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Solving today’s NYT Connections puzzle is difficult. It feels like the categories are some kind of elusive-than-ever. Fear not, as this guide has hints and answers to Tuesday, December 24, 2024 puzzle #562.
These clues can help unravel today's challenging puzzle:
Consider words from a famous cinematic line that lingers in people’s memory after the credits are over.
These word are dedicated to closeness and emotional connections.
Sounds Like Something Else
Emphasize homophones, or words that sound alike.
Tripled Words in Hit Songs
These words frequently appear in the titles of popular chart-topping tracks.
If the hints weren't enough, here are the answers:
BEARS, LIONS, OH MY, TIGERS
This concludes the famous line from The Wizard of Oz: ‘Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!’
CLOSE, DEAR, INTIMATE, TIGHT
These words are used in relationships that are precious and meaningful.
BEES, EASE, JAYS, USE
When you say each word you make it sound like you are saying a plural letter.
BILLS, BYE, GIMME, PLEASE
Repeating these words produces lyrics from popular songs like, "Bills, Bills, Bills" by Destiny's Child.
NYT Connections continues to offer players a hearty challenge with its crafty word groupings and unexpected patterns. The categories ran the gamut from pop culture themes to heartfelt phrases, to linguistic plays on words. Puzzle #562 was appealing to classic movie lovers, music fans, and language enthusiasts alike.
Keep your eyes peeled for further hints and answers to tomorrow’s NYTimes Connections! Enjoy the thrill of cracking these puzzles until then and keep solving them. In today’s NYT Connections puzzle #562, there was a great balance of cultural references, wordplay and logical connection.
Here's a breakdown of its highlights and challenges:
Diverse Themes: The categories went from a nostalgic cinematic quote to heartfelt bonds and kept the puzzle varied and fun. Broadening itself and making it more relevant was its inclusion of pop culture (hit songs and movies).
Clever Wordplay: Linguistic ingenuity shone in the “Sounds Like Plural Letters” category. This demanded lateral thinking and reward for guessing homophones.
Accessibility: Words like CLOSE, and DEAR were a little relatable, leaning into the universal human experiences of so many people all over the world.
Balanced Difficulty: However, some categories like tripled words in hit songs were easier to crack while the plural letters homophones seemed more demanding of attention and creativity.
Niche References: Familiarity with The Wizard of Oz is key when it comes to the “Classic Movie Phrase” category. It was iconic, but it might have stumped less pop culture-savvy or younger players.
Predictable Patterns: The repetition of the song-based categories, however, might've seemed second-hand to seasoned players who'd seen the theme before in past puzzles.
This puzzle is well worth a 4 out of 5. The categories were relatable and thought-provoking at the same time while still being challenging for me and for the other competitors. Nevertheless, it did have a slight limitation in that reliance on specific cultural knowledge prevented a perfect score.
Today's challenge, a word game for fans of word games, upheld Connections' reputation as a creative and enjoyable communication exercise that combines linguistic and logical prowess. It’s worth a try!
