‘French goodbye’ NYT Mini Crossword answer and hints

The French language is often regarded as one of the coolest and most beautiful in the world, even more so when it’s brought to life by authentic French-speaking people. Many words in the dialect help to light up the language even more, but the Sept. 20 NYT Mini Crossword is looking for one word to solve two down.

‘French goodbye’ NYT Sept. 20 Mini Crossword hints

• Hint one: A formal French farewell.
• Hint two: Incredibly, the answer has four vowels!
• Hint three: A 2022 song by legendary German Metal band Rammstein.
• Hint four: Ends with “E.”

With four clues on the board, you have plenty to work with. However, I’ve provided the answer if you don’t know the word.

‘French goodbye’ two down answer in NYT Sept. 20 Mini Crossword

“ADIEU” is the five-letter word you need to fill in the blanks for two down in today’s NYT Mini Crossword puzzle.

It’s easy to get confused with another popular French phrase when thinking of the solution. However, “Adieu” is the correct answer, and if you didn’t know (as it’s quite niche), Adieu is the 11th and final track on Rammstein’s 2022 album—Zeit.

All NYT Mini Crossword Sept. 20 answers

Across

• 1A See who can get there the fastest — RACE
• 5A Comic actor Sandler — ADAM
• 6A Acronym for a pro-housing movement — YIMBY
• 8A Fencing sword — EPEE
• 9A Org. that certifies foods as “Organic” — USDA

Down

• 1D Beam of sunshine — RAY
• 2D French goodbye — ADIEU
• 3D Places where bug juice is served and color wars are waged — CAMPS
• 4D Plant deep (within) — EMBED
• 7D Opposite of nay — YAY

‘French goodbye’ NYT Mini Crossword difficulty rating, explained

I think the main reason this clue is bound to trip people up is that “Adieu” is one of two man French parting phrases—”Au revoir” is the other one (which obviously doesn’t fit). The key difference between “Au revoir” and “Adieu” is the formalness of each word: Adieu is considered a formal goodbye, whereas Au revoir is more chilled and casual. Adieu is still a well-known and popular French phrase, so I’ll go for a three out of five for difficulty here.

How to play daily word games like NYT Mini Crossword

All bases are covered in the Sept. 20 NYT Mini Crossword. Nationalities, sports, entertainment, and much more and beyond. That’s the beauty of daily word games, so don’t with today’s word game, move on to the LA Times, Washington Post, Strands, and Spelling Bee for more mental exercises to test yourself.