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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11NYT Strands puzzle #663, published Friday, December 26, 2025, uses the theme hint “Please hold.” Its answers connect to boxes, and its spangram is BOXING DAY. Hints are below in increasing order of detail, followed by the complete solution.
Hints for Strands #663
- Theme hint: “Please hold.”
- Date clue: December 26 is Boxing Day.
- Connection: Look for familiar kinds of boxes and words associated with “box.”
- Spangram: BOXING DAY.
Spoiler warning: full answers below
The following list gives every theme answer for the December 26 puzzle.
- BALLOT
- GIFT
- LUNCH
- MATCH
- PIZZA
- SHOE
- TACKLE
- TOOL
Why the answers fit
Each theme word pairs with “box”: ballot box, gift box, lunch box, matchbox, pizza box, shoebox, tackle box and toolbox. BOXING DAY is the spangram, tying the wordplay to the date. The answer set is supported by Parade and Try Hard Guides; Parade’s December 26 guide and Try Hard Guides’ #663 answer page both include TOOL. Forbes instead lists LOOT, but its own opening-letter clue points to TACKLE rather than LOOT, so TACKLE is the better-supported answer. Forbes’ guide also identifies the theme and spangram.
How Strands works
Strands is a word-search puzzle played on a six-by-eight grid. Find theme words and a spangram that describes their connection and touches two opposite sides of the grid. Letters can connect vertically, horizontally or diagonally, and a spangram can contain more than one word.
Three valid non-theme words of at least four letters unlock an in-game hint that highlights the letters of a theme word. Strands is available on the NYT website and in the NYT Games app, according to Parade.
Quick Recap
Rank #3
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