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Hey there, Connectors! Welcome to the weekend!
I’m gonna let you all in on a little secret, Pastimers (yes, I’m calling you that as well now). There’s a fun thing I’ve had in the works for a while. I should be able to actually do it soon. It’s not something for me, though. It’s something for you.
I still need to figure out exactly how to make this work. Once I do, I’m gonna be talking it up it in the Forbes version of the column as well. But I wanted you folks to hear about it first.
All going well, I should have a little Connections-related giveaway for you in the near future. It’s a fun one, promise.
Before we begin, we have a great little community on Discord, where we chat about NYT Connections, the rest of the NYT games and all kinds of other stuff. Everyone who has joined has been lovely. It’s a fun hangout spot, and you’re more than welcome to join us.
Discord is also the best way to give me any feedback about the column, especially on the rare (or not-so-rare) occasions that I mess something up. I don’t look at Twitter much.
Today’s NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, January 31 are coming right up.
What Are Today’s Connections Hints?
Scroll slowly! Just after the hints for each of today’s Connections groups, I’ll reveal what the groups are without immediately telling you which words go into them.
Today’s 16 words are...
DRESS
WISHBONE
ROLLER
BALL
SHOWER
STETHOSCOPE
BRUSH
MIXER
SLINGSHOT
SPRAY CAN
RECEPTION
COMPUTER KEY
FLUCTUATION
TUNING FORK
WORK PERIOD
PALETTE KNIFE
The level one hints for today’s Connections groups are:
🟨 Yellow group — social get-togethers
🟩 Green group — how to deliver a different look
🟦 Blue group — why, they can go one way or another
🟪 Purple group — like a transition or a change in attitude
One Word For Each Connections Group
Be warned: we’re really starting to get into spoiler territory.
Let’s take a look at one word for each group.
Today’s Connections word hints are…
🟨 Yellow group — SHOWER
🟩 Green group — BRUSH
🟦 Blue group — WISHBONE
🟪 Purple group — COMPUTER KEY
What Are Today’s Connections Groups?
Need some extra help?
Today’s Connections groups are...
🟨 Yellow group — kinds of parties
🟩 Green group — ways to apply paint
🟦 Blue group — Y-shaped things
🟪 Purple group — what "shift" might refer to
What Are Today’s Connections Answers?
Spoiler alert! Don’t scroll any further down the page until you’re ready to find out today’s Connections answers.
This is your final warning!
Today’s Connections answers are...
🟨 Yellow group — kinds of parties (BALL, MIXER, RECEPTION, SHOWER)
🟩 Green group — ways to apply paint (BRUSH, PALETTE KNIFE, ROLLER, SPRAY CAN)
🟦 Blue group — Y-shaped things (SLINGSHOT, STETHOSCOPE, TUNING FORK, WISHBONE)
🟪 Purple group — what "shift" might refer to (COMPUTER KEY, DRESS, FLUCTUATION, WORK PERIOD)
RECEPTION and MIXER helped me get the social gatherings to take care of the yellows. WISHBONE and SLINGSHOT made me think of Y-shaped things, and thus I had the blues seconds later.
The painting/decorating words then jumped out at me. I assumed they had to be the greens, so I submitted the purples first. I didn't really have the mental bandwidth to try to figure out that connection, but hey, I’m now up to 336 wins in a row after a perfect game! (I didn't know a shift DRESS was a thing and now I do!)
How did you get on today? Here's my grid:
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟩🟩🟩🟩
That’s all there is to it for today’s Connections clues and answers. Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter for hints and the solution for Sunday’s game if you need them.
P.S. Bruce Springsteen wrote and recorded this song this week "in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good." He's called The Boss for a reason, folks:
Have a great day! Stay hydrated! Be kind to yourself and each other! Call someone you love!
On weekdays, you can find this column over at Forbes. Please follow my blog there for more coverage of NYT Connections and other word games, and even some video game news, insights and analysis. It helps me out a lot!
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