‘Black cats and red moons, supposedly; NYT Mini Crossword July 30 answer and hints

Space and spicy felines are on the agenda today thanks to the “Black cats and red moons, supposedly” clue in the July 30 edition of the popular NYT Mini Crossword puzzle.

One of my two cats is called Luna, which makes it fitting I’m writing about the “Black cats and red moons” clue, and if the power of the pussycat isn’t in you, allow me to set you flea.

‘Black cats and red moons, supposedly’ six across NYT Mini Crossword solution

• Hint 1: Bad _____ is a rock/metal band.
• Hint 2: The plural of a popular gaming hardware manufacturer.
• Hint 3: A 2022 album by heavy metal outfit Lamb of God.
• Hint 4: It starts with “O.”

I rarely get to flex my metal music knowledge, but it was fitting for today’s hints, and if all the information above wasn’t enough for you, the solution lies in wait.

“OMENS” is the correct answer for six across in the July 30 NYT Mini word game.

Bad Omens is a popular band fusing popular rock elements and heavy metal, Omen is a top-selling hardware creator specializing in gaming PCs, laptops, monitors, and more. Lamb of God’s 2022 album is called Omens, and omens starts with “O.”

Omens meaning, explained

More commonly, Omens (in association with the clue) are supposed to represent a sign of things to come—a prophecy. A direct or indirect message or act signifying something is on the way—and black cats and red moons are meant to signal just that.

All answers for July 30 NYT Mini Crossword

Across

• 1A “Style, charm or attractiveness,” per a modern coinage — RIZZ
• 5A Close bud — HOMIE
• 6A Black cats and red moons, supposedly — OMENS
• 7A Make a face, say — REACT
• 8A Prefix with fat or fiction — NON

Down

• 1D Title Shakespeare role for a young DiCaprio — ROMEO
• 2D “That is to say …” — IMEAN
• 3D Chemical element found in many immune-boosting supplements — ZINC
• 4D Finely grate, as a lemon peel — ZEST
• 5D Car’s noisemaker — HORN

‘Black cats and red moons, supposedly’ NYT Crossword Mini difficulty rating

If the clue relied on “Black cats” or “Red moons” on their own, we’d be looking at a high difficulty rating here—maybe the maximum. However, I think having two distinct phenomenons connected to omens is quite a giveaway, so it’s a three out of five today.

How to play other word games and crosswords like NYT Mini puzzle

You can’t let the good times end with today’s NYT Mini Crossword; check out a selection of other daily word games designed to titillate and test every facet of your mind: The LA Times, Washington Post, Strands, and Spelling Bee.