‘Mission for a scout, for short’ NYT Mini Crossword clue answer and hints

Before you charge into an unknown area, it can be a good idea to send a smaller group ahead to investigate. In this instance, you’re conducting a “Mission for a scout, for short,” but there’s a one-word term you can more easily use to describe this process.

This one-word answer is one of the puzzle solutions for the Sept. 27 NYT Mini Crossword. If you want to solve the “Mission for a scout, for short” clue, here are some clues and the official answer to help you progress.

‘Mission for a scout, for short’ NYT Sept. 27 Mini Crossword hints

• Hint 1: It ends with the letter “N.”
• Hint 2: An anagram for this word is “CRONE.”
• Hint 3: This word usually refers to a scouting expedition done by the military.
• Hint 4: It starts with the letter “R.”

If you want more time to think, stop here because I’m about to reveal the answer to this clue.

‘Mission for a scout, for short’ NYT Mini answer

The solution for the “Mission for a scout, for short” clue on the Sept. 27 NYT Mini Crossword puzzle is “RECON” which is generally short for the word “RECONNAISSANCE.” This refers to a preliminary mission or survey of an area for strategic purposes. “RECON” can also be short for “RECONNOITER” which essentially has the same meaning.

‘Mission for a scout, for short’ clue difficulty rating

I’m a bit of a word nerd, so I know the word “RECON” fairly well, but I don’t think it’s generally a common term. It’s also a pretty tricky one to arrive at with the given clue which makes this a head-scratching hint to solve.

With this in mind, I’m giving the “Mission for a scout, for short” clue a full five out of five difficulty rating. Even if you’re familiar with the word “RECON,” it’s still a pretty tough connection to make with the NYT Mini clue which makes this one of the harder hints I’ve come across.

NYT Mini Crossword puzzle: All Sept. 27 clues and answers

Across

• 1A Aptly named brand of road and mountain bikes — TREK
• 5A “CD” — SEEDY
• 6A “XL” — EXCEL
• 7A Make amends — ATONE
• 8A Alternative to Yahoo! or AOL — MSN

Down

• 1D Much political campaign outreach these days — TEXTS
• 2D Mission for a scout, for short — RECON
• 3D Garden with forbidden fruit — EDEN
• 4D Friend of Kenny, Stan, and Cartman on “South Park” — KYLE
• 5D Feature that some undergarments claim not to have (but it’s often just less noticeable) — SEAM

Best games like the NYT Mini Crossword

If you’re looking for more word games to tackle once you finish the Sept. 27 NYT Mini Crossword, there are lots of other puzzles worth trying. You can visit the LA Times and the Washington Post if you’re specifically seeking more crosswords to complete. Both of these options are super similar to the NYT Mini.

Strands and Spelling Bee are also great options if you want to test out some different types of word games. Neither of these are crosswords, but they are still brain teasers designed to test your word knowledge. In Strands, your goal is to discover hidden words to figure out the secret theme while Spelling Bee challenges you to create as many words as you possibly can with the given collection of seven letters.