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 Thursday, July 2:
Today’s NYT Connections Answers Explained
Connections – Yellow Group
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🟨 they impersonate other things (COPYCAT, MIME, MOCKINGBIRD, T-1000)
COPYCAT is a word for someone who mimics another person. A MIME uses physical actions to act out characters and situations. A MOCKINGBIRD can replicate the songs of other birds and the sounds of other animals.
T-1000 refers to the antagonist of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. It is a cyborg made of liquid metal that can morph into the forms of people and objects. The following video has spoilers for a 35-year-old movie:
Connections – Green Group
🟩 old-timey names for things we still use (LOOKING GLASS, SPECTACLES, TALKIE, WATER CLOSET)
The most common names for these are:
- LOOKING GLASS > mirror
- SPECTACLES > glasses
- TALKIE > movie (from “talking pictures” when films started including synchronized sound with audible dialogue)
- WATER CLOSET > toilet, bathroom, powder room (it’s the origin of the acronym “W.C.”)
Connections – Blue Group
🟦 starting with nicknames (BILLY GOAT, DAN DAN NOODLES, RICH TEXT, TOM-TOM)
These refer to:
- BILLY GOAT > Billy/William
- DAN DAN NOODLES > Dan/Daniel
- RICH TEXT > Rich/Richard
- TOM-TOM > Tom/Thomas
Connections – Purple Group
🟪 starting with sports venues (COURT JESTER, DIAMOND RING, FIELD MOUSE, TRACK RECORD)
These refer to:
- COURT JESTER > court (tennis, basketball etc)
- DIAMOND RING > diamond (baseball)
- FIELD MOUSE > field (both kinds of football)
- TRACK RECORD > track (races like the 100-meter sprint)
Connections – Red Herrings
I didn’t see any red herrings this time!
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.