If you are looking for Connections Saturday, May 18, 2024 answers, keep reading — I will share some clues, tips, strategies, and finally solutions for all four categories. Along the way I'll explain the meanings of the trickier words and we'll see how everything fits together. Please note, there are spoilers below for the May 18 issue of NYT Connections #342! If you want some tips (and answers) for today's game of Wired, keep reading.
If you want an easy way to return to our hookup tips every day, bookmark this page . If you're wondering what you missed in previous puzzles, you can find our past hints there too.
Below, I'll give you some indirect hints on today's connection answers. Further down the page I will reveal the topics and answers. Scroll slowly and get the tips you need!
Topic prompt for today’s connect puzzle
Here are some grouping tips from today’s Wired (no spoilers):
Yellow Category - Fauna Mashup.
Green Category - Slow down and wear your seat belt.
Blue Category - Stuff to play with friends.
Purple Category - These all use the same mechanics.
PLEASE NOTE: Today's Connect Puzzle contains spoilers!
We're about to give you some answers. If you don't want to spoil the whole thing, scroll slowly. (Full solution a little below.)
A note on the tricky bits
Try not to be confused by all the compound words here. (easy to say, hard to do.)
The term DOGLEG refers to an object that curves suddenly, like the shape of a dog's hind legs.
MOUSETRAP doesn’t mean a board game; It refers to the actual device used to catch mice.
However, WEREWOLF does refer to the game .
Did you know that some clocks use small springs to keep time? I don't.
What are the categories of connectivity today?
Yellow: An animal whose name is two animals
Green: sharp turn
Blue: Classic Party Game
Purple: THINGS AND SPRING/S
Be extra careful: here’s the solution
Ready to get the answers to today’s connectivity dilemmas? I've given them all below.
What's the yellow word in today's connection?
The yellow grouping is considered the most straightforward. The theme of today's yellow group is animals. The names are two animals and the words are: bulldog, catfish, horsefly, and turtledove.
What's the green word in Connections today?
The green grouping should be the second easiest. Today's theme for the green group is sharp turns, and the words are: DOGLEG, HAIRPIN, SWITCHBACK, and ZAG.
What's the blue word in today's Wired?
The blue group is the second hardest. Today's blue category theme is classic party games with the words: category, guessing game, fish tank, werewolf.
What is the purple word in today's connection?
The purple group is considered the hardest. The theme of today’s purple group is “THINGS WITH SPRING/S” and the words are: CLOCK, MATTRESS, MOUSETRAP, TRAMPOLINE.
How I solved my connection issues today
I think HAIRPIN might be used with SWITCHBACK to describe a road with sharp turns. That could also be paired with DOGLEG and maybe ZAG? ?
Guessing games may be used with Categories and Mousetrap, which are both board games or party games. Isn’t FISHHBOWL also a game? No, apparently I am "alone."
Ah, the bulldog, the catfish, the horsefly, and the turtle dove are all animals whose names are made up of two other animals. ?
I know there's a game category; maybe Mousetrap, Charades, Werewolf, category? "One more." Oh, I bet MOUSETRAP wouldn't fit since it's a board game and not a party game. Let's try FISHHBOWL. ?
All that remains is the mousetrap, mattress, clock and trampoline. Don't see the connection there, so let's commit and see what it is. ? Is there anything for Spring/S? I guess I didn't know how clocks worked because I didn't know they had springs in them. oops.
Connect Puzzle #342 ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ????
How to play connect
I have a complete guide to playing Connections , but here's a recap of the rules:
First, find the Connections game on the New York Times website or their game app (formerly known as the Crossword Puzzle app). You will see a game board with 16 tiles, each with a word or phrase. Your task is to select a set of four tiles that have something in common. Usually they are the same type of thing (for example: RAIN, SLEET, HAIL, and SNOW are all types of wet weather), but sometimes a play on words is involved (for example, BUCKET, GUEST, TOP TEN, and WISH are all types) List : Last Wish lists, guest lists, etc.).
Select four projects and click the Submit button. If you guessed correctly, the category and color will be displayed. (Yellow is easiest, followed by green, then blue, then purple.) If your guess is incorrect, you'll be given a chance to try again.
You win when you correctly identify all four groups. But if you make four mistakes before finishing, the game will be over and the answer will be revealed.
How to win connections
The most important thing to know when it comes to winning connections is that grouping design is tricky. Expect to see overlapping groups. For example, one puzzle appeared to include six breakfast items: bacon, eggs, pancakes, omelets, waffles and cereal. But it turns out that BACON belongs to the same group of painters as CLOSE, MUNCH, and WHISTLER, while EGG belongs to a dozen groups of painters (along with JUROR, ROSE, and MONTH). So don’t hit “submit” until you’ve confirmed that your foursome only contains these four things.
If you're stuck, another strategy is to look at words that don't seem to be connected to other words. If when you see "Whistler" all that comes to mind is the painting nicknamed "Whistler's Mother," then you probably get the idea. When I was figuring this out, I ended up searching on Google to see if there was a painter named Close, since Close didn't fit any obvious themes either.
Obviously, another way to win when you're stuck is to read some helpful tips - which is why we share them every day. Check back tomorrow for the next puzzle!
