Note: Make sure to complete today’s NYT Connections before reading further! We’ll be getting into spoilers for today’s game pretty quickly. If you need some help to complete the grid, you can find my NYT Connections hints and answers column for today via my author page.
Hey there, Connectors! Welcome to my deeper dive into today’s Connections answers. The idea behind this is to help clear things up for anyone who isn’t sure how today’s groups fit together.
If I’ve missed any red herrings or misunderstood something, let me know via email or on Discord. I don’t typically look at X or check the comments here.
I’m going to assume that you’ve already beaten today’s game. We’re going straight into spoiler territory here. So, consider this your one and only warning.
Here are today’s NYT Connections answers explained (and any red herrings I spot) for Monday, July 20:
Today’s NYT Connections Answers Explained
Connections – Yellow Group
Play Puzzles & Games on Forbes
🟨 announce (BLARE, HERALD, SOUND, TRUMPET)
These are synonyms for announcing something, usually in a very public or loud way.
Connections – Green Group
🟩 things to click (BUTTON, ICON, LINK, MENU)
These are all things you can click or tap on on your computer, phone, tablet and so on. Often on website. I love websites.
Connections – Blue Group
🟦 associated with pearls (BUBBLE TEA, OYSTER, SWINE, WISDOM)
BUBBLE TEA is a drink that typically includes milk and some type of flavoring. It also usually includes edible balls (or pearls) that are made from tapioca. You may also know the pearls or the drink itself as “boba.”
An OYSTER may contain a pearl that’s coveted as a gemstone.
I wasn’t sure what SWINE meant in this context. However, I think this refers to a sermon that Jesus gave. “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces,” Jesus said, according to the New King James Version of the Bible.
A pearl of WISDOM is a valuable piece of knowledge, or something that’s intended to be wise but is actually not.
Connections – Purple Group
🟪 starting with alcoholic beverages (ALEXA, MEADOW, PORTOBELLO, SAKES)
These refer to:
- ALEXA > ale
- MEADOW > mead
- PORTOBELLO > port
- SAKES > sake
Connections – Red Herrings
OYSTER, BUTTON, PORTOBELLO and TRUMPET are all types of mushrooms.
If you’d like to chat about today’s game of Connections and just about anything else with me and a very lovely group of people, you can do just that in our Discord community. We’d love for you to hang out with us.
I’ll be back with another set of NYT Connections hints and answers tomorrow, as well as another edition of this one, all going well. You’ll be able to find both of those on my Forbes author page when the time comes (following me there helps me out too!). As for the weekend editions of my NYT Connections hints and answers column, I’m currently doing that via my newsletter, Pastimes.