The New York Times Crossword for October 4, 2024, is packed with fresh wordplay, clever clues, and mind-bending challenges that puzzle enthusiasts have come to love. Today's crossword offers a stimulating mix of vocabulary, general knowledge, and cryptic clues that will have solvers scratching their heads in delight and frustration. Whether you're a seasoned solver or a newcomer to the crossword game, the joy of uncovering the answers, piece by piece, is sure to be satisfying. Keep your thinking cap on and be ready for some unexpected twists as you work through today's puzzle!

NY Times Crossword Answers for October 04, 2024

Across:

• [Chef’s kiss]: MWAH
  (A sound or expression mimicking the motion of kissing, often used to signify perfection or approval.)
• Tablet that’s impossible to swallow?: IPAD
  (A play on words, referring to the Apple iPad, a tablet device that you cannot physically swallow.)
• Some ballpark figures: RBIS
  (Short for Runs Batted In, a statistic in baseball.)
• Burgundy specialty: PINOT NOIR
  (A type of wine made from the Pinot Noir grape, commonly associated with the Burgundy region of France.)
• Fair sight: BOOTH
  (A stall or small structure at a fair, typically used for selling goods or games.)
• Place to conceal oneself: HIDEY HOLE
  (A small, concealed place where someone can hide.)
• Onetime home of the world’s largest pineapple plantation: LANAI
  (An island in Hawaii, once home to a large pineapple plantation.)
• Lock horns (with): SPAR
  (To engage in a heated argument or fight, often in a competitive manner.)
• Customarily: AS A RULE
  (Meaning generally or in most cases.)
• Part of a speaker’s introduction: BIO
  (Short for biography, a brief introduction about the speaker’s background.)
• Inscrutable sorts: ENIGMAS
  (People or things that are difficult to understand or interpret.)
• Word said with a salute: SIR
  (A formal term of address, often used in the military.)
• Email status: UNREAD
  (Refers to emails that have not yet been opened or read.)
• Initialism that precedes “+”: LGBTQIA
  (An acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and more.)
• Pluses and minuses, e.g.: SIGNS
  (Refers to the symbols "+" and "-" used in mathematics or other contexts.)
• Common suspect in a murder mystery: HEIR
  (Someone who stands to inherit, often a prime suspect in fictional murder mysteries.)
• It has an alumni magazine called Shipmate, in brief: USNA
  (United States Naval Academy, which publishes the alumni magazine "Shipmate.")
• Pennsylvanie, e.g.: ETAT
  (The French word for "state," as in the French name for Pennsylvania.)
• Frequent Missy Elliott collaborator: CIARA
  (A singer who has worked closely with rapper Missy Elliott.)
• “Citizen ___” (2021 documentary about a tennis icon): ASHE
  (Refers to "Citizen Ashe," a documentary about tennis legend Arthur Ashe.)
• Take in a spread: DINE
  (To eat a meal, especially one laid out as a spread.)
• Code inits.: HTML
  (Hypertext Markup Language, the standard coding language for creating web pages.)
• Down state?: BLUES
  (Refers to feeling sad or "down," as well as a genre of music known as the blues.)
• Landing site for Raptors and Eagles: AIRBASE
  (A military base where aircraft like Raptors and Eagles (fighter jets) land.)
• Once, for one: NUMERO
  (Short for the Latin "numero uno," meaning number one or first.)
• Business name abbr.: LLC
  (Short for Limited Liability Company, a common business structure.)
• Many: LOADS OF
  (Meaning a large quantity or number of something.)
• Make soaking wet: SOP
  (To soak up liquid, usually with a sponge or cloth.)
• “This is heaven!”: AH BLISS
  (A phrase expressing extreme pleasure or contentment.)
• Acrobat displays: PDFS
  (A play on the word "Acrobat," referring to Adobe Acrobat software, which handles PDFs.)
• Prepare to swing, say: TEE UP
  (To set a golf ball on a tee, preparing to hit it.)
• Things that might get broken at a raucous party: NOISE LAWS
  (Laws regulating noise levels, which might be violated during loud parties.)
• Bitter green: CRESS
  (A peppery-flavored leafy green often used in salads.)
• In the buff: AU NATUREL
  (French for "in the natural state," meaning naked.)
• Weight: HEFT
  (The weight or heaviness of an object.)
• Heart of the matter: GIST
  (The essential or main point of something.)
• Demo for many parents of Alphas: GEN Y
  (Refers to Generation Y, the parents of Generation Alpha.)

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Down:

• Speed reading, for short: MPH
  (Short for Miles Per Hour, a measurement of speed.)
• ___ Sports (hit video game): WII
  (Refers to Wii Sports, a popular video game for the Nintendo Wii console.)
• It can lead to a longer sentence: AND
  (The word "and" can extend a sentence by adding additional clauses.)
• Landscapers’ tools: HOES
  (Gardening tools used for weeding and tilling soil.)
• Under control: IN HAND
  (Meaning that a situation is being managed or is under control.)
• Indian fried bread: POORI
  (A deep-fried Indian bread that puffs up when cooked.)
• Suffer: AIL
  (To experience pain or illness.)
• Certain romantic ideal: DREAM GIRL
  (A term for someone who embodies one's ideal romantic partner.)
• Sound from a jubilant crowd: ROAR
  (The loud cheering or noise made by an excited crowd.)
• Periodical supplements: BONUS ISSUES
  (Special additional issues of a magazine or periodical.)
• Long lunch?: ITALIAN HERO
  (A type of long sandwich, often filled with Italian meats and cheeses.)
• Less forward: SHIER
  (Comparative form of "shy," meaning more reserved or timid.)
• Go-getters, often: TYPE AS
  (People with Type A personalities, known for being ambitious and hardworking.)
• So-called “explosion shot” from a sand trap: BLAST
  (A powerful shot in golf used to hit the ball out of a sand trap.)
• Big name in hummus: SABRA
  (A popular brand of hummus and other Mediterranean foods.)
• Cleared up after waiting, perhaps: BUSED
  (To clear tables in a restaurant, typically after patrons have left.)
• Form instruction: INITIAL HERE
  (A directive to place your initials in a specific spot on a form.)
• What often carries a U.S.D.A. seal: ORGANIC BEEF
  (Meat that meets the standards set by the USDA for organic certification.)
• Shone brightly: GLEAMED
  (To shine or glow with light.)
• Step into: ENTER
  (To walk into a place or situation.)
• Pang of conscience: QUALM
  (A feeling of doubt or unease about doing something.)
• Runs into some difficulties: HITS A SNAG
  (Encountering an unexpected problem or obstacle.)
• High-end skin-care brand: AESOP
  (A luxury skin-care brand known for its high-quality products.)
• Total disarray: CHAOS
  (A state of complete confusion or disorder.)
• Self-serving arrangement?: BUFFET
  (A meal service where guests serve themselves from a variety of dishes.)
• Momentary disruptions: BLIPS
  (Small, temporary interruptions or glitches.)
• Acknowledges tacitly: NODS AT
  (To give subtle or indirect recognition.)
• Shut securely: LATCH
  (To fasten a door or gate with a latch.)
• Classic ice-skating moves: SPINS
  (A figure skating move where the skater rotates rapidly on the ice.)
• Intense craving: LUST
  (A powerful desire, often for something physical or material.)
• Metaphor for idleness: SLUG
  (A creature that moves slowly, often used to describe a lazy person.)
• Cannes “confirm”?: OUI
  (The French word for "yes," commonly used in France and French-speaking regions.)
• “___ not!”: ARE
  (Used in phrases like “Are not!” to deny or contradict something.)
• Liu regarded as China’s first supermodel: WEN
  (Refers to Liu Wen, a prominent Chinese model.)
• Apt letters missing from _ _ ipper _: SLY
  (The missing letters spell "slippery," describing someone who is sneaky or devious.)

Thanks for Checking Out Today’s NYT Crossword Answers! 

As you wrap up today's New York Times Crossword for October 4, 2024, take a moment to appreciate the mental workout you've just completed. Whether you breezed through the clues or found yourself stumped by a few tricky ones, every puzzle offers a chance to sharpen your mind and discover new words or clever twists. The satisfaction of filling in those final squares is unmatched, and no matter the difficulty, the journey of solving is always the most rewarding part. Until the next puzzle, keep those problem-solving skills sharp and enjoy the little victories along the way!