‘Shallowest of the Great Lakes’ NYT Crossword clue hints and answers

If you’re not a strong swimmer, knowing the “Shallowest of the Great Lakes” might be a good way to save yourself and also save time with the July 14 NYT Mini Crossword.

You’ve got lakes, and you’ve got Great Lakes—and the name does exactly what it says on the tin. The NYT July 14 Crossword honors the shallowest of the lakes with its very own clue.

Shallowest of the Great Lakes solution in NYT Mini Crossword

• Hint 1: It has the same first and last letter.
• Hint 2: You can find the lake in North America.
• Hint 3: It’s almost “eerie” how shallow it is.
• Hint 4: It begins with an “E.”

I can’t give you any more help now, so either solve it or read on for the answer.

For four down on the July 14 Mini Crossword, the four-letter word you are looking for is “ERIE.” After doing some digging and fact-finding, Lake Erie is the fourth-largest lake of the Great Lakes—and there are five in total.

Lake Erie is the most shallow of the five lakes—the others being Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Ontario, and Lake Superior—and separates Canada and the United States.

All July 14 NYT Crossword puzzle answers

Across

• 1A TV character who says “Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It’s what separates us from the animals…except the weasel” — HOMER
• 6A Windy City airport — OHARE
• 7A The only one in the song “Tequila” is “tequila” — LYRIC
• 8A Crypto lead-in to coin — DOGE
• 9A Take to court — SUE

Down

• 1D Waits for a customer service representative, say — HOLDS
• 2D Don’t make me blush!” — OH YOU
• 3D TV character who says “I forgot to clean the lint basket in the dryer. If someone broke into the house and did laundry, it could start a fire” — MARGE
• 4D Shallowest of the Great Lakes — ERIE
• 5D Video camera button — REC

Difficulty of July 14 NYT Crossword puzzle, explained

Similar to July 14’s Windy City airport clue, this is a clue very much tailored to a US audience—which isn’t surprising given it’s the New York Times Mini Crossword. If you’re in the United States with a fairly good understanding of Geography, I reckon a three out of five difficulty rating is fair—leaning more toward a four or five if you’re not.

How to play more free Crosswords and puzzles like NYT Mini

Keep your thinking cap on and reduce the likes of the LA Times and Washington Post to dust with the power of your brain. Once you’ve smashed them, move on to even more puzzles courtesy of Strands and Spelling Bee.