Today’s NYT Connections #1208 for October 1 brings a tricky mix of wordplay, indie rock and familiar puzzle names.
NYT Connections hints for October 1
- Yellow: Think about placing or setting something in a particular spot or position.
- Green: Think about the measurements a tailor might take when fitting someone for a dress shirt.
- Blue: Think back to 2000s indie rock. Each answer becomes the name of a well-known band when “The” is placed in front of it.
- Purple: Think about other New York Times print puzzles. Each answer forms the beginning of a familiar puzzle name.
Main trap: Today’s grid mixes several ordinary words with proper-name-style answers, which can make the categories look less connected than they really are. The purple group is especially tricky because the connection depends on word beginnings rather than complete meanings.
Blue clue: NATIONAL and SHINS are strong anchors if you know indie rock. Add “The” in front of each word and look for two more band names from the same era.
Purple clue: ACRO, CROSS, KEN and SUD may look incomplete on their own. Try extending each into the name of a familiar puzzle: acrostic, crossword, KenKen and sudoku.
Today’s NYT Connections answers
Reveal the Yellow Group
Category: Put
Answers: PLACE, POSITION, SITUATE, STICK
All four words can mean to put or set something somewhere. PLACE and POSITION both describe setting an object in a particular location, while SITUATE means to position something and STICK can informally mean to put something in a certain place.
Reveal the Green Group
Category: Dress shirt measurements
Answers: CHEST, NECK, SLEEVE, WAIST
These are measurements commonly associated with clothing and tailoring. CHEST, NECK, SLEEVE and WAIST measurements can all be used when determining the proper fit and size of a dress shirt or other fitted clothing.
Reveal the Blue Group
Category: 2000s indie rock bands, with “The”
Answers: DECEMBERISTS, NATIONAL, SHINS, WALKMEN
Each answer becomes the name of a notable indie rock band when preceded by “The”: The Decemberists, The National, The Shins and The Walkmen.
NATIONAL and SHINS may be the quickest entry points for music fans. Once the shared “The” pattern becomes clear, DECEMBERISTS and WALKMEN complete the group.
Reveal the Purple Group
Category: Starts of NYT print puzzles
Answers: ACRO, CROSS, KEN, SUD
Each answer forms the opening part of the name of a New York Times print puzzle: ACRO begins acrostic, CROSS begins crossword, KEN begins KenKen and SUD begins sudoku.
This is today’s most wordplay-heavy category because the entries are not complete puzzle names. Recognizing how each fragment expands into a familiar NYT puzzle is the key to solving the group.
Players can attempt the official daily puzzle and check their results on the New York Times Connections page.
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