Prefer to solve first? Play today’s puzzle at the New York Times Games site: Connections. Spoilers start below.
Today’s difficulty rating
Testers rated game #855 a 3.3 out of 5 in difficulty.
Category hints (no spoilers)
- Yellow: metaphors for situations that could quickly turn messy
- Green: events you’d commonly see promoted at a bar
- Blue: things you say when someone finally leaves
- Purple: phrases ending with verbs that mean “to swindle”
One tile per group (soft spoilers)
- Yellow example: MINEFIELD
- Green example: LIVE MUSIC
- Blue example: FINALLY
- Purple example: LUCKY STIFF
Today’s 16 tiles (game #855)
| PANDORA'S BOX | LUCKY STIFF | LIVE MUSIC | GOLDEN FLEECE |
| GOOD RIDDANCE | HAPPY HOUR | HORNET'S NEST | COMIC CON |
| KARAOKE | AMERICAN HUSTLE | SAYONARA | MINEFIELD |
| FINALLY | CAN OF WORMS | TRIVIA NIGHT | ABOUT TIME |
Full answers and categories (spoilers)
| Category | Tiles |
|---|---|
| Metaphors for potentially volatile situations (Yellow) | CAN OF WORMS, HORNET'S NEST, MINEFIELD, PANDORA'S BOX |
| Bar events (Green) | HAPPY HOUR, KARAOKE, LIVE MUSIC, TRIVIA NIGHT |
| Words after a welcome departure (Blue) | ABOUT TIME, FINALLY, GOOD RIDDANCE, SAYONARA |
| Ending with synonyms for “swindle” (Purple) | AMERICAN HUSTLE, COMIC CON, GOLDEN FLEECE, LUCKY STIFF |
Why these groupings work
- Yellow clusters common idioms for thorny situations: opening a PANDORA’S BOX or a CAN OF WORMS, kicking a HORNET’S NEST, or navigating a MINEFIELD all signal trouble ahead.
- Green is the chalkboard outside your local: HAPPY HOUR deals, KARAOKE nights, LIVE MUSIC sets, and a weekly TRIVIA NIGHT.
- Blue captures relief at someone’s exit: ABOUT TIME and FINALLY are blunt; GOOD RIDDANCE and SAYONARA close the door with a flourish.
- Purple hinges on the last word acting as a verb meaning “to swindle”: HUSTLE, CON, FLEECE, and STIFF.
Connections refreshes daily at midnight in your time zone, with four clean sets hidden among 16 tiles. If you solved today’s wall, come back tomorrow for a fresh grid.
