(Is this GIF relevant? Not really. Did it show up when I searched for “mist”? Somehow, yes. And I find it very funny. So here we are.)

Hey there, Connectors! Welcome to the weekend!

I am all up in my head at the minute — nothing new there, actually. I’m trying to decide what I truly want in the years ahead, beyond one goal that’s been clearly defined for me for a while.

I heard someone say quite some time ago that some of the most boring 20-year-olds they know had their next 40 years all figured out. Then their most interesting 45-year-old acquaintances still didn’t know what they wanted to do. Agewise, I’m closer to the latter group, and I don’t have a clear plan for what’s next. I really should try to figure that out in the near future.

Something that helped me gain valuable perspective on this is a podcast episode I listened to recently. PJ Vogt of Search Engine had a conversation with This American Life host Ira Glass on “how we spend our time. What we devote our life to, and the roads we choose not to take.” A fitting subject for Pastimes! I found the discussion quite illuminating, and perhaps you might too.

Before we begin, a quick note: I won’t have a hints and answers column for you here tomorrow. Sorry about that. I’m behind on some things and need a little extra time to catch up. Thanks for understanding. I’ll be back over at Forbes on Monday.

Also, 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, July 25 are coming right up.

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...

The level one hints for today’s Connections groups are:

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…

Need some extra help?

Today’s Connections groups are...

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...

I know just enough Spanish to figure out the yellows, though I wasn't quite sure about PRIMO. TEAR and MIST then helped me get the greens.

RAND brought to mind currencies, and I was able to deduce the blues from there. Once the purples landed on the same line, the category became clear. A regular rainbow today, and one that extends my streak to 510 wins.

How did you get on this time? 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 future weekend editions of the game. See you over at Forbes for Monday’s game.

P.S. I really need to listen to Violet Grohl’s record, because I really enjoy what I’ve heard from her so far. “Bug in the Cake” is a really solid slice of alt rock that sounds straight out of the ‘90s. It’s good stuff:

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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