This clue appeared in the NYT Crossword on Monday, January 12, 2026 (16 Across) and the Mini Crossword on Monday, December 15, 2025 (2 Down). The answer is hidden below until you want it. Monday puzzles are the easiest of the week, so the clue is likely a plain definition.
How to read this clue
This is a fill-in-the-blank clue: the answer completes the phrase, title or quotation.
NYT Crossword, January 12, 2026, 16 Across
Answer length: 5 squares
First letter
N _ _ _ _
First and last letters
N _ _ _ O
Show the answer
About the answer
NITRO as a word: (uncountable, chemistry) The univalent NO₂ functional group; (uncountable, informal) Nitrous oxide; the system that adds nitrous oxide to a car engine; by extension, a boost mechanic to speed up cars in a video game.
NITRO has been an answer 4 times in the NYT Crossword and Mini since December 15, 2025.
Mini Crossword, December 15, 2025, 2 Down
Answer length: 5 squares
First letter
N _ _ _ _
First and last letters
N _ _ _ O
Show the answer
Other clues with the same answer
More clues from this puzzle
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- Place to store a lawn mower (11 Across)
- Hawaiian greeting (15 Across)
- Concluding part of a song (17 Across)
- Rhyming advice to a spitting talker (18 Across)
- "Halt!" (21 Across)
- ___-anxiety (fear of harm to the environment caused by human activity) (22 Across)
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