NYT Midi Crossword Answers for Wednesday, September 23, 2026: “Start the Music!”

Wednesday, September 23, 2026 · Today's NYT Midi Crossword answers

SEP23

NYT Midi Crossword

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

9×9“Start the Music!”By Tarun KrishnamurthyEdited by Ian Livengood

30 clues. Tap Reveal on any clue for just that answer, or open the full solution at the bottom.

This Midi was titled “Start the Music!” — the title hints at the theme. Clues that point at it: 10A, 19A.

Across

  1. 1Request that might make you stick out your tongue (5)
    RevealSAYAH
  2. 6"No ___, ands or buts!" (3)
    RevealIFS
  3. 9Calmness under pressure (5)
    RevealPOISE
  4. 10Made it through a round of musical chairs, say (3)
    RevealSAT
  5. 11Leader of the pack (9)
    RevealALPHAMALE
  6. 13Salary bump (5)
    RevealRAISE
  7. 14One with well-groomed dogs? (9)
    RevealFOOTMODEL
  8. 18Tennis star Agassi (5)
    RevealANDRE
  9. 19"In Rainbows" rock band ... or a collective feature of the circled letters in 11- and 14-Across? (9)
    RevealRADIOHEAD
  10. 24$1,000,000, casually (3)
    RevealMIL
  11. 25Taste quality of soy sauce and miso (5)
    RevealUMAMI
  12. 26"My bad," in a text (3)
    RevealSRY
  13. 27Tribal emblem (5)
    RevealTOTEM

Down

  1. 1Where you might get into hot water? (3)
    RevealSPA
  2. 2"You've got mail" co. (3)
    RevealAOL
  3. 3Sharp bark (3)
    RevealYIP
  4. 4Campfire residue (3)
    RevealASH
  5. 5"You'll probably think this is crazy, but ..." (9)
    RevealHEARMEOUT
  6. 6"Let me repeat ..." (5)
    RevealISAID
  7. 7Test answer that has a 50/50 shot of being correct (5)
    RevealFALSE
  8. 8"Stainless" metal (5)
    RevealSTEEL
  9. 12Chinese Communist Party leader Zedong (3)
    RevealMAO
  10. 14Produces produce (5)
    RevealFARMS
  11. 15Currently broadcasting (5)
    RevealONAIR
  12. 16In a strange way (5)
    RevealODDLY
  13. 17Swim-bike-run race, for short (3)
    RevealTRI
  14. 20Med. care option (3)
    RevealHMO
  15. 21"___, drink and be merry" (3)
    RevealEAT
  16. 22Inits. in some Black churches (3)
    RevealAME
  17. 23Faintly lit (3)
    RevealDIM
Crossword regulars in this grid (spoilers)

Answers in this NYT Midi Crossword that had shown up before, counted over the 210 puzzles since February 2026:

SPA ×14ASH ×8EAT ×5UMAMI ×5SAT ×4IFS ×3TRI ×3AOL ×2

Show all 30 answers and the solved grid

Across: 1A SAYAH6A IFS9A POISE10A SAT11A ALPHAMALE13A RAISE14A FOOTMODEL18A ANDRE19A RADIOHEAD24A MIL25A UMAMI26A SRY27A TOTEM

Down: 1D SPA2D AOL3D YIP4D ASH5D HEARMEOUT6D ISAID7D FALSE8D STEEL12D MAO14D FARMS15D ONAIR16D ODDLY17D TRI20D HMO21D EAT22D AME23D DIM

About This NYT Midi Crossword

The NYT Midi for Wednesday, September 23, 2026 was a 9×9 grid by Tarun Krishnamurthy, edited by Ian Livengood, titled “Start the Music!”, with 30 clues; the longest answer ran 9 letters. That is 3 fewer than the average Wednesday before it (32.6).

Also on Sep 23: the NYT Mini Crossword and the NYT Crossword.

Earlier September 2026 NYT Midi Crossword Answers

Sep 1Sep 2Sep 3Sep 4Sep 5Sep 6Sep 7Sep 8Sep 9Sep 10Sep 11Sep 12Sep 13Sep 14Sep 15Sep 16Sep 17Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22Sep 23

Every earlier puzzle is in the NYT Midi Crossword archive. For the newest one, see today's NYT Midi Crossword answers, which switch to the next puzzle as soon as it's released.

Unofficial fan guide — not affiliated with or endorsed by The New York Times. Clues are quoted for reference.