Connections Hints

Saturday, December 9, 2023

Words from the NYT Connections puzzle — December 9, 2023

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Show the word gridAll 16 words — you figure out the groups
Show the themesCategory names only, no words revealed
One word per groupTheme name + one word per category
Full solutionAll words and explanations
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Word grid

All 16 words, sorted alphabetically. Group them into four categories of four.

BOLT
CORN
FINGERS
FLOAT
NAIL
NOTE
OLIVE
PALM
PEANUT
RICE
RIVET
SCREW
SHAKE
SPLIT
SUNDAE
WICKET
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Themes

The four category names, easiest to hardest. No words revealed yet.

ICE CREAM TREATSStraightforward
HARDWARE FASTENERSModerate
KINDS OF COOKING OILTricky
STICKY ___Devious
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One word per group

Theme name plus one word from each category.

ICE CREAM TREATSStraightforward
CLASSIC DESSERTS YOU'D ORDER AT AN OLD-FASHIONED SODA FOUNTAIN+ 3 more…
HARDWARE FASTENERSModerate
THINGS THAT HOLD TWO PIECES OF MATERIAL FIRMLY TOGETHER+ 3 more…
KINDS OF COOKING OILTricky
THESE ALL PRECEDE THE WORD 'OIL' IN THE KITCHEN+ 3 more…
STICKY ___Devious
WORDS THAT FOLLOW 'STICKY' TO COMPLETE A FAMILIAR PHRASE+ 3 more…
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Full solution
ICE CREAM TREATSStraightforward
FLOAT,SHAKE,SPLIT,SUNDAE

FLOAT, SHAKE, SPLIT, and SUNDAE are all classic ice cream treats found at diners and soda fountains.

HARDWARE FASTENERSModerate
BOLT,NAIL,RIVET,SCREW

BOLT, NAIL, RIVET, and SCREW are all hardware fasteners used to join materials together.

KINDS OF COOKING OILTricky
CORN,OLIVE,PALM,PEANUT

CORN, OLIVE, PALM, and PEANUT can all precede 'oil' to name common cooking oils.

STICKY ___Devious
FINGERS,NOTE,RICE,WICKET

FINGERS, NOTE, RICE, and WICKET all follow 'sticky' to form common phrases: sticky fingers, sticky note, sticky rice, and sticky wicket.

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