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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchThe May 21, 2024, NYT Strands theme clue, “At the bar,” points to a computer program’s menu bar—not a drinking venue. The spangram is MENUITEMS; the seven theme words are FAVORITES, WINDOW, HELP, TOOLS, FILE, HISTORY, and EDIT.
Hints for “At the bar”
If you want to solve the puzzle before seeing its answers, start with the theme interpretation: think of labels in a computer program’s menu bar. The following words were the in-game hint triggers, in order:
- DINE
- SHUT
- LOOT
- LOST
- VOTE
- LIFT
The spangram hint is “Screen reader.” Its first letter is at the top of the board in column three, and its final letter is at the bottom in column four. The board is a six-by-eight grid; words are formed by connecting neighboring letters, and the spangram spans opposite sides of the board. TechRadar’s May 21 guide gives the clue sequence and spangram location.
May 21 Strands answers
Spangram: MENUITEMS
- FAVORITES
- WINDOW
- HELP
- TOOLS
- FILE
- HISTORY
- EDIT
The seven words are menu labels, resolving the clue’s double meaning: “At the bar” refers to the menu bar of a computer program. Try Hard Guides and TechRadar list this same answer set.
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Forbes prints FILES and leaves out HELP in its list. The other two answer guides agree on FILE and HELP, giving the complete seven-word set used here. Forbes’ guide is still useful for the general explanation of the menu-bar wordplay, but its transcribed list differs.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the clue can mislead
“At the bar” can first suggest a drinking venue, while MENUITEMS reframes it as a computer interface. Players in a May 21 discussion described getting caught by the barroom reading before recognizing the menu-bar meaning; those comments are individual reactions, not a measure of how all players interpreted the clue.
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