NYT Mini · 1-Across · 7 letters
If you order "ostriche" on an Italian menu, you actually get these NYT Mini crossword clue
Editorially reviewed September 12, 2026
Answer · 7 letters
OYSTERS
OYSTERS translates the Italian menu word ostriche. Its resemblance to the English word ostrich is misleading: the menu is offering shellfish, not large birds. The plural these matches the plural answer.
Different crossing letters? Check another fit →Do not read an Italian word as an English bird
Ostriche resembles ostrich closely enough to invite a quick wrong guess. The clue's Italian menu context overrides that resemblance: ostrica means oyster, so the food is shellfish. Actually is the clue's warning that the obvious English-looking interpretation will mislead you.
The plural explains both the Italian ending and the answer
Ostrica is singular; ostriche refers to more than one oyster. That fits the clue's these and the seven-letter OYSTERS. A singular OYSTER would lose the grammatical match, while OSTRICH would follow the wrong-language interpretation even though it also has seven letters.
References behind this explanation
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Where this clue appeared
1-Across in NYT Mini puzzle for September 12, 2026.
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