Welcome to your go-to source for today's NY Times crossword answers! September 30 2024, Whether you're a seasoned puzzler or just starting your journey, we've got you covered with the latest clues and solutions. Crossword puzzles are a fantastic way to challenge your mind, explore language, and enjoy a little bit of wordplay. Dive in as we unravel today's grid, helping you conquer those tricky clues and making your puzzle experience even more enjoyable!

NYTimes Crossword Answers for September 30, 2024

Across

Wheel’s place on a ship: HELM
(The steering mechanism of a ship.)

It beats a high card but nothing else: PAIR
(A low-ranking poker hand consisting of two cards of the same rank.)

Activist Parks: ROSA
(Rosa Parks, civil rights activist known for her role in the Montgomery bus boycott.)

Elder Obama daughter: MALIA
(Malia Obama, daughter of former U.S. President Barack Obama.)

New York Times opinion writer Klein: EZRA
(Ezra Klein, an opinion columnist and podcast host for The New York Times.)

The “Iliad,” for one: EPIC
(A long, narrative poem about heroic deeds.)

Sentence that often appears in the first paragraph of an essay: THESIS STATEMENT
(A sentence that presents the main argument or point of an essay.)

Mover’s vehicle: VAN
(A large vehicle used for transporting goods or belongings.)

Shoe brand named for a Greek goddess: NIKE
(Nike, a popular athletic shoe brand, named after the Greek goddess of victory.)

Loses on purpose, as an N.B.A. team: TANKS
(When a sports team intentionally loses games to secure a better draft position.)

Quick confirmation of feasibility: SANITY CHECK
(A brief assessment to ensure an idea or plan is reasonable.)

Jokes around: KIDS
(To tease or act in a playful manner.)

Massachusetts college town: AMHERST
(A town in Massachusetts home to several colleges, including Amherst College.)

Overused and uncreative: STALE
(No longer fresh, original, or interesting.)

Part of the hand: PALM
(The inner surface of the hand between the fingers and the wrist.)

Kinda: SEMI
(Informal term meaning partially or somewhat.)

Carry (around): LUG
(To haul or carry something with effort.)

Dose for an LSD trip: ACID TAB
(A small paper tab infused with LSD, a hallucinogenic drug.)

Jerry’s foe in old cartoons: TOM
(Tom, the cat in the cartoon series "Tom and Jerry.")

Fastidious to a fault: ANAL
(Being overly meticulous or obsessive about details.)

“Sadly ?”: ALAS
(An expression of sorrow or regret.)

Old enough: OF AGE
(Legally an adult.)

Classic ice cream order: VANILLA
(A popular ice cream flavor.)

Doughnut shapes: TORI
(Plural of torus, a doughnut-shaped geometric shape.)

Football player in upstate New York: BUFFALO BILL
(A member of the Buffalo Bills, an NFL team based in Buffalo, New York.)

Animal in “Happy hump day!” memes: CAMEL
(A camel, often featured in Wednesday or “hump day” memes.)

iPhone assistant: SIRI
(Apple’s virtual assistant.)

Not worth a ___: SOU
(A small amount of money; a French coin of low value.)

Cry from someone seeking revenge ? or a hint to the ends of 16-, 22-, 37- and 49-Across: YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS
(A phrase uttered by someone vowing revenge. Each starred clue ends in something that you would pay for.)

Poker buy-in: ANTE
(The amount of money required to participate in a poker game.)

A panda’s is 99% bamboo: DIET
(The food intake of an animal, which for pandas mainly consists of bamboo.)

Remote-controlled flier: DRONE
(An unmanned aerial vehicle controlled remotely.)

Must have: NEED
(A necessity or essential item.)

The “A” of M.F.A.: ARTS
(The Master of Fine Arts degree.)

Little drinks: SIPS
(Small amounts of liquid consumed at a time.)

---

Down

Laughing sounds: HA HAS
(Sounds made when laughing heartily.)

Supreme Court justice appointed by Barack Obama: ELENA KAGAN
(Associate Justice Elena Kagan, appointed by President Obama.)

Fleur-de-___: LIS
(A stylized lily used as a decorative design.)

Key point: MAIN IDEA
(The central or most important point in a text or conversation.)

Irksome: PESKY
(Annoying or bothersome.)

Empire whose capital city was Tenochtitlán: AZTEC
(The Aztec Empire, whose capital was Tenochtitlán, located in present-day Mexico City.)

NPR host Glass: IRA
(Ira Glass, host of the radio show “This American Life.”)

Tattle (on): RAT
(To inform on someone, often in a disloyal way.)

2023’s “Fatal Attraction” and “The Little Mermaid”: REMAKES
(New versions of old films.)

Word before ended, handed or minded: OPEN
(Common phrases such as "open-ended" or "open-handed.")

Drop in the ocean?: SINK
(To descend to the bottom, as a ship might in water.)

Laws passed by Congress: ACTS
(Legislation enacted by the government.)

Cable channel that first showed “Beavis and Butt-head”: MTV
(MTV, a channel known for its music videos and original programming.)

Plops oneself down: SITS
(To sit down heavily or casually.)

___ A Sketch (classic toy): ETCH
(Etch A Sketch, a drawing toy that uses knobs to create lines.)

Zilch: NIL
(Zero, nothing.)

Ceases: HALTS
(To stop or come to an end.)

Actress Watson: EMMA
(Emma Watson, actress known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series.)

Mom-and-pop store, e.g.: RETAIL SHOP
(A small, family-owned business.)

Pollution that can change the colors of a sunset: SMOG
(A combination of smoke and fog, often causing pollution.)

Stat of interest to a competitive crossword solver: TIME
(The amount of time taken to complete a crossword puzzle.)

Balkan native: SLAV
(A person from a Slavic country in the Balkans.)

Yellowfin or bluefin: TUNA
(A type of large, migratory fish.)

Rice dish: PILAF
(A dish made with rice and spices.)

Early computer scientist Lovelace: ADA
(Ada Lovelace, often regarded as the first computer programmer.)

Baby cow: CALF
(A young cow or bull.)

Loud and unhappy sports fans, in slang: BOO BIRDS
(Fans who express their displeasure by booing.)

Defamed in print: LIBELED
(To publish false statements that damage a person’s reputation.)

Sat. preceder: FRI
(The abbreviation for Friday, the day before Saturday.)

Temporarily calm period: LULL
(A brief period of quiet or inactivity.)

Spanish bull: TORO
(The Spanish word for bull.)

Thus far: AS YET
(Up until now.)

Pumps iron at the gym: LIFTS
(To lift weights for exercise.)

Some cuts of pork: LOINS
(Cuts of meat from the back of a pig.)

The “C” of a printer’s CMYK: CYAN
(A color used in printing, alongside magenta, yellow, and black.)

Top-notch: A ONE
(Indicating something of the highest quality.)

Button to press when stepping away from a Zoom meeting: MUTE
(A button that silences the microphone.)

Employ: USE
(To put into service.)

Kissing on the street, e.g., for short: PDA
(Public display of affection.)

It’s almost 80% nitrogen: AIR
(The mixture of gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.)

Quadri- minus one: TRI
(The prefix meaning three.)

Thanks for Checking Out Today’s NYT Crossword Answers! 

And there you have it—NYT Crossword Answers for September 30, 2024! Whether you were stumped by a tough clue or simply wanted to confirm your guesses, we hope this guide helped you complete today’s puzzle with ease. Check back tomorrow for more answers and happy solving!