Issue #546 Sat 9 Nov
Connections hints — November 9, 2024
A grid that asks for a bit of patience as you navigate several classic linguistic traps. The connections here are straightforward once you separate the literal from the figurative.
yellow group 7 nudges
Yellow group
A piece of driftwood pulled from the shoreline or the way a cheap metal hanger gives way under a heavy winter coat.
Physical descriptors
Direct synonyms
Members are 4–7 letters; first letters B, G, T, W.
CONTORTED
One is BENT.
BENT · GNARLY · TWISTED · WARPED
green group 7 nudges
Green group
The last bit of frosting left on the spatula or the final scrap of paper tucked into the recycling bin.
Measurement and quantity
Synonyms for a small portion
Members are 4–5 letters; first letters L, O, S, T.
SMALLEST AMOUNT
One is LICK.
LICK · OUNCE · SHRED · TRACE
blue group 7 nudges
Blue group
A whiteboard covered in chalk dust after a lecture or the margins of a notebook filled with frantic scribbles.
Mathematics
Direct synonyms
Members are 4–8 letters; first letters E, P, R.
ALGEBRA TERMS
One is EXPONENT.
EXPONENT · POWER · RADICAL · ROOT
violet group 7 nudges
Violet group
A hallway sign in a public building or the specific door you look for when the coffee kicks in during a long drive.
Domestic architecture
Common word associations
Members are 4–6 letters; first letters B, P, R, T.
WORDS BEFORE “ROOM” TO MEAN LAVATORY
One is BATH.
BATH · POWDER · REST · THRONE