NYT Strands today is themed around classic fine dining
Spangram: FINEDINING sets the tone for an elegant meal
Find all course-related words to complete the puzzle
An enchanting mosaic graces the May 20 edition of the NYT Strands, giving the atmosphere of fine dining a gourmet twist. Today’s puzzle is set against a backdrop of fine cuisine with multi-course meals. It highlights the appreciation of services as a theme.
Today’s word search leads the solver through the courses of a typical fine dining experience. Whether you are into the culinary arts or simply love word games, this is a very tasty journey to the dinner table.
Strands keeps its classic 6x8 grid packed with concealed words centered on a unifying theme. The puzzle’s core is the spangram, a unique word or phrase spanning the length of the board, foreshadowing the day’s unifying concept. The goal? Identify all theme-related words and unveil the entire culinary story bubbling under the surface.
To begin cooking, solvers need to first extract three words, which are at least four letters in length. These are not theme-related but serve as prep work, unblocking hints that feed toward learning the theme-directed words and the spangram of utmost importance.
The spangram FINEDINING is the focus of today, cutting across the grid like a finely honed chef’s knife. It introduces the classic dining experience and signals the arrival of the course-themed words that accompany it.
Each word is a classic element of a multi-course fine dining meal:
SALAD – A refreshing and crisp starter to awaken the palate
APPETIZERS – Savory bite-sized morsels to begin the meal
SOUP – A soothing and warm interlude
ENTREE – The main attraction, filling and satisfying all
CHEESE – An upscale European-style follow-up to CHEESE
DESSERT – The decadent sweet finale to the meal
Each of these choices provides a full fine dining experience, one classy word at a time.
More than just a game is the promise of today’s Strands puzzle sampling menu of fun and linguistics. With FINEDINING threading through its core, each course name word finds its rightful placement, akin to a wine matched to perfection. Elegant, filling, and smartly built-apt to fine dining and keeping one nimble! Bonne degustation!