‘Respectful denial’ NYT Mini Crossword puzzle clue answer and hints

So polite.

The respectful denial clue for the NYT Mini Crossword under a crossword image.
Image by Dot Esports

For today’s “Respectful denial” NYT Mini Crossword puzzle, you need to come up with a polite way of refuting something or someone. This can be tough to do, so unsurprisingly, this is a pretty tricky clue to solve.

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This clue is two down and five letters long, which means solving it is sure to help you work through the rest of the puzzle, too. If you’re having trouble decoding the answer for the Sept. 6 “Respectful denial” clue, here are some hints and the official answer to help you solve it.

‘Respectful denial’ NYT Mini Crossword clue Sept. 6 hints

The respectful denial clue on the NYT Mini Crossword.
You’re looking for a five-letter solution. Screenshot by Dot Esports
  • Hint 1: It’s technically two words but is written as one for this puzzle.
  • Hint 2: The first word is two letters and the second word is three letters.
  • Hint 3: The first word is “NO.”
  • Hint 4: An anagram for the solution is “IRONS.”

Stop here until you’re ready to learn the answer to this clue, because I’m going to reveal it now.

‘Respectful denial’ NYT Mini answer

The answer to today’s “Respectful denial” NYT Mini Crossword clue is “NOSIR.” This is a fancy and polite way of denying or disagreeing with something, which makes it exactly the “Respectful denial” we’re looking for.

‘Respectful denial’ clue difficulty rating

It’s always quite tricky to solve crossword clues when the solution is two words, but it doesn’t tell you that. And even if you do realize it’s two, it can still be a pretty tough one to solve, so I’m giving this NYT Mini Crossword clue a four out of five difficulty rating. It’s one of the tougher ones I’ve seen.

All Sept. 6 NYT Mini Crossword clues and answers

Across

  • 1A Pioneering video game in which you sliter around and eat apples — SNAKE
  • 6A Mailing alternative to a home address — POBOX
  • 7A Grammy winner HayesISAAC
  • 8A Words on a book’s spine — TITLE
  • 9A Bona fideREAL

Down

  • 1D ___valve (Drainage feature on a brass instrument) — SPIT
  • 2D Respectful denial — NOSIR
  • 3D SubsideABATE
  • 4D Animal whose closest living relative is the wombat — KOALA
  • 5D Microsoft’s alternative to Google Sheets — EXCEL

Games like the NYT Mini Crossword

The word game fun doesn’t have to end when you finish filling out today’s NYT Mini Crossword because there are plenty of other puzzles like it. If you want to work on some other crosswords, you may enjoy the LA Times or the Washington Post. You can also mix things up by trying a different type of word game like Strands or Spelling Bee for a fresh experience.

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.