I spent a while trying out different five-letter swear words for today's NYT Mini Crossword clue, "swear word," but none of them worked. It took me a while longer to realize that this clue is not meant to test your knowledge of profanity.

While some common offensive words fit into 1A, it would be surprising if the puzzle required us to guess dirty words with such a broad clue. Instead, to figure out the answer, you have to think of a synonym for the clue. Here's how to figure it out for yourself.

Any specific use of foul language you can think of is wrong and not the answer.

Find a synonym for "swear word" and remove the word "word" and you have your answer.