Issue #742 Sat 17 May
Connections hints — May 17, 2025
Today’s grid requires a steady hand to untangle four distinct sets. The paths are straightforward once the initial misdirection is set aside.
yellow group 7 nudges
Yellow group
A walk through the woods where you stop to identify the moss on a damp log or the lichen clinging to a stone.
Biological sciences
Direct classification
Members are 5–8 letters; first letters A, B, F, P.
MEMBER OF A KINGDOM IN TAXONOMY
One is ANIMAL.
ANIMAL · BACTERIA · FUNGUS · PLANT
green group 7 nudges
Green group
Staring at the meniscus of a liquid in a lab, waiting for the level to settle exactly on the mark.
Laboratory hardware
Functional items with specific markings
Members are 5–10 letters; first letters B, P, R, S.
GRADUATED INSTRUMENTS
One is BEAKER.
BEAKER · PROTRACTOR · RULER · SYRINGE
blue group 7 nudges
Blue group
Look at a rooster. Look closely, then look at the birds shuffling across the ice in a documentary.
Zoology
Varieties of a specific species
Members are 4–9 letters; first letters C, E, K, M.
KINDS OF PENGUINS
One is CHINSTRAP.
CHINSTRAP · EMPEROR · KING · MACARONI
violet group 7 nudges
Violet group
Where the lawnmower lives, where the mail piles up, where the kids hide.
Wordplay
Words sharing a common prefix
Members are 4–9 letters; first letters C, M, S.
“E” THINGS
One is COMMERCE.
COMMERCE · MAIL · SCOOTER · SIGNATURE