The Thursday edition of NYT Connections arrives with puzzle #942, serving up a grid that rewards mechanical knowledge and lateral thinking. Today's challenge particularly favors those who can spot both physical principles and clever wordplay.
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 #942:
SCISSORS | GOOSEBUMP | HEATHERS | CLOTHESPIN
JAYWALK | SEESAW | DOVETAIL | CHILL
CROWBAR | AEROPLANE | SHIVER | SPEED
LITTER | TINGLE | MARSALA | LOITER
A seemingly random collection that somehow connects into four perfect categories.
Strategic Hints (No Spoilers Yet)
Yellow Category Nudge: Think about involuntary physical reactions to strong feelings or temperature changes.
Green Category Clue: These are all things you might get a ticket for doing in public.
Blue Category Hint: These tools and devices all operate on the same basic mechanical principle.
Purple Category Teaser: Look beyond the obvious meanings to what these words could start with when paired with something sweet.
The Full Solutions
Last chance to solve independently: answers below
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Yellow (Bit of a Response to Strong Emotions): CHILL, GOOSEBUMP, SHIVER, TINGLE
These four words all describe involuntary physical reactions to strong emotional states or environmental stimuli.
A "chill" down your spine, "goosebumps" from fear or awe, a "shiver" from cold or excitement, and a "tingle" of anticipation or nervous energy - they're the body's way of registering intensity.
Green (Break the Rules): JAYWALK, LITTER, LOITER, SPEED
This category collects common public infractions that typically draw warnings or citations.
"Jaywalk" (crossing illegally), "litter" (improper disposal), "loiter" (lingering without purpose), and "speed" (exceeding limits) are all actions that violate municipal ordinances or traffic laws.
Blue (First-Class Levers): CLOTHESPIN, CROWBAR, SCISSORS, SEESAW
Here's where physics knowledge pays off - all four items are classic examples of first-class levers.
Each has a fulcrum positioned between the effort and load: clothespins pivot at their hinge, crowbars leverage against surfaces, scissors rotate around their screw, and seesaws balance on their central support.
Purple (Starting With Candy Bars): AEROPLANE, DOVETAIL, HEATHERS, MARSALA
The trickiest category requires recognizing that these words can follow candy bar names to form compound terms.
"Aeroplane" completes "Mars Bar Aeroplane" (a British candy), "dovetail" with "Kit Kat Dovetail" (a manufacturing term), "Heathers" with "Mars Bar Heathers" (a confectionery reference), and "Marsala" with "Mars Bar Marsala" (a dessert variation).
The Verdict
Puzzle #942 registers as moderate difficulty with a sting in the tail.
Yellow falls quickly for anyone who recognizes physical reaction clusters, while green requires thinking about municipal violations.
Blue separates the physics buffs from the casual observers.
Purple, predictably, is the streak-ender - that candy bar wordplay won't reveal itself without serious lateral thinking.
The real trap lies in words like "SEESAW" and "SPEED," which could easily mislead solvers into thinking about playground equipment or velocity rather than their actual categorical homes.
"HEATHERS" and "MARSALA" appear as potential film or wine references but hide their true candy bar connections.
Reset and Repeat
Tomorrow's puzzle drops at midnight in your timezone.
Until then, reflect on today's performance: did you spot the lever mechanics or get tripped up by the candy bar wordplay?
The beauty lies not in perfection but in training your brain to spot these hidden patterns.
For now, puzzle #942 is solved.
See you at midnight for round #943.
