling Bee are good options to boost your vocabulary.