‘Inventor of the first commercially available electronic instrument, a synthesizer’ NYT Mini Crossword clue answer and hints

Do you enjoy learning about the history of musical instruments? Today’s NYT Mini Crossword clue, “Inventor of the first commercially available electronic instrument, a synthesizer,” asks you to name the creator of the synthesizer who has made a big contribution toward multiple music albums.

If today’s NYT Mini Crossword tricky clues slow you down, then you can use our hints and answers below to make it easier for you and help you complete your word game in no time. 

‘Inventor of the first commercially available electronic instrument, a synthesizer’ NYT Oct. 5 Mini Crossword hints and answer

• Hint 1: The answer is the father of the modern synthesizer, which was used by many popular bands like The Beatles on their famous album Abbey Road (1969). 
• Hint 2: The seven-letter solution is made up of two words referring to the full name of the person, where the first name is a nickname. 
• Hint 3: It starts with the letter “B.” 
• Hint 4: The solution also has a music festival named after his surname, celebrating electronic music and innovation in North Carolina.

Let’s jump in and reveal the answer.

The answer to seven across in the Oct. 5 New York Times Mini Crossword is “BOBMOOG.”  The inventor of the first commercially available electronic instrument, a synthesizer Robert Moog is also known as Bob which is a common nickname for Robert. In 1955, Robert started referring to himself as Bob and it was frequently used by the public to refer to him. 

‘Inventor of the first commercially available electronic instrument, a synthesizer’ NYT Mini Crossword difficulty rating

Saturday’s NYT Crossword is always the hardest to solve, and this clue spins you further by letting you guess Moog’s nickname. While solving the crossword, I could figure out Moog’s name, but I couldn’t get it quite right as most people know him as Robert. After searching the web, I understood that he also used Bob as his first name, which is cleverly used by the crossword to make you work for it and make it harder for you. So, I’d give it a five out of five for difficulty.

NYT Mini Crossword (Oct. 5) answers

Across

• 1A Lego piece—BRICK
• 6A Company whose name is spelled with up to 10 O’s toward the bottom of its webpages—GOOGLE
• 7A Inventor of the first commercially available electronic instrument, a synthesizer—BOB MOOG
• 8A Largest country without an official language—USA
• 9A Some smart devices—TVS
• 10A Muscular dog with black and tan fur, familiarly—ROTTIE
• 12A Precipitates freezing rain—SLEETS
• 13A Warty hopper—TOAD

Down

• 1D Milky drink with “pearls”—BOBA TEA
• 2D CD-___—ROM
• 3D “Aha!”—I GOT IT
• 4D Pumpkin spice ingredients—CLOVES
• 5D Large beer containers—KEGS
• 6D Break off from the rest of the band—GO SOLO
• 7D Go “pop”—BURST
• 11D Bill’s time-traveling partner of film—TED

How to play other word games like the NYT Mini Crossword

If the NYT Mini word games are too hard for you, then you can elevate your puzzle game with the LA Times and Washington Post. However, if you’re looking for something fresh, then you can try your hand at Strands and Spelling Bee, which are also fun.