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 right here:
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 Tuesday, July 7:
Play Puzzles & Games on Forbes
Today’s NYT Connections Answers Explained
Connections – Yellow Group
🟨 rooms in Clue (CONSERVATORY, HALL, KITCHEN, STUDY)
These are areas in the board game Clue, which is also known as Cluedo outside of North America.
Connections – Green Group
🟩 student-athlete designations (ALL-AMERICAN, JOCK, LETTERMAN, TEAM CAPTAIN)
An ALL-AMERICAN athlete is considered to be among the best in their sport at high school or college level.
A JOCK may be a sports-minded student who typically does not pay much attention to academics, or a male student athlete.
A student athlete might be designated as a LETTERMAN when they reach a certain performance or participation level. The name is derived from an initial (usually of the school’s name) that’s placed on their sweater or jacket.
TEAM CAPTAIN is… the captain of a team. They’re typically the leader of a team on the field, the court etc
Connections – Blue Group
🟦 ____ twist (FRENCH, LEMON, OLIVER, PLOT)
A FRENCH Twist is a hairstyle:
A LEMON twist is a slice of lemon zest that’s curled and used as a cocktail garnish.
OLIVER TWIST is the eponymous protagonist of a Charles Dickens novel.
A PLOT twist is a moment or revelation in a fictional work that changes the direction of the story, perhaps in defiance of audience expectations.
Connections – Purple Group
🟪 ending in Sesame Street characters (BERNIE, COLBERT, DISCOUNT, SAN ANSELMO)
These refer to:
- BERNIE > Ernie
- COLBERT > Bert
- DISCOUNT > Count von Count
- SAN ANSELMO > Elmo
Connections – Red Herrings
Stephen COLBERT, David LETTERMAN, Arsenio HALL and John OLIVER all are or used to be late-night TV talk show hosts.
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.