‘Filaments’ NYT Mini Crossword answer and hints

Are you a big fan of studying Biology? I do as it helps me understand evolution and human anatomy better! Today’s NYT Mini Crossword clue “Filaments” also tests your knowledge of the key biological terms and gauges your familiarity with the subject.

If you’re struggling to find the right answer, here are today’s hints and answers for the NYT Mini Crossword on Aug. 31 to help you find the answer to continue with your crossword.

‘Filaments’ NYT Aug. 31 Mini Crossword hints and answer

• Hint 1: The answer is commonly used when talking about the structure of DNA, where two of these are twisted together.
• Hint 2: It is the name of one of the NYT’s word games.
• Hint 3: It starts with the letter “S.”
• Hint 4: The answer can be used in multiple contexts other than biology such as Beaches, Material Science, Textiles, Hair, and many more. 

Let’s flip through our Biology textbooks and reveal the answer. 

Did you already see it coming? The answer to ten across in the Aug. 31 New York Times Mini Crossword is “STRANDS.” According to Merriam-Webster, a strand is “fibers or filaments twisted, plaited, or laid parallel to form a unit for further twisting or plaiting into yarn, thread, rope, or cordage.”

While the definition shows strand usage in the textile industry where filaments are its building block, you can also see it being used in biology as a “strand” of DNA. Both filaments and strands refer to thin, thread-like structures due to their structural identity in biology although they serve different purposes.

‘Filaments’ NYT Mini Crossword difficulty rating

We wouldn’t blame you if solving today’s NYT Mini Crossword made you work, as Saturdays offer the highest difficulty clues and Filaments is one of them. Even though the words share a biological background, the word strand is used in many contexts and it should be quite hard for you to connect the dots.

For that reason, I’d give it a five out of five for difficulty.

NYT Mini Crossword (Aug. 31) answers

Across

• 1A Gentle call from a dove — COO
• 4A Dissolve away, as minerals — LEACH
• 6A Hiker’s water container — CANTEEN
• 8A Befitting — APT
• 9A Word shortened to its middle letter in texts — ARE
• 10A Filaments — STRANDS
• 12A Submarine sandwiches, Philly-style — HOAGIES
• 13A “How do you ___?” (judge’s question) — PLEAD

Down

• 1D Alphabetically first time zone in the contiguous U.S. — CENTRAL
• 2D Granola grain — OAT
• 3D It includes Australia and Polynesia — OCEANIA
• 4D Telecommuter’s accessory — LAPTOP
• 5D Did a border collie’s job — HERDED
• 6D Alternative to “card” or “Apple Pay” — CASH
• 7D Loch ___ monster — NESS
• 11D Number of candles on a birthday cake, often — AGE

How to play other word games like the NYT Mini Crossword

Do you love playing word games like the NYT Mini Crossword? Consider taking on more crosswords at the LA Times and the Washington Post. However, you can try Strands and Spelling Bee which are fun alternatives if you’re done with solving traditional crosswords.