‘Flat-topped landform’ NYT Mini Crossword answer and hints

Are you a mountain person? I am, and I love taking an interest in knowing about various landforms with interesting shapes! Today’s NYT Mini Crossword clue “Flat-topped landform” tests your knowledge of various landforms and asks you to name one of them without using your geography books.

If you are having trouble with the clue, here are today’s hints and answers for the NYT Mini Crossword on Sept. 1 to help you finish the crossword.

‘Flat-topped landform’ NYT Sept. 1 Mini Crossword hints and answer

• Hint 1: The answer is commonly found in desert or semi-arid regions.
• Hint 2: The solution is not a plateau, but rather it is a remnant of plateaus or mesas that have been eroded over time. 
• Hint 3: It starts with the letter “B.”
• Hint 4: The answer rhymes with “cute,” but it has to do with the shapes of mountains. 

Let’s stop the erosion and reveal the answer. 

Did you already see it coming? The answer to three down in the Sept. 1 NYT Mini Crossword is “BUTTE.” According to Merriam-Webster, a butte is “an isolated hill or mountain with steep or precipitous sides usually having a smaller summit area than a mesa.” After plateaus get eroded due to environmental factors, they turn into mesas which give birth to butte, which are also flat-topped landforms with vertical sides. 

‘Flat-topped landform’ NYT Mini Crossword difficulty rating

While landforms are hard to miss, you wouldn’t talk or know about them if you didn’t have them in your local areas. When I first read the clue, the plateau was my go-to instinct due to the flat-topped part of the clue but eventually, I landed on the butte.

I am yet to spot a Butte in my region but, if you grew up near the western side of the U.S. then it should be a very easy word for you to answer. For that reason, I’d give it a four out of five for difficulty for most people.

NYT Mini Crossword (Sept. 1) answers

Across

• 1A What spiders craft—WEB
• 5A Total wower—BEAUT
• 6A “Pumpkin spice” order from Starbucks—LATTE
• 7A Paperless party announcement—EVITE
• 8A Discourage—DETER

Down

• 1D Craft, spider-style—WEAVE
• 2D Wipe out and face-plant, slangily—EATIT
• 3D Flat-topped landform—BUTTE
• 4D Take the helm—STEER
• 5D Ran, as colors—BLED

How to play other word games like the NYT Mini Crossword

Are you having fun solving word games like the NYT Mini Crossword? Then try your hands on solving the new crosswords at the LA Times and the Washington Post. You can also try Strands and Spelling Bee, which are solid options to continue your word games streak.