Today's New York Times Crossword Clues and Solutions for September 4, 2024, Alternative Expression
If you're in search of the responses for the Connections puzzle on September 4, 2024, you've come to the right place. I'll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and ultimately, the solutions for all four categories. Along the journey, I'll explain the meanings of the challenging words and demonstrate how it all fits together. Be warned, there are spoilers below for September 4, NYT Connections #451! Read on if you're interested in some hints (and then the answer) for today's Connections game.
If you're looking for an easy way to access our Connections hints every day, save this page to your bookmarks. You can also find our past hints here, in case you want to catch up on a previous riddle.
Below, you'll find some indirect hints for today's Connections answers. And further down, you'll uncover the themes and the answers. Move slowly and only accept the hints you need!
Spoiler-free hints for the groupings in today’s Connections
Here are some spoiler-free hints for the categories in today’s Connections:
- Yellow category - It's something small in quantity.
- Green category - You'll need these for a new pet acquisition.
- Blue category - These words refer to party planning.
- Purple category - All but one are located on your numeric keys.
WARNING: Spoilers below for today’s Connections puzzle!
We're about to reveal some of the answers. Move slowly if you don't want the whole thing spoiled (the full solution is below).
A word of caution about the complicated parts
BRACE and COLLAR have no connection. BRACE references these symbols: { }
SHRED is a noun.
CATER, CARET, and CRATE do not pair up.
What are the categories in today’s Connections?
- Yellow: TINY AMOUNT
- Green: PUPPY GEAR
- Blue: PARTY PLANNING
- Purple: KEYBOARD SYMBOLS
WARNING: THE ANSWERS ARE BELOW
Ready to learn the answers to today’s Connections puzzle? They're all revealed below.
What are the yellow words in today’s Connections?
The yellow grouping is considered the simplest. The theme for today's yellow group is TINY AMOUNT, and the words are: HINT, SHRED, TOUCH, TRACE.
What are the green words in today’s Connections?
The green grouping is meant to be the second-easiest. The theme for today's green category is PUPPY GEAR and the words are: BED, BOWL, COLLAR, CRATE.
What are the blue words in today’s Connections?
The blue grouping is considered the second-hardest. The theme for today's blue category is PARTY PLANNING and the words are: CATER, HOST, PLAN, THROW.
What are the purple words in today’s Connections?
The purple grouping is thought to be the most challenging. The theme for today's purple group is KEYBOARD SYMBOLS and the words are: BRACE, CARET, HASH, STAR.
How I solved today’s Connections
CATER, CARET, and CRATE are all anagrams of each other, but there isn't a fourth. BRACE and COLLAR could both be medical devices, but I don't see anything else.
A CARET is the name for the up arrow symbol used for editing text, so there might be other symbols on the board—I checked first to see if there were other food homophones (CARET = carrot) but there aren't any. HASH and STAR could work, maybe. Oh yes, BRACE is the term for these symbols: { Let's see. 🤦♀️ Wow, a purple first day!
CRATE and BED make me think of dog care, so that probably goes with BED and COLLAR, which are also dog items. 🤦♀️
PLAN, CATER, THROW, and HOST probably go together as party-related terms. 😊
That leaves SHRED, HINT, TOUCH, and TRACE, which could all be words for small amounts—like "a SHRED of evidence," or "a TOUCH of salt." 🤦♂️ It took me a minute to make progress, but once I got the first category, the rest fell into place.
How to play Connections
I have a full Connections guide, but here's a quick review of the rules:
First, locate the Connections game on the New York Times website or in their Games app (previously known as the Crossword app). You'll see a game board with 16 tiles, each with one word or phrase. Your goal is to choose a set of four tiles that share a common characteristic. Often, they are all the same type of thing (like rain, sleet, hail, and snow, which are all types of wet weather), but sometimes there's wordplay involved (like bucket, guest, top ten, and wish, which are all types of lists).
Select four items and hit the Submit button. If your answer is correct, the category and color will be revealed. (Yellow is the easiest, followed by green, then blue, then purple.) If your guess was incorrect, you'll get another chance to try again.
You win when you've correctly identified all four groups. But if you make four mistakes before finishing, the game ends, and the answers are revealed.
Understanding how to conquer Connections involves recognizing that the categorizations can be deceiving. You'll often encounter intertwined groups. For instance, a puzzle appeared to involve six breakfast items: BACON, EGG, PANCAKE, OMELET, WAFFLE, and CEREAL. However, BACON was actually classified under a group of artists together with CLOSE, MUNCH, and WHISTLER, while EGG was categorized under items typically found in quantities of twelve (alongside JUROR, ROSE, and MONTH). So, make sure your group of four is exclusively made up of those four items before pressing "submit".
If you're finding it hard to figure things out, examining the words that seem to have no association to the others can be helpful. For example, when you think of WHISTLER, only the painting famously named "Whistler's Mother" comes to mind, which might indicate something. When I tackled that particular puzzle, I had to look up if there was an artist named Close, since Close didn't seem to fit any of the obvious themes either.
An alternative approach to overcome obstacles is to simply read some practical tips – which is why we provide these hints daily. Return tomorrow for the following puzzle!
To further engage with the New York Times' Connections puzzle, you might find these platforms useful:['nyt connections answer today', 'nyt connections daily hints', 'save nyt connections hints']. By utilizing these resources, you can access the solutions for the day and stay ahead with daily hints for future puzzles. Additionally, saving the hints page to your bookmarks ensures easy access whenever you need it.
