Thin air, so to speak

Latest answer — June 08, 2026

3 Down

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NYT Mini Crossword

This clue's Monday, June 08, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1What someone may attempt to explain in a long, drawn-out description
  2. 6Back in style
  3. 7Remnants in a recently used fire pit
  4. 8Sheds tears
  5. 9Animal in need of adoption

Down

  1. 1Takes a card from the deck
  2. 2The Great Meme ___, movement to purge social media of "brain rot"
  3. 3Thin air, so to speak
  4. 4Colombian food cart dish
  5. 5Green and fuzzy, as a rock

The answer to “Thin air, so to speak” in the New York Times Mini crossword is ETHER — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Mini crossword on June 8, 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.

“Thin air, so to speak” answer

ETHER (5 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 ETHER.

Why the answer is ETHER

ETHER is the 5-letter solution that fits "Thin air, so to speak" in the NYT Mini crossword on June 8, 2026 (3-Down). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does ETHER mean?

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

(noun)

  • a pleasant-smelling colourless volatile liquid that is highly flammable. It is used as an anaesthetic and as a solvent or intermediate in industrial processes
  • the clear sky; the upper regions of air beyond the clouds
  • a very rarefied and highly elastic substance formerly believed to permeate all space, including the interstices between the particles of matter, and to be the medium whose vibrations constituted light and other electromagnetic radiation

When else has “Thin air, so to speak” 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.

June 8, 2026 (most recent) → ETHER. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Thin air, so to speak”?

The answer is ETHER, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Mini crossword on June 8, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Thin air, so to speak”?

5 letters: ETHER.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times Mini crossword on June 8, 2026, at 3-Down.

Can “Thin air, so to speak” 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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