‘Lights on nightstands’ NYT Mini Crossword clue answer and hints

Today’s “Lights on nightstands” clue for the NYT Mini Crossword made me realize I probably play The Sims 4 too much. I got this one right away solely because of how lights are categorized in this game, but you may not be super familiar with the solution.

There are many different lights, and you likely don’t know the specific word for each type since the more general word “lights” can be used to refer to all of them. You need to uncover a particular type of light to solve today’s puzzle, so here are some hints and the answer for the “Lights on nightstands” clue on the Sept. 26 NYT Mini Crossword puzzle.

‘Lights on nightstands’ NYT Sept. 26 Mini Crossword hints

• Hint 1: It ends with the letter “S.”
• Hint 2: An anagram for this word is “PALMS.”
• Hint 3: The logo for Pixar features a bouncing one of these.
• Hint 4: It begins with the letter “L.”

If you’re still stumped by this but want to keep trying to solve it alone, stop here. Once you’re ready to learn the answer, read on.

‘Lights on nightstands’ NYT Mini answer

The solution for the “Lights on nightstands” clue on the Sept. 26 NYT Mini Crossword puzzle is “LAMPS.” This is a synonym for “LIGHTS” and specifically refers to the small lights you can place on tables like nightstands for the purposes of this puzzle.

‘Lights on nightstands’ clue difficulty rating

Solving these hints usually takes me a bit, but I got this one right away. I think the “S” at the end makes this one a bit trickier than it would be since you may think of “LAMP” but not consider adding an extra letter at the end to make it fit.

With this in mind, I’m giving the “Lights on nightstands” clue a three out of five difficulty rating. If the solution was just “LAMP,” I’d probably give it a two out of five, but that extra “S” makes this one land right in the middle difficulty-wise.

Sept. 26 NYT Mini Crossword puzzle: All clues and answers

Across

• 1A Lights on nightstands — LAMPS
• 6A Historic performance at Milan’s La Scala or Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre — OPERA
• 7A It’s just chugging along — TRAIN
• 8A Visibly muscular — TONED
• 9A Squirmy and fidgety — ANTSY

Down

• 1D “That takes a ____nerve!” — LOTTA
• 2D What might protect your shirt from a grease stain — APRON
• 3D Intended — MEANT
• 4D Asks nosy questions — PRIES
• 5D Needing a shower after a beach day — SANDY

Games like the NYT Mini Crossword

The daily NYT Mini Crossword might be your favorite word game, but there are some other pretty solid options if you want to tackle additional puzzles after completing this one. For additional crosswords you can work through, consider visiting the LA Times and the Washington Post next. Both of these are fairly similar to the NYT Mini.

Strands and Spelling Bee are great options if you want to try something else. These two are word games with unique premises. In Strands, you must work to uncover the hidden theme by finding words that connect. Spelling Bee tests your spelling abilities by challenging you to create as many words as possible with seven letters.