‘Symbol on a music staff’ NYT Mini Crossword answer and hints

There are no witches or wizards involved.

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The word “staff” in today’s NYT Mini Crossword clue is sure to cause confusion. ‘Symbol on a music staff’ literally hinges on you understanding the word “staff” in this context—otherwise, this clue probably isn’t music to your ears.

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‘Symbol on a music staff’ NYT Sept. 9 Mini Crossword hints and answer

symbol on a music staff clue in sept. 9 nyt mini crossword
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  • Hint one: The answer is a musical symbol.
  • Hint two: Almost a chef.
  • Hint three: Rhymes with deaf.
  • Hint four: It ends with “F.”

Not only is this not an easy clue, but it’s even harder to come up with tips, so let’s dive straight into the answer for you.

You’re looking for the word “CLEF” to solve ‘Symbol on a music staff’ in today’s Sept. 8 NYT Mini Crossword puzzle.

There are different types of clefs, and there’s a chance you might have seen them if you’ve ever glanced at sheet music in your time. Clefs precede a line of notes on a Staff—a series of five lines featuring musical notes—and are a vital part of musical composition.

Every NYT Mini Crossword Sept. 9 answer

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‘Mountains on the Swiss Miss logo’ NYT Mini Crossword difficulty rating

I love music, but I can’t read or write it for love or money. We’ve all had the joy of enjoying high-school music lessons, but my learnings consisted of playing the keyboard badly and singing out of tune. Learning about Clefs is a foreign language to me—and the clue is hard enough without the confusion of a “staff” being thrown into the mix. Today’s NYT Mini has some very easy clues, but this one is a four out of five for me.

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Author
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Andrew Highton
Andy is a Game Guides Writer at Dot Esports with a host of experience working at Dexerto, Twinfinite, Keengamer, and more. He's about as passionate a gamer as you're likely to find and spreads that love across a ton of different titles, but will also talk everything football, golf, and wrestling! Be sure to follow his thoughts and ramblings over at @AndyHighton8 on Twitter.