The Thursday edition of NYT Connections arrives with puzzle #1159, serving up a grid that rewards attention to gradual motion, travel vocabulary, and a neat shared-modifier trick.
What Makes Connections Tick
For newcomers, NYT Connections presents 16 words that must be sorted into four thematic groups of four. The twist? You're limited to four mistakes, and the color-coded difficulty system (yellow being easiest, purple being trickiest) means surface-level connections often mislead.
Since its June 2023 launch, Connections has carved out its niche in the Times' puzzle ecosystem, standing alongside Wordle and the crossword as a daily ritual for millions of players worldwide. The game's genius lies in its red herrings, words that could fit multiple categories but belong in only one.
Today's Grid at a Glance
Here are the 16 words staring back at you in puzzle #1159:
COMFORT | EASE | SHOULDER | INCH
MILES | CARRY ON | FEET | CHECKED BAGS
CREEP | TURKEY | UPGRADE | MAKE IT
PERSIST | EDGE | LOUNGE | CONTINUE
A seemingly random collection that somehow connects into four perfect categories.
Strategic Hints (No Spoilers Yet)
Yellow Category Nudge: Think about language for keeping at a task despite setbacks.
Green Category Clue: Picture something approaching a mark through tiny, cautious movements.
Blue Category Hint: Think about benefits tied to loyalty with a commercial carrier.
Purple Category Teaser: A single temperature word can precede four entries to form familiar expressions.
The Full Solutions
Last chance to solve independently: answers below
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Yellow (Persevere): CARRY ON, CONTINUE, MAKE IT, PERSIST
CARRY ON, CONTINUE, MAKE IT, and PERSIST all express perseverance through difficulty.
CARRY ON is the sharp red herring because it looks at home beside CHECKED BAGS in an airport-themed set.
Green (Move Slowly (up To)): CREEP, EASE, EDGE, INCH
CREEP, EASE, EDGE, and INCH can each describe moving slowly toward a position or goal.
INCH tempts a measurement set with FEET and MILES, while EASE has a strong semantic pull toward COMFORT.
Blue (Airline Status Perks): CHECKED BAGS, LOUNGE, MILES, UPGRADE
CHECKED BAGS, LOUNGE, MILES, and UPGRADE are perks associated with airline status.
CARRY ON presents an obvious baggage decoy, and MILES also reaches toward the grid's measurement language.
Purple ("cold" Things, In Idioms): COMFORT, FEET, SHOULDER, TURKEY
COMFORT, FEET, SHOULDER, and TURKEY each follow COLD in a familiar idiom or fixed expression.
Cold comfort is inadequate consolation, cold feet means a loss of nerve, the cold shoulder signals deliberate unfriendliness, and quitting cold turkey means stopping abruptly.
The Verdict
The perseverance group is the cleanest opening solve because its four entries share a direct sense of keeping going.
The real trap sits between INCH, FEET, and MILES, with CARRY ON adding a separate pull toward CHECKED BAGS.
The final shared-modifier group is the streak-deciding test, since recognizing all four expressions breaks the measurement decoy cleanly.
Reset and Repeat
Today's best trick turns ordinary standalone words into four crisp expressions with one icy modifier. Reset the grid instincts and come back tomorrow for another round of overlaps and wordplay.
For now, puzzle #1159 is solved. See you at midnight for the next round.
