‘Light bulb moments’ NYT Mini Crossword clue answer and hints

Have you ever had a million-dollar idea? I have a ton of potential plans but I always forget to note them down! Today’s NYT Mini Crossword clue “Light bulb moments,” asks you to find the expression that you’d use to describe the feeling of a sudden discovery in your head. 

Stumped by today’s NYT Mini Crossword? Try these helpful hints and answers for the Sept. 22 puzzle to easily complete your daily word game.

‘Light bulb moments’ NYT Sept. 22 Mini Crossword hints and answer

• Hint 1: The answer refers to a word describing a sudden realization or insight.
• Hint 2: The four-letter word is used by people when they discover something they didn’t know before.
• Hint 3: It starts with the letter “A.”
• Hint 4: The solution is often used interchangeably in the “Eureka” moments.

Let’s jump in and reveal the answer. 

Did you see it coming? The answer to one cross in the Sept. 22 New York Times Mini Crossword is “AHAS.” According to Merriam-Webster, an Aha moment is described as “a moment of sudden realization, inspiration, insight, recognition, or comprehension,” which fits perfectly with the clue. As the clue is plural the answer also implies more than one such mental moment of clarity.

‘Light bulb moments’ NYT Mini Crossword difficulty rating

While the clue isn’t that hard to decipher, as “Aha!” moments were fairly common in everyday life over petty things, and it is easy to solve after completing the crossword.

The real kicker is the fact that the clue is plural it expects you to find the answer which is also plural in nature, giving birth to an unusual answer Ahas, which not a word but it is a combination of multiple Aha moments. I’d give it a four out of five for difficulty.

NYT Mini Crossword (Sept. 22) answers

Across

• 1A Opposite of acidic—BASIC
• 6A Where the hamstring is—THIGH
• 7A Pixar film whose opening 35 minutes feature nearly no dialogue—WALLE
• 8A Glacial—SLOW
• 9A “Yo ___” (Spanish for “I am”)—SOY

Down

• 1D “Oh, I meant to tell you …,” in texts—BTW
• 2D Light bulb moments—AHAS
• 3D Window ledges—SILLS
• 4D Shelter made of snow blocks—IGLOO
• 5D Like bagels and gummy bears—CHEWY

How to play other word games like the NYT Mini Crossword

Are the NYT Mini word games your favorite? Add the LA Times and Washington Post puzzles to your routine. Strands and Spelling Bee also present unique and fun challenges for building your vocabulary.