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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.
A BELL
ABE
ABEL
ABLE
BALE
BELA
CAL
CROSSWORD
CRYSTAL
DAY
DICK
MUD
OREO
PANDA
TEDDY
TUXEDO
Themes
The four category names, easiest to hardest. No words revealed yet.
BLACK-AND-WHITE THINGSStraightforward
ANAGRAMSModerate
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL NICKNAMESTricky
CLEAR AS ___Devious
One word per group
Theme name plus one word from each category.
BLACK-AND-WHITE THINGSStraightforward
THESE THINGS SHARE A CLASSIC TWO-TONE COLOR SCHEME+ 3 more…
ANAGRAMSModerate
THESE FOUR WORDS ARE ALL REARRANGEMENTS OF EACH OTHER'S LETTERS+ 3 more…
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL NICKNAMESTricky
SHORTENED NAMES THAT U.S. PRESIDENTS WENT BY+ 3 more…
CLEAR AS ___Devious
THESE COMPLETE THE PHRASE 'CLEAR AS ___'+ 3 more…
Full solution
BLACK-AND-WHITE THINGSStraightforward
CROSSWORD,OREO,PANDA,TUXEDO
CROSSWORD (black and white grid), OREO (black and white cookie), PANDA (black and white animal), and TUXEDO (black and white formal wear) are all famously black and white.
ANAGRAMSModerate
ABEL,ABLE,BALE,BELA
ABEL, ABLE, BALE, and BELA are all anagrams of one another, each using the letters A, B, E, L in different orders.
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL NICKNAMESTricky
ABE,CAL,DICK,TEDDY
ABE (Lincoln), CAL (Coolidge), DICK (Nixon), and TEDDY (Roosevelt) are all presidential nicknames for U.S. presidents.
CLEAR AS ___Devious
A BELL,CRYSTAL,DAY,MUD
'Clear as A BELL,' 'Clear as CRYSTAL,' 'Clear as DAY,' and 'Clear as MUD' are all common English expressions using the phrase 'clear as ___'.