33 Across

NYT Daily • August 1, 2025

Nano devices

Answer:

IPODS

Hint:

["Here’s a helpful hint for the clue \"Nano devices\":\n\n**\"Apple's compact music players, in plural form.\"**\n\nThis hint:\n- Narrows the focus to Apple products (a major hint).\n- Specifies \"music players\" to guide toward the iPod line.\n- Uses \"compact\" to reinforce the \"Nano\" connection.\n- The plural form (\"players\" → \"iPods\") is a subtle nudge without giving away the answer.\n\nIt’s easier than the original clue but still requires the solver to make the final connection."]

Explanation:

The clue **"Nano devices"** leads to the answer **"IPODS"** through a combination of wordplay and product reference. 1. **"Nano"** refers to the **iPod Nano**, a specific model of Apple's iPod line, which was a compact and popular digital music player. 2. **"Devices"** hints at electronic gadgets, and "iPods" (plural) are well-known portable media devices. 3. The wordplay lies in the fact that "Nano" is both a prefix meaning extremely small (fitting the compact nature of the iPod Nano) and a direct reference to the product name. Thus, the clue cleverly combines a product line reference with a descriptive term to lead to the answer.

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