The New York Times’ daily Connections puzzle (#938) for January 4th, 2024, challenged players with a mix of word associations, including a notably odd purple category. Here’s a breakdown of the clues and solutions for those seeking assistance. The game’s increasing popularity has also prompted the Times to introduce a dedicated scoring bot and tracking features for registered players, allowing them to monitor their performance over time.
Today’s Hints
The puzzle is structured into four categories, ranging from relatively straightforward to intentionally obscure:
- Yellow: Related to news distribution.
- Green: Involves winding mechanisms.
- Blue: Focuses on defensive actions in American football.
- Purple: A rather…cheeky category involving alternative terms for the posterior.
Answers Revealed
Here are the complete solutions for each group:
- Yellow Group: Paper Publication – The words are copy, edition, issue, and print. These all relate to the production and distribution of printed material.
- Green Group: Spool – The terms are coil, crank, reel, and wind. These all describe actions or components associated with winding something around a spool.
- Blue Group: NFL Duties – The answers are blitz, block, sack, and tackle. These represent common defensive plays in football.
- Purple Group: Synonyms for Butt Plus Starting Letter – This is the trickiest category, with the words drear (rear), etail (tail), grump (rump), and scan (can). The puzzle relies on wordplay, using alternative terms for buttocks combined with a letter that begins the word.
Past Challenges
Some of the most difficult Connections puzzles to date include:
- Puzzle #5: “Things You Can Set” (mood, record, table, volleyball ).
- Puzzle #4: “One in a Dozen” (egg, juror, month, rose ).
- Puzzle #3: “Streets on Screen” (Elm, Fear, Jump, Sesame ).
- Puzzle #2: “Power ___” (nap, plant, Ranger, trip ).
- Puzzle #1: “Things That Can Run” (candidate, faucet, mascara, nose ).
The puzzle’s difficulty is often subjective, but some categories demand lateral thinking and familiarity with obscure word associations. The game encourages repeated play and pattern recognition to improve performance.
