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Football Actions: PASS, PUNT, SNAP, and SPIKE are all plays in the game.
Water Sources: RAIN, SPRING, TAP, and WELL keep you hydrated.
Sharp Fasteners: BRAD, NAIL, PIN, and TACK belong in your toolbox.
The New York Times Connections puzzle remains wedded to the delicate equilibrium of simplicity and wily complexity, and this week’s grid (Puzzle #743) delivers a heatwave of challenge under a reassuringly mundane exterior. On the surface, many solvers will have glimpsed sports terminology or arbitrary names. However, this weekend’s edition explored deeper themes, ranging from action verbs and sources of water to 1980s cartoony nostalgia.
Whereas some groups disclosed themselves quickly, others, especially those related to pop culture abbreviations and hardware terminology, required a precise balance of domain expertise and lateral thinking.
Regardless of whether you soared through or reached your four-strike cap, here’s the complete analysis of today’s Connections puzzle, word for word and group by group.
TACK, TAP, RAP, SNAP, LEO, BRAD, SPIKE, DON, NAIL, WELL, MIC, PASS, SPRING, RAIN, PUNT, PIN
This set comprises four words related to the traditional and contemporary methods humans use to obtain water. While SPRING and WELL are traditional and self-explanatory, TAP perhaps threw off those contemplating pipes rather than fluids.
A present for sport enthusiasts. Every verb describes a routine movement in American football. PASS and PUNT might be straightforward, but SPIKE, dramatic or not, tends to leave casual fans stumped.
An equipment-dominant set that stumped most. PIN and NAIL are everyday words, but BRAD, a short finishing nail, probably stumped solvers who were not accustomed to carpentry or stationery equipment.
One of the most challenging tasks of the day, this one required a nostalgic approach (or a deep understanding of pop culture). The names of Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael were abbreviated to DON, LEO, MIC, and RAP, perhaps confusing players into thinking music or name categories.
Today’s NYT Connections puzzle provided a mini-microcosm of why the game has been so successful: superficial simplicity hiding the layered complexity within. The green set was an obvious reference to American athletics, the yellow set an elemental one to human needs. Blue required accuracy in terminology, fasteners, not fashion, and purple upon familiarity with an instantly recognizable cartoon franchise.
Most astounding was the misdirection built into the puzzle. BRAD could bring a human to mind. RAP could induce music. MIC could have paired up in two sets. It’s this intentional vagueness that keeps Connections so intellectually stimulating, and sometimes infuriating.
To solvers who survived without striking out, kudos. To those who did not, the loveliness of the puzzle is not in the victory, but in the realization of how meanings change, merge, and surprise.
Until next time, happy connecting.
