“Don’t Have ___, Man!” — NYT Mini Crossword Clue (October 14, 2025)
This clue leans on iconic pop culture. The Word Tips archive reveals the direct answer and reinforces why the phrase belongs in the NYT Mini. Apostrophes are displayed as ' and quotation marks as " to keep the content semantically clean.
5 Across
“Don’t have ___, man!”
Bart Simpson's trademark line from The Simpsons resolves cleanly to A COW. The grid uses a space within the entry, which the NYT Mini supports for short multi-word pop references.
Why A COW Is the Right Fill
Pop Culture Context
- The catchphrase, delivered by Bart Simpson, is textbook late-eighties animation slang.
- Word Tips hints point to beef as the meat from a cow, reinforcing the missing noun.
- Editors love quoting Bart for lively mini grids; this is a familiar fill for solver veterans.
Crossing Reliability
- A pairs with CIGS at 1-Across.
- C crosses CARBS, guaranteeing that the second letter is locked immediately.
- O finishes the crossing with ICARUS, while W matches SWEDES in the down stack.
Solving Insights
Recognize Quoted Clues
Quotation marks nearly always signal direct speech or a recognizable expression. Scan your memory for cultural touchstones before considering literal definitions.
Expect Multi-Word Entries
Minis often allow short two-word phrases. When the clue format like “Don’t have ___, man!” includes punctuation, an answer such as A COW becomes obvious.
Use Crossword Memory
The Simpsons quotes are perennial favorites. Logging them in your crossword memory bank reduces future guesswork.
Word Tips Signal
The source site highlighted a clue about beef being from a cow, echoing the answer directly for quick confirmation.
Vocabulary Boost
Related Phrases
- “Eat my shorts!”
- “Ay caramba!”
- “Cowabunga!”
Crossword Crossovers
- BART
- HOMER
- MARGE
- LISA
Letter Breakdown
The grid treats the entry as two tokens, “A” and “COW.” Minis frequently include spaces in entries, so do not overthink the enumeration when a quote-based clue appears.