This is the Monday, April 15, 2024 edition of Connections, puzzle #309. Start with the graded hints below; the full category names and word groups are after the spoiler break.
Hints for Connections #309 on April 15, 2024
Use these in order, stopping when you have enough to find a group:
- Yellow: Think of creating or performing without a prepared script or plan.
- Green: Think of actions associated with very young children.
- Blue: These terms point to what is outward or lacking depth.
- Purple: Each word completes a familiar phrase when followed by the same word.
Spoilers: April 15, 2024 Connections answers
The four groups and their words are:
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | INVENT AS YOU GO | AD-LIB, FREESTYLE, IMPROV, MAKE UP |
| Green | THINGS BABIES DO | BABBLE, COO, CRAWL, NURSE |
| Blue | SUPERFICIAL | COSMETIC, EXTERNAL, SHALLOW, SURFACE |
| Purple | ____ EFFECT | BUTTERFLY, DOMINO, PLACEBO, SIDE |
Why the groups fit
Yellow: INVENT AS YOU GO
AD-LIB, FREESTYLE, IMPROV, and MAKE UP can all describe inventing or performing without a prepared plan. Here, MAKE UP means to invent; it does not refer to cosmetics.
Green: THINGS BABIES DO
BABBLE, COO, CRAWL, and NURSE are actions associated with babies or very young children. NURSE is used as a verb.
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COSMETIC, EXTERNAL, SHALLOW, and SURFACE can describe an outward quality or a lack of depth.
Purple: ____ EFFECT
BUTTERFLY, DOMINO, PLACEBO, and SIDE complete the familiar phrases butterfly effect, domino effect, placebo effect, and side effect.
Rank #2
The overlap traps in puzzle #309
A swimming-stroke reading is a plausible distraction: BUTTERFLY, CRAWL, FREESTYLE, and SIDE can bring swimming to mind. In the solution, CRAWL belongs with baby actions, FREESTYLE with improvisation, and BUTTERFLY and SIDE with ____ EFFECT. Dated player discussion noted this interpretation, but it is an anecdotal reading rather than an official NYT explanation.
MAKE UP is another potential misdirection because it can suggest cosmetics. It belongs with the invent-as-you-go words, while COSMETIC is in SUPERFICIAL.
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Connections asks players to sort 16 words into four groups of four. The categories are color-coded from Yellow, the easiest, to Purple, the trickiest. The New York Times Help Center says: “Each puzzle has exactly one solution and is meant to be tricky by having words that could fit into multiple categories.”
The daily puzzle releases at midnight in the player’s timezone. It is available on the Connections website, the NYT Games app, and the News app. The daily game is free to play; the historical archive, which reaches back to June 12, 2023, is available to All Access and Games subscribers. Check the official NYT Games Help Center for current access details.
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