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The New York Times Strands puzzle for Saturday, August 31, 2024, is game #181. Its theme is “Makeshift music.” Read the graduated hints below before the spoiler section, which gives the spangram and all six theme answers.
Hints for Strands #181
- Theme: “Makeshift music.”
- Stronger hint: Think of unconventional instruments and the people who play them.
- Spangram hint: It names a kind of group associated with improvised instruments.
- Board position: The spangram starts at the left edge on the fourth row and ends at the right edge on the third row, according to TechRadar’s August 31, 2024 solution guide.
For additional context, Forbes’ August 30, 2024 guide describes the theme as “Unconventional instruments.”
Spoilers: August 31 Strands answers
The spangram is JUGBAND. The six theme answers are:
- SPOONS
- BROOM
- COWBELL
- WASHBOARD
- STOVEPIPE
- BONES
The objects in the word list suggest the makeshift-instrument theme: spoons, a broom, a washboard, and a stovepipe sit alongside a cowbell and bones. The Puzzlesbay archive also lists the same theme, answers, and spangram for August 31, 2024.
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In Strands, players can find other words on the board to trigger in-game hints. For this puzzle, the reported hint-trigger words are POOL, SPOOL, MOON, PINE, SOON, and WAVE. They help reveal answers but are not part of the six theme answers listed above.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the spangram fits the theme
Strands is a word-search puzzle played on a six-by-eight grid. Its themed words share a common idea, and the spangram stretches between opposite sides of the board. Here, JUGBAND names the kind of ensemble that connects the puzzle’s makeshift and unconventional instruments.
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