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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →NYT Connections #257 is the puzzle published on Friday, February 23, 2024. Below are graduated hints, followed by the full solution. Stop before the spoiler section if you want to keep solving.
Hints for Connections #257
Connections gives you 16 words to sort into four groups of four. The New York Times Help Center describes it as “a word game that challenges players to find themes between words.” The groups are marked yellow, green, blue, and purple, from easiest to trickiest, and some words may seem to fit more than one theme (New York Times Help Center).
- Yellow: Think of a line of vehicles or people moving together.
- Green: Consider names for different tones of one color.
- Blue: Look for several meanings of the same color word.
- Purple: Think of things that have a spine, literally or by association.
Players discussing the puzzle reported being distracted by possible food or cocktail groupings among some of the words, and some found the blue connection obscure. Those are anecdotal reactions, not a measured difficulty rating (player discussion).
Full answers: spoiler warning
Spoilers below: the four categories and all 16 answers are revealed here. The categories and word sets are from the dated guide for puzzle #257 (Try Hard Guides).
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Procession | CARAVAN, FLEET, PARADE, TRAIN |
| Green | Shades of green | OLIVE, FOREST, LIME, MINT |
| Blue | What “blue” might mean | DEMOCRATIC, EROTIC, NOBLE, SAD |
| Purple | Things with spines | BOOK, CACTUS, HEDGEHOG, SKELETON |
Why the blue group works
Each answer points to a different sense or association of “blue”: Democratic refers to the political color, erotic can mean sexually explicit, noble appears in the phrase “blue blood,” and sad is a familiar figurative meaning of “feeling blue.” The link is not that the four words are synonyms; each connects to a separate meaning of the clue word.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why this date means puzzle #257
This answer guide is for the February 23, 2024 edition, not a puzzle from a later year on the same calendar date. Connections releases a new puzzle at midnight in each player’s timezone, so “today’s” puzzle can depend on where a reader is. The New York Times Help Center says archived puzzle progress requires an account and archive access is for subscribers (New York Times Help Center).
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