Challenging Clue in NYT Mini Crossword Stumps Many

In the current edition of the New York Times Mini Crossword issued today, puzzle-loving people stumbled upon a challenging crossword answer. The clue, listed as five-across on the August 12 puzzle, was “Plant life.” For people unfamiliar with the terminology used in botany, solving this clue would have been challenging.

The answer to this intriguing crossword was “FLORA.” More specifically, the word “flora” refers not only to life’s myriad forms, such as plants, but also to fungi and bacteria. “Flora” originated in Latin, where as some may know, “ flōs ” in Latin means “flower.” Meanwhile, from Roman mythology, the word “flora” began circulating in the times of antiquity, named after Flora: the goddess of flowers and spring. Such origin enriches the word’s application and adds a beneficial point to its professional utility.

The crossword with intriguing hints was not straightforward and called for rhymes and the use of initial letters. The puzzle’s approach was multi-faceted, providing both a fun solution to what frequently rhymes and also generally rhymes with algae and hints to start with the “F” letter. In any case, by using the current answer “FLORA,” people following the NYT Mini Crossword were reminded of the world’s commonly-used component.