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NYT Strands puzzle #165, dated August 15, 2024, has the theme prompt “Is this some kind of joke?” Start with the hints below if you want to solve it yourself; the full answers and spangram are further down.
Hints for Strands #165
- The theme points to people associated with jokes or comedy.
- One answer is a short word for a performer known for jokes.
- Look for a practical joker and a court entertainer, along with other words for funny or foolish people.
- The spangram is something a person might say when they think a claim is a joke. In the grid, enter it without spaces or punctuation.
These are progressive clues based on the answer set, not official NYT hints.
How Strands hints work
Strands is a themed word-search game: trace theme words through adjacent letters, and find the spangram that describes the theme and touches opposite sides of the board. The answer guides say that finding three non-theme words of at least four letters earns a hint that reveals one theme word.
Strands #165 answers
Theme prompt: “Is this some kind of joke?”
Theme words: PRANKSTER, COMIC, CLOWN, JESTER, FOOL, BUFFOON.
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Spangram: YOUREKIDDING.
The grid entry is written continuously, without an apostrophe or spaces. Although one guide renders the phrase as “YOU’RE JOKING,” the answer entry identified for this puzzle is YOUREKIDDING.
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