Welcome to our crossword puzzle solution guide where we help you crack those tricky Clues and reveal the answers to today's most challenging puzzles today we're diving into the New York Times crossword for September 10th 2024 and the clue that's stumped many solvers is asterisk one just squeaking by asterisk at first glance this might seem like a reference to someone who's barely managing or perhaps just scraping through a difficult situation the phrase squeaking by is often used to describe someone who's just getting by or succeeding with a bare minimum of effort or resources however in classic crossword style there's a clever twist to this clue we need to focus on the word squeaking this is where the puzzle clever play on words comes into action instead of thinking of squeaking by in a metaphorical sense let's shift gears and think more literally what creature do we associate with squeaking that's right a small animal famous for its high-pitch squeaks often found scampering around and typically doing just enough to avoid getting caught the mouse in this clue the nyt crossword is using a fun word play where squeaking by not only describes barely making it but also hints at a small creature known for squeaking the answer to the clue asterisk one just squeaking by asterisk isn't a person or a thing that's struggling but rather an actual squeaker so the answer to the clue fitting neatly in the crossword puzzle is Mouse