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If you’re revisiting the archived NYT Strands puzzle from Sunday, June 2, 2024, this was game #91. Its theme, “Nailed it!”, points to manicure and nail-care terminology. Hints appear first, followed by the spangram and full answers.
Spoiler warning: The complete answer list is farther down the page.
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Today’s Strands theme
The theme for Strands #91 was “Nailed it!” The phrase is a pun about nails: the puzzle’s words relate to preparing, polishing and caring for fingernails, rather than construction or simply getting something right.
This is a historical puzzle from June 2, 2024, not the current Strands puzzle.
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Hints for Strands #91
- Think about nail care.
- Look for words describing manicure steps or products.
- The spangram starts with M and ends with E.
- The additional clue for the spangram was “Finger painting?”
Contemporary coverage placed the spangram’s path approximately from the left side of the board around the fifth row to the right side around the first row. That location clue is only approximate and is not needed to solve the answers.
Reported words that could unlock hints
Players could use ordinary non-theme words to earn in-game hints. One reported set was:
- LORE
- COOL
- PLANE
- ZIPPER
- CLEAN
- MIST
These are examples rather than a definitive list. Another contemporary report listed alternatives including LORE, TIRE, TEAR, TIME, STORE, STORM, LUST, BATS and POTS, reflecting the fact that multiple valid submissions may work.
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MANICURE was the spangram. In Strands, the spangram spans the board and expresses the puzzle’s central connection. Here, it identifies the manicure theme shared by the other seven answers.
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Spoiler: full NYT Strands answers for June 2, 2024
The complete answer set for game #91 was:
- TOPPER
- COLOR
- CLEANSE
- BASE
- FILE
- BUFF
- MOISTURIZE
- MANICURE — spangram
The order above is not intended to represent the exact order in which the words appeared or were found on the board.
Why each answer fits
| Answer | Manicure connection |
|---|---|
| BASE | A base coat or preparatory layer applied before polish. |
| COLOR | The polish or color layer applied to the nail. |
| TOPPER | A finishing layer or top-coat product placed over the color. |
| CLEANSE | Cleaning the nails and surrounding area during preparation. |
| FILE | Shaping or smoothing the nails with a file. |
| BUFF | Smoothing or polishing the nail surface. |
| MOISTURIZE | Hydrating the hands, cuticles or skin around the nails. |
| MANICURE | The umbrella term for the complete nail-care treatment and the puzzle’s spangram. |
TOPPER may be the least familiar answer in this context. It refers here to a finishing or top-coat step, not a person or object placed on top of something generally.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A practical solving route
A spoiler-light approach would be to interpret “Nailed it!” as a nail-related clue, then search for action words such as FILE, BUFF and CLEANSE. Once that category becomes clear, MANICURE is a strong candidate for the spangram. The product and process terms—BASE, COLOR, TOPPER and MOISTURIZE—complete the set.
This is a suggested strategy based on the answer set, not a reconstruction of the original board path.
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How difficult was the puzzle?
Contemporary coverage described the puzzle as moderately difficult. The main obstacle was recognizing that “Nailed it!” referred specifically to manicures. Once that connection was found, the preparation steps and polish-related terms provided a clearer route to the remaining answers.
Sources
The puzzle date, game number, theme, hints and answer list were reported by TechRadar and corroborated by Yahoo Entertainment. An alternative set of hint-unlocking examples was reported by Inkl.
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