Giphy
𝅘𝅥𝅮 Or better yet a Terminator, like Arnold Schwarzenegger
Tryin' to play me out like as if my name was Sega 𝅘𝅥𝅮
Hey there, lovers! Welcome to the weekend!
I used to read former NYT columnist Farhad Manjoo’s work quite often. While I didn’t always agree with them (and sometimes completely disagreed with them), they usually had something interesting to say.
I only recently learned about this piece, in which Manjoo encourages the use of the singular “they” pronoun. Manjoo lays out their case pretty well. I completely agree with them in this instance.
I haven’t quite taken the same step as Manjoo in asking people to use they/them when referring to me. I do mention that I typically use he/him pronouns in my Twitter and Bluesky profiles (in large part to help push along the normalization of stating preferred pronouns), but I really don’t mind what pronouns people use to refer to me.
I’ve written before about how I try to use gender-neutral language as much as possible. I would encourage others to do the same.
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, February 14 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...
SPIKE
SPEAR
LUMP
JUMP
JUNIOR
HIKE
GUMP
BUMP
SULLY
BREATH
WOODY
MOUND
PEPPER
PHILLIPS
HUMP
RISE
The level one hints for today’s Connections groups are:
🟨 Yellow group — increase
🟩 Green group — these really stick out
🟦 Blue group — Jim Lovell, Charlie Wilson and Walt Disney would fit in here
🟪 Purple group — like royal, mustang and horse
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 — RISE
🟩 Green group — BUMP
🟦 Blue group — WOODY
🟪 Purple group — PEPPER
What Are Today’s Connections Groups?
Need some extra help?
Today’s Connections groups are...
🟨 Yellow group — uptick
🟩 Green group — protuberance
🟦 Blue group — Tom Hanks roles
🟪 Purple group — words before "mint"
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 — uptick (HIKE, JUMP, RISE, SPIKE)
🟩 Green group — protuberance (BUMP, HUMP, LUMP, MOUND)
🟦 Blue group — Tom Hanks roles (GUMP, PHILLIPS, SULLY, WOODY)
🟪 Purple group — words before "mint" (BREATH, JUNIOR, PEPPER, SPEAR)
Lots of -UMP words in the mix today, so that's fun. SULLY and WOODY brought to mind Pixar characters, but I wasn't ready to take the plunge on that out of the gate.
In any case, I got the greens first. MOUND and LUMP helped make that clear. JUMP and RISE landed next to each other on the bottom line, so I was able to figure out the yellows next.
I went back to my Pixar characters idea and mulled over that for a bit. But then I realized that Forrest GUMP and WOODY are both Tom Hanks characters. The guy played a different non-Monsters. Inc character named Chesley "SULLY" Sullenberger, the pilot who landed a plane on the Hudson River with everyone on board surviving. A real-life hero. Captain PHILLIPS then completed the blues.
I didn't figure out the purple category today, but my brain deserves a break, just like yours does. (SPEAR and BREATH should have gotten me there, though.)
I'll take that perfect game, which extends my streak to 350. Just 15 to go until my next big milestone!
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. I ended up reading about SULLY and his life. Until right now, I had no idea that “A Real Hero” by College and Electric Youth (you know, that song from the Ryan Reynolds movie Drive) was inspired by him. So that kinda has to be today’s song. Good luck getting this out of your head this weekend:
Have a great day! Stay hydrated! Be kind to yourself and each other! Call someone you love!
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