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Need help with NYT Connections puzzle #400 from Monday, July 15, 2024? The four groups are built around synonyms for believing, words meaning a facade, television-support hardware, and liquor-bottle sizes. Start with the spoiler-light hints below; the complete groups and explanations follow.
Spoiler-light hints for Connections #400
These clues become more specific as you move down the list. Stop when you have enough to finish the grid yourself.
- Yellow: Trust it.
- Green: On the face of it.
- Blue: Screen security.
- Purple: Measure up.
The 16 words in the July 15 puzzle
The grid contains:
ACCEPT, BELIEVE, BUY, TRUST, BLUFF, FRONT, SHAM, SHOW, BASE, BRACKET, MOUNT, STAND, FIFTH, HANDLE, LITER, PINT
Connections #400 answers
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | REGARD AS TRUE | ACCEPT, BELIEVE, BUY, TRUST |
| Green | FACADE | BLUFF, FRONT, SHAM, SHOW |
| Blue | WAYS TO SECURE A TV | BASE, BRACKET, MOUNT, STAND |
| Purple | LIQUOR BOTTLE SIZES | FIFTH, HANDLE, LITER, PINT |
How each group works
REGARD AS TRUE: ACCEPT, BELIEVE, BUY, TRUST
Each word can describe taking a claim as true. “Buy” works in the idiom “buy an explanation” or “buy a story,” which makes it the less literal member of this otherwise direct synonym set.
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FACADE: BLUFF, FRONT, SHAM, SHOW
These words can all mean an outward appearance that hides what is really happening. A bluff or sham is false, while a front or show can function as a deliberately misleading exterior.
WAYS TO SECURE A TV: BASE, BRACKET, MOUNT, STAND
A television can rest on a base or stand, or be attached using a bracket or mount. The individual words also describe ordinary objects, so this group is easier to spot once “TV” is supplied by the category.
LIQUOR BOTTLE SIZES: FIFTH, HANDLE, LITER, PINT
These are names for liquor-container sizes. “Fifth” is the familiar traditional term for a 750-milliliter bottle in the United States, while a “handle” denotes a large bottle with a built-in handle. Liter and pint are the other volume-based entries. The term HANDLE is likely to be the least familiar word in this group.
Quick Recap
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A reliable solving order
- Take the clearest synonym set first: ACCEPT, BELIEVE, BUY and TRUST all point to regarding something as true.
- Look for the second meaning-based group in BLUFF, FRONT, SHAM and SHOW.
- After removing those eight words, interpret BASE, BRACKET, MOUNT and STAND as television-support equipment rather than generic objects.
- The four remaining terms—FIFTH, HANDLE, LITER and PINT—are liquor-bottle sizes.
Common traps in this grid
- SHOW can suggest television programming, but here it belongs with words meaning a facade.
- BASE and STAND have many everyday meanings; the TV-support category gives them their intended connection.
- BUY is used figuratively in “believe,” not as a shopping action.
- HANDLE may not be familiar as a liquor measure, making the purple group the natural final reveal.
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