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The NYT Connections puzzle for Sunday, May 12, 2024, groups its 16 words into playful teasing verbs, cuts of beef, acronyms or initialisms, and cocktails missing their place names. The date is the safest way to identify this grid: online archives disagree about its puzzle number, listing it as either #355 or #336.
Hints for the May 12 Connections puzzle
Use these clues from least revealing to most revealing. Each anchor word belongs to one group.
Yellow: playfully poke fun at
Think of verbs for teasing or pestering someone in a joking way. An anchor word is TEASE.
Green: cuts of beef
Look for familiar names from a butcher’s case. The anchor word is ROUND.
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Blue: acronyms or initialisms
These entries are shortened forms whose letters stand for longer expressions. The anchor word is OMG.
Purple: cocktails minus place names
Complete each remaining word by adding a geographic name. The anchor word is MULE.
Answers and explanations
PLAYFULLY POKE FUN AT — NEEDLE, RAZZ, RIB, TEASE
Needle and rib can mean to tease or pester, while razz and tease describe playful mockery. RIB is the deliberate trap: it also looks like a beef cut, but it belongs in this group.
CUTS OF BEEF — CHUCK, FLANK, ROUND, SIRLOIN
Chuck, flank, round, and sirloin are standard beef-cut names. The presence of RIB makes this category harder to separate from the teasing group.
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ACRONYMS/INITIALISMS — MIA, OMG, PIN, RAM
MIA means “missing in action,” OMG means “oh my God,” PIN means “personal identification number,” and RAM means “random-access memory.” The label includes both acronyms and initialisms because not every abbreviation is pronounced as a word.
COCKTAILS MINUS PLACE NAMES — LIBRE, MAMA, MULE, SLING
Add the missing location to reveal the drinks: Cuba Libre, Bahama Mama, Moscow Mule, and Singapore Sling. This is the most specialized set because the entries become obvious only after the geographic words are restored.
How the four groups work
| Group | Connection mechanism | Likely difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Playfully poke fun at | Directly related word meanings | Most accessible |
| Cuts of beef | Real-world food classification | Moderate |
| Acronyms/initialisms | Abbreviation expansion | Moderate |
| Cocktails minus place names | Phrase completion with a missing geographic name | Most specialized |
Why this puzzle is tricky
The grid mixes everyday language with specialist knowledge. RIB can plausibly point to beef, yet its intended home is the teasing-verb group. The purple entries are even less direct: LIBRE, MAMA, MULE, and SLING are incomplete cocktail names until Cuba, Bahama, Moscow, and Singapore are supplied.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which puzzle number is correct?
There is no single dependable number in the available contemporary listings. Wordle.Today’s archive calls the May 12 grid #355, while a Reddit discussion from the period calls it #336. Because those labels conflict, use Sunday, May 12, 2024 when referring to this puzzle.
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