‘Quite the contrary’ NYT Mini Crossword answer and hints

I don’t object to this clue, “Quite the contrary,” in fact. It’s a perfectly understandable clue with a pretty on-the-nose meaning. It’s understandable if you struggle with this NYT Mini Crossword question, and I have hints to steer you in the right direction if you can’t think of the answer.

‘Quite the contrary’ NYT Sept. 10 Mini Crossword hints and answer

• Hint one: It’s two words.
• Hint two: It isn’t as it seems.
• Hint three: The same vowel is repeated twice.
• Hint four: Ends with “O.”

You’re looking for two words, and I’m hoping this revelation is a game-changer. If not, let’s reveal the solution.

“NOT SO” is the correct answer for three down in the Sept. 10 NYT Mini Crossword. Again, the NYT Crossword doesn’t indicate if an answer is two words, immediately enforcing a higher difficulty curve. All the hints get you as close to the real solution without giving away, and it should move you toward completing the overall crossword.

All clues and answers from the Sept. 10 NYT Mini Crossword puzzle

Across

• 1A What a phisher might try to get you to click — LINK
• 5A “___Copperhead,” Barbara Kingsolver novel that won a 2023 Pulitzer — DEMON
• 6A Act melodramatically — EMOTE
• 7A One just squeaking by? — MOUSE
• 8A Suspicious of — ONTO

Down

• 1D Fruit used to treat scurvy — LEMON
• 2D “Catch ya later!” — IM OUT
• 3D “Quite the contrary!” — NOT SO
• 4D Bending body part — KNEE
• 5D Music submission to a recording studio — DEMO

Is the ‘Quite the contrary’ clue difficult to solve?

Any clue broken up into two words is automatically bumped up a couple of difficulty levels—as I’ve explained before (if you’re a regular reader), most crosswords indicate if an answer is two words. “Not so” makes a lot of sense, but it’s not immediately obvious, so I give this a four out of five for difficulty.

Best puzzle and word games to play after NYT Mini Crossword

Other word games like the NYT Mini Crossword exist, and the LA Times, Washington Post, Strands, and Spelling Bee are fantastic mental tests for you to take on, and they appear daily, giving you refreshed puzzles every day.