They're "back in town," in a 1970s rock hit

Editorially verified for the Oct 18, 2026

3 Down

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Thin Lizzy, the Irish rock band behind the 1976 hit “The Boys Are Back in Town.”

Clue explained

The clue points to Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back in Town,” a 1976 rock hit. The song follows the excitement of a group of friends returning, with a memorable twin-guitar sound that became closely associated with the Irish band. “Boys” completes the quoted phrase and identifies who’s back in town.

Clue type:
Pop culture

NYT Mini Crossword

This clue's Sunday, October 18, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Harmless lie
  2. 4Hard guy to find in a crowd?
  3. 6Milan's land
  4. 7Facial features missing from most emojis
  5. 8Texter's "Wow ... just wow"

Down

  1. 1News ___
  2. 2Not doing anything
  3. 3They're "back in town," in a 1970s rock hit
  4. 4Comes in first
  5. 5Tiny thing to split

The answer to “They're "back in town," in a 1970s rock hit” in the New York Times Mini crossword is BOYS — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Mini crossword on October 18, 2026 at 3-Down. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“They're "back in town," in a 1970s rock hit” answer

BOYS (4 letters)

Use the reveal tiles above to uncover the solution one letter at a time if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Prefer the full answer straight away? It's BOYS.

What does BOYS mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of BOYS is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(noun)

  • a male child or adolescent
  • a man, especially a young or relatively young one

When else has “They're "back in town," in a 1970s rock hit” appeared?

New York Times Mini reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

October 18, 2026 (most recent) → BOYS. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “They're "back in town," in a 1970s rock hit”?

The answer is BOYS, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Mini crossword on October 18, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “They're "back in town," in a 1970s rock hit”?

4 letters: BOYS.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times Mini crossword on October 18, 2026, at 3-Down.

Can “They're "back in town," in a 1970s rock hit” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times Mini sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of today's NYT Mini answers?

Every clue and answer from that day's puzzle is linked above, and the full grid is on the NYT Mini answers page.

New York Times Mini Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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