‘What you can make dance by putting a little boogie in it, in an old joke’ NYT Mini Crossword puzzle clue answer and hints

Here's the solution for the "What you can make dance by putting a little boogie in it, in an old joke" clue on the Oct. 24 NYT Mini Crossword.

A disco ball and three people dancing by the What you can make dance by putting a little boogie in it, in an old joke NYT Mini Crossword clue.
Image by Dot Esports

The “What you can make dance by putting a little boogie in it, in an old joke” clue on today’s NYT Mini Crossword challenges you to find the right word related to this fairly silly joke. It’s tougher than you might expect to solve this one.

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This is an easy clue to get stumped by, so here are some hints and the answer to help you solve the “What you can make dance by putting a little boogie in it, in an old joke” clue on the Oct. 24 NYT Mini Crossword puzzle.

‘What you can make dance by putting a little boogie in it, in an old joke’ Oct. 24 NYT Mini Crossword hints

The What you can make dance by putting a little boogie in it, in an old joke clue highlighted on the NYT Mini Crossword.
The solution is a five-letter word. Screenshot by Dot Esports
  • Hint 1: It ends with the letter “Y.”
  • Hint 2: A small piece of fabric you can wipe your nose on.
  • Hint 3: It starts with the letter “H.”
  • Hint 4: Another word for handkerchief.

Ready to learn the answer? I’m going to reveal it now, so make sure you have your best guess ready to go before continuing.

‘What you can make dance by putting a little boogie in it, in an old joke’ NYT Mini answer

The solution for the “What you can make dance by putting a little boogie in it, in an old joke” clue on the Oct. 24 NYT Mini Crossword is “HANKY.” This word refers to a handkerchief and is a joke that putting a boogie, which actually means booger, into a hanky can cause it to dance since boogie is a genre of dance and music.

‘What you can make dance by putting a little boogie in it, in an old joke’ clue difficulty rating

Since this clue references an old and not super common joke, there’s a good chance you haven’t heard of it before which can make this one a tricky clue to solve. There are also other words that might come to mind first like “TISSUE,” so arriving at “HANKY” as the correct solution isn’t easy.

I think this is one of the toughest clues I’ve seen on the NYT Mini Crossword because it’s one you’re not likely to get unless you’re familiar with this specific joke. Because of this, I’m giving this clue a five out of five difficulty rating.

All Oct. 24 NYT Mini Crossword clues and answers

Across

  • 1A Horse’s foot — HOOF
  • 5A More than enough — AMPLE
  • 7A Like movies listed on Rotten Tomatoes — RATED
  • 8A Recoiled (from) — SHIED
  • 9A What you can make dance by putting a little boogie in it, in an old joke — HANKY

Down

  • 1D Like some criticism and winter weather — HARSH
  • 2D Nebraka’s largest city — OMAHA
  • 3D Agree to receive promotional emails, say — OPTIN
  • 4D On __ (super stylish, in 2010s slang) — FLEEK
  • 6D Swirl, as water — EDDY

Games like the NYT Mini Crossword

There are lots of other great word games you might enjoy after finishing the Oct. 24 NYT Mini Crossword puzzle. For more crossword fun, head over to the LA Times and the Washington Post. If you’re looking to try something different instead, you might enjoy Strands and Spelling Bee.

Author
Image of Kacee Fay
Kacee Fay
Staff Writer at Dot Esports covering new releases and a wide array of topics including Minecraft, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Phasmophobia, general gaming, streaming, and more. She has been avidly writing and gaming her whole life and now spends her time combining the two. Kacee graduated from San Diego State University in 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a Certificate in Creative Editing and Publishing. She then joined Dot Esports as a Freelance Writer in 2022 before transitioning to a Staff Writer in 2023. In her spare time, she enjoys buying more books than she can read, gaming alone or with friends, drinking too much tea, attending concerts, fangirling over movies and television, listening to music, and spending time with her family, friends, and pets, who are the most important parts of her world.