Today’s NYT Connections Answers Explained

Connections – Yellow Group

🟨 pottery equipment (CLAY, GLAZE, KILN, WHEEL)

Yep, straightforward enough. These sure are all things one would use to make pottery!

Connections – Green Group

🟩 wallop (DECK, PUNCH, SLUG, SOCK)

These are all synonyms, though I would argue that DECK specifically means to knock someone to the ground with a blow.

Connections – Blue Group

🟦 words pronounced different ways as proper nouns (HERB, NICE, POLISH, READING)

In North America, HERB (as in basil, parsley etc) is pronounced with a silent “h.” When referring to a person by that name, the “h” is pronounced. It’s the same pronunciation for both in British English:

NICE (as in a lovely person) is pronounced as “n-eye-sss.” For the French city, it’s more like the word “niece.”

I’m not gonna try to phonetically spell out the pronunciations of POLISH (to polish furniture vs. people from Poland). It’s quite nuanced! There was a scene about it in The Big Bang Theory, so here you go:

If you are absorbing words from a book using your eyes, you are “ree-ding.” If you are going to the music festival in England, you’ll be attending “Red-ding.”

Connections – Purple Group

🟪 pick-up _____ (ARTIST, GAME, STICKS, TRUCK)

A pick-up ARTIST is typically someone who uses psychological manipulation and tricks to seduce women, typically in pursuit of casual sex.

A pick-up GAME is a sports game that isn’t officially organized. For instance, players who are working out or practicing on a basketball court might spontaneously challenge others to a pick-up game.

PICK-UP STICKS is a game that involves dropping a pile of sticks onto a surface. The aim is to pick up certain sticks without disturbing the rest of them. Whoever collects the most sticks or earns the most points (the sticks are often color-coded) wins.

A pick-up TRUCK is a small or medium truck with an open-air cargo bed that’s enclosed (i.e. has walls) on all four sides.

Connections – Red Herrings

I didn’t see a red herring this time. Let me know if you did!

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I’ll be back with another set of NYT Connections hints and answers tomorrow, as well as another edition of this one, all going well. You’ll be able to find both of those on my Forbes author page when the time comes (following me there helps me out too!). As for the weekend editions of my NYT Connections hints and answers column, I’m currently doing that via my newsletter, Pastimes.