Issue #731 Sat 3 May
Connections hints — May 3, 2025
Today's grid requires a steady hand to navigate between common usage and structural wordplay. Three groups hinge on linguistic patterns, while one relies on shared meanings.
yellow group 7 nudges
Yellow group
The graffiti tag on a brick wall or the consensus in a crowded basement show.
Colloquial adjectives
Synonyms
Members are 3–4 letters; first letters D, F, L, S.
AWESOME
One is DOPE.
DOPE · FIRE · LIT · SICK
green group 7 nudges
Green group
Running up the score in a video game or a lopsided final quarter.
Sports and competition
Synonyms
Members are 4–5 letters; first letters C, L, P, S.
DEFEAT SOUNDLY
One is CREAM.
CREAM · LICK · PASTE · SMOKE
blue group 7 nudges
Blue group
Reading a script where the punctuation has been scrubbed clean.
Linguistic elision
Homophones for contracted verb phrases
Members are 3–5 letters; first letters H, I, S, W.
“WILL” CONTRACTIONS WITHOUT THE APOSTROPHE
One is HELL.
HELL · ILL · SHELL · WELL
violet group 7 nudges
Violet group
A browser tab that refuses to load or a dead link in an old email.
Internet infrastructure
Base terms modified by a single suffix letter
Members are 4 letters each; first letters C, M, N, O.
URL ENDINGS PLUS A LETTER
One is COMP.
COMP · MILK · NETI · ORGO