‘Eyelid irritation’ NYT Mini Crossword clue answer and hints

Have you ever had a nasty eye infection? Today’s NYT Mini Crossword clue, “Eyelid irritation,” asks you to decipher what might be affecting your eyelids. 

If today’s NYT Mini Crossword clues have you stumped, then you can use our hints and answers below to easily solve your word game. 

‘Eyelid irritation’ NYT Oct. 6 Mini Crossword hints and answer

• Hint 1: The answer resembles a pimple but appears on the eyelid.
• Hint 2: The four-letter solution is a common eye problem or infection.
• Hint 3: It starts with the letter “S.” 
• Hint 4: The solution rhymes with the word sky.

Let’s jump in and reveal the answer.

The answer to five down in the Oct. 6 New York Times Mini Crossword is “STYE.” According to Merriam-Webster, a sty is “an inflamed swelling of a sebaceous gland at the margin of an eyelid,” which fits the clue’s description perfectly. Most styes heal on their own in about a week. 

‘Eyelid irritation’ NYT Mini Crossword difficulty rating

There are a ton of diseases that can affect your eyes and even leave you visually impaired. However, styes are fairly common, so most people should be familiar with it. I also have had styes in the past, but I didn’t know the name for it as I’d usually just call it an eye infection as a generic term. However, most people should be familiar with the term, and it shouldn’t take them long to guess the problem based on the clue. So, I’d give it a two out of five for difficulty.

NYT Mini Crossword (Oct. 6) answers

Across

• 1A One of Franklin’s certainties in life—TAXES
• 6A Human voice at the end of a phone tree, say—AGENT
• 7A One might be thrown in surprise—PARTY
• 8A “When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s ___”—AMORE
• 9A Smokin’ hot—SEXY

Down

• 1D Appetizers like croquetas and patatas bravas—TAPAS
• 2D One’s best effort, so to speak—AGAME
• 3D Search for : “google” :: make a copy of : “___”—XEROX
• 4D Diary passage—ENTRY
• 5D Eyelid irritation—STYE

How to play other word games like the NYT Mini Crossword

If the NYT Mini word games are too easy for you, then flex your puzzle prowess with the LA Times and Washington Post. However, if crosswords feel too monotonous, then you can also try Strands and Spelling Bee to enhance your vocabulary.