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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchWarning: spoilers below. If you want to solve the puzzle first, read only the hints and stop before the answer key. This is the archived NYT Connections puzzle for Thursday, December 19, 2024—game #557, not today’s current puzzle.
Hints for Connections #557
Here are the four category clues, from the puzzle’s less revealing prompts to the themes they point toward:
- Yellow: Raincheck
- Green: Saloon staples
- Blue: Vessels
- Purple: Nintendo classic
NYT Connections gives players 16 words to sort into four groups of four. The colors indicate difficulty: yellow is intended to be easiest and purple trickiest. The game also deliberately includes words that may seem to fit more than one theme, even though each puzzle has one solution. NYT Games Help Center: Connections
Answers for December 19, 2024
Spoilers: the complete groups are below.
| Color | Theme | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Raincheck | DEFER, DELAY, POSTPONE, SHELVE, TABLE |
| Green | Saloon staples | COUNTER, KEG, STOOL, TAP |
| Blue | Vessels | BARGE, JUNK, SUB, TUG |
| Purple | Nintendo classic | BARREL, GORILLA, HAMMER, LADDER |
Why the words can mislead
The puzzle’s overlap traps come from familiar alternate meanings and associations. TABLE can be a bar fixture, but in the yellow group it means to postpone or set aside a matter. JUNK is a kind of watercraft here, though it can also suggest putting something off. BARREL evokes the bar setting, but its intended connection is Donkey Kong. These are tempting associations, not alternate official answers.
Can you replay this archived puzzle?
NYT Games and All Access subscribers can play archived Connections puzzles, with the archive reaching back to June 12, 2023. The Help Center says archive play affects statistics but not daily streaks. Connections is available through NYT Games platforms, and its daily puzzle releases at midnight in the player’s timezone. NYT Games Help Center: Connections
Quick Recap
Rank #2
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