Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThis is the solution to the New York Times Strands puzzle for September 25, 2024, puzzle #206—not the puzzle for today’s date. Its theme clue is “Claim your steak,” and the answers are all beef cuts. If you want to avoid spoilers, stop before the answer list.
Start with the theme clue
“Claim your steak” is a pun pointing to the category shared by the puzzle’s words: cuts of beef. The clue’s category-level answer is the spangram, BEEFCUTS.
Hints before the full solution
- Every theme word names a cut of beef.
- The spangram identifies the category that connects the other answers.
Spangram
BEEFCUTS
All Strands #206 answers
- BRISKET
- CHUCK
- FLANK
- RIBEYE
- ROUND
- SHANK
- SIRLOIN
How Strands works
Strands uses a six-by-eight letter grid. Connect adjacent letters to form theme words; the theme answers are highlighted blue. The spangram names what those words have in common and runs between opposite edges of the board; it is highlighted yellow. You can trace letters in any direction without reusing or crossing them. Finding three non-theme words of at least four letters earns progress toward a hint that reveals a theme word.
The answers and clue above are corroborated by dated solution guides from Try Hard Guides, Forbes, and the Puzzlesbay September 2024 archive.
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