Need a nudge before the full reveal? Today’s New York Times Connections puzzle is #1,027, for Friday, April 3, 2026. Start with the category hints below; the four groups and all 16 answers are in the spoiler section.
Hints for Connections #1,027
These clues move from broad to more specific. Stop here if you want to solve the grid without seeing the answers.
- Yellow: Think of traits associated with a bully.
- Green: These are ways to satisfy an itch or craving.
- Blue: A bartender might reach for these.
- Purple: Each word can come before a term meaning authority or direction.
Full answers for Friday, April 3
Spoilers: The complete solution is below.
Yellow — Catty
MEAN, PETTY, SMALL, SNIDE
These words describe someone who is spiteful or unkind. The hint reported by Parade was “Small-minded or shallow.”
Green — Hanker (for)
JONES, LONG, LUST, THIRST
Each can describe wanting something: you can jones for it, long for it, lust for it, or thirst for it. Parade’s hint was “I want that!”
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Blue — Cocktail glasses
COLLINS, HURRICANE, ROCKS, ZOMBIE
These are names of cocktail-glass styles, not a set of drink names. Parade’s hint was “Drink up!”
Purple — ___ control
CRUISE, DAMAGE, GROUND, MISSION
Add CONTROL after each word: cruise control, damage control, ground control, and mission control. Parade’s hint was “Power to influence something.”
Rank #2
Why some words look like decoys
Several entries can suggest famous people when read as surnames, but that association does not connect the four words. JONES belongs with ways to express craving, COLLINS is a glass style, CRUISE completes “cruise control,” and PETTY fits the catty adjectives. The category mechanism—not a shared famous-Tom reference—determines where each word goes.
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