Crossword Clue: Tiny cheese-nibbling rodent
Here's the answer to the Tiny cheese-nibbling rodent crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: MOUSE
MOUSE solves the clue "Tiny cheese-nibbling rodent". Spanning 5 letters (3 vowels, 2 consonants), it begins at M and ends at E. Like most crossword fill, it lives at the intersection of two words, so a single confirmed crossing letter frequently reveals the whole entry.
Origin & meaning
The mouse is a small rodent found nearly everywhere humans live. Its name was borrowed for the computer pointing device in the 1960s because the early models' cords resembled a tail.
Common usage
Mouse turns up often in crosswords because of that letter mix. Words like MOUSE interlock cleanly with longer entries, so constructors reach for them to make a grid fit together without awkward clashes. Given a 5-square slot and a crossing letter or two, it's usually quick to confirm.
Crossword trivia
At 5 letters, MOUSE shows up in daily mini and themed puzzles far more than longer, obscure words. It's the kind of entry worth memorizing — the more common short words you know cold, the faster you solve.
Stuck on this clue?
If this clue won't come, leave it and fill the answers that cross it. Once a couple of MOUSE's letters are locked by neighboring words, the entry tends to reveal itself. Crossings beat staring at a clue every time.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue MOUSE — sometimes with a straight dictionary definition, sometimes with wordplay, a pun, or a fill-in-the-blank — but the answer itself stays the same. Learning to spot the answer behind the disguise is a core crossword skill.
Example sentences
- "Seeing 'Tiny cheese-nibbling rodent' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in MOUSE almost immediately."
- "Once the M was confirmed by the crossing word, MOUSE was the only entry that fit."
- "A 5-letter slot and a clue like 'Tiny cheese-nibbling rodent'? That's MOUSE nine times out of ten."