‘Game of throwns?’ NYT Mini Crossword puzzle clue answer and hints

There’s nothing I love more than a crossword clue with a pop culture reference, and that’s exactly what we’ve got with today’s NYT’s crossword clue, “Game of throwns?” It’s a little unusual, but once you’ve figured it out, it makes a whole heap more sense.

If you’re unsure of the NYT Mini Crossword Sept. 17 answer, you’ll find it below.

‘Game of throwns?’ NYT Mini Crossword clue Sept. 17 hints and answer

• Hint 1: It starts with a “D.”
• Hint 2: It rhymes with arts.
• Hint 3: It ends with an “S.”
• Hint 4: It’s a competitive sport involving sharp-pointed projectiles and a circular board.

The answer to the “Game of throwns” clue from today’s Sept. 17 NYT Mini Crossword puzzle is “DARTS.” Darts is a competitive target game where players throw feathered darts at a numbered board to earn the most points. This has been paired with the HBO series Game of Thrones, though mostly because the clue sounds similar to the show’s name.

All Sept. 17 clues and answers from the NYT Mini Crossword puzzle

Across

• 1A Game of throwns? — DARTS
• 6A Give a heads-up — ALERT
• 7A Like some credit card accounts — NO FEE
• 8A Not costing much — CHEAP
• 9A It’s celebrated every April 22 — EARTH

Down

• 1D Move to the music — DANCE
• 2D Hawaiian “hi” — ALOHA
• 3D Make an allusion (to) — REFER
• 4D Reward for a well-behaved dog — TREAT
• 5D U.S. men’s basketball star with eight three-pointers in the gold medal game, familiarly — STEPH

‘Game of throwns?’ clue difficulty

I liked the Game of Thrones reference, but it was a pretty tricky one to solve today. It wasn’t until I figured out a few of the surrounding clues that I worked out the answer. But even then, I found this clue so peculiar and silly that if you happened to be a dart player, this clue would have been tough to solve, which is why I’m giving it a difficulty rating of four out of five.

What to play after completing today’s NYT Mini Crossword

Now that you’ve finished today’s NYT Mini Crossword puzzle, why not try the mini crosswords from the LA Times and Washington Post, as they’re also released daily? Or, if you’re after a word game, try these themed word searches and spelling challenges: Strands or Spelling Bee.