If you’re looking for the Connections answer for Thursday, February 8, 2024, read on—I’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solutions to all four categories. Along the way, I’ll explain the meanings of the trickier words and we’ll learn how everything fits together. Beware, there are spoilers below for February 8, NYT Connections #242! Read on if you want some hints (and then the answer) to today’s Connections game.
If you want an easy way to come back to our Connections hints every day, bookmark this page. You can also find our past hints there as well, in case you want to know what you missed in a previous puzzle.
Below, I’ll give you some oblique hints at today’s Connections answers. And farther down the page, I’ll reveal the themes and the answers. Scroll slowly and take just the hints you need!
Hints for the themes in today’s Connections puzzle
Here are some spoiler-free hints for the groupings in today’s Connections:
Yellow category - With these, maybe you’ll hit the mark.
Green category - Ways to have fun without the internet.
Blue category - This one packs a punch.
Purple category - Famously associated with sailors.
BEWARE: Spoilers follow for today’s Connections puzzle!
We’re about to give away some of the answers. Scroll slowly if you don’t want the whole thing spoiled. (The full solution is a bit further down.)
A heads up about the tricky parts
There are no valentine-themed categories today, even though it might look at first glance like Cupid is in there somewhere. One of his hobbies makes an appearance, though.
Besides referring to saliva (or the act of expelling it), SPIT can mean a narrow landform, sort of like a sandbar. It is also a card game in which you race to lay your cards down quickly.
A DECK and BRIDGE can both be parts of a boat, but that’s not what they mean today.
What are the categories in today’s Connections?
Yellow: ARCHERY EQUIPMENT
Green: CARD GAMES
Blue: WALLOP
Purple: CLASSIC TATTOOS
DOUBLE BEWARE: THE SOLUTION IS BELOW
Ready to learn the answers to today’s Connections puzzle? I give them all away below.
What are the yellow words in today’s Connections?
The yellow grouping is considered to be the most straightforward. The theme for today’s yellow group is ARCHERY EQUIPMENT and the words are: ARROW, BOW, QUIVER, TARGET.
What are the green words in today’s Connections?
The green grouping is supposed to be the second-easiest. The theme for today’s green category is CARD GAMES and the words are: BRIDGE, GIN, SPIT, WAR.
What are the blue words in today’s Connections?
The blue grouping is the second-hardest. The theme for today’s blue category is WALLOP and the words are: BELT, CLOCK, DECK, SLUG.
What are the purple words in today’s Connections?
The purple grouping is considered to be the hardest. The theme for today’s purple category is CLASSIC TATTOOS and the words are: ANCHOR, DRAGON, HEART, ROSE.
How I solved today’s Connections
Cupid is staring out at me (with his BOW, QUIVER, HEART, etc.) but I know better than to jump to conclusions.
A HEART and ARROW could be on a tattoo, though, as could an ANCHOR and a ROSE. That combo is one away! So I swap the ARROW (it’s only part of the tattoo, after all) for a DRAGON, and get it. 🟪
Feeling pretty cocky, I go with SPIT, BOW, BRIDGE, and DECK, figuring they are parts of a boat. No dice. I go and look up what SPIT means. It is not a part of a boat. Let’s try DECK, SLUG, CLOCK, and BELT. There we go. 🟦
Next up, I realize BOW and ARROW do go together, and along with a QUIVER and TARGET you have yourself a nice little archery starter set. 🟨
Finally, WAR, SPIT, GIN, and BRIDGE are, of course, card games. 🟩
Connections Puzzle #242 🟪🟪🟨🟪 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟦🟩🟩🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩
How to play Connections
I have a full guide to playing Connections, but here’s a refresher on the rules:
First, find the Connections game either on the New York Times website or in their Crossword app. You’ll see a game board with 16 tiles, each with one word or phrase. Your job is to select a group of four tiles that have something in common. Often they are all the same type of thing (for example: RAIN, SLEET, HAIL, and SNOW are all types of wet weather) but sometimes there is wordplay involved (for example, BUCKET, GUEST, TOP TEN, and WISH are all types of lists: bucket list, guest list, and so on).
Select four items and hit the Submit button. If you guessed correctly, the category and color will be revealed. (Yellow is easiest, followed by green, then blue, then purple.) If your guess was incorrect, you’ll get a chance to try again.
You win when you’ve correctly identified all four groups. But if you make four mistakes before you finish, the game ends and the answers are revealed.
How to win Connections
The most important thing to know to win Connections is that the groupings are designed to be tricky. Expect to see overlapping groups. For example, one puzzle seemed to include six breakfast foods: BACON, EGG, PANCAKE, OMELET, WAFFLE, and CEREAL. But BACON turned out to be part of a group of painters along with CLOSE, MUNCH, and WHISTLER, and EGG was in a group of things that come by the dozen (along with JUROR, ROSE, and MONTH). So don’t hit “submit” until you’ve confirmed that your group of four contains only those four things.
If you’re stuck, another strategy is to look at the words that seem to have no connection to the others. If all that comes to mind when you see WHISTLER is the painting nicknamed “Whistler’s Mother,” you might be on to something. When I solved that one, I ended up googling whether there was a painter named Close, because Close didn’t fit any of the obvious themes, either.
Another way to win when you’re stuck is, obviously, to read a few helpful hints–which is why we share these pointers every day. Check back tomorrow for the next puzzle!