If you’re looking for the Connections answer for Monday, October 2, 2023, read on—I’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solutions to all four categories. Beware, there are spoilers below for October 2, NYT Connections #113! Read on if you want some hints (and then the answer) to today’s Connections game. By the way, we’ve moved the basic “how to play” instructions to the very end of the page—just a heads up in case you’re used to scrolling down a few screens when you open this post.
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 further down the page, I’ll reveal the themes and the answers. Scroll slowly and take just the hints you need!
Does today’s Connections game require any special knowledge?
Nothing too arcane. iPhone users may have an easier time with one category than folks who use Androids. Other useful things to know include hunting dog breeds, and how you might find the warmest insulation for winter jackets.
Hints for the themes in today’s Connections puzzle
Here are some spoiler-free hints for the groupings in today’s Connections:
Yellow category - Say hi to the boss.
Green category - Check your phone.
Blue category - Pet the office dog.
Purple category - Give the new guy some, let’s say, advice.
Does today’s Connections game involve any wordplay?
The purple category is based on alternate meanings for the words, similar to the “BEAT” clue from the other day. There’s also a grouping of words that look like ordinary nouns but that are also names of a different type of thing.
Ready to hear the answers? Keep scrolling if you want a little more help.
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.)
What are the ambiguous words in today’s Connections?
MAIL can be chain mail, or the concept of sending letters and packages through a service like the post office. It’s also the name of Apple’s default email app.
A BOW can be a thing you shoot ARROWs with, but that’s not its meaning here. It’s not even a ribbon tied in your hair, or the front of a ship. Instead, think of its meaning as a verb.
DOWN can be the direction, but it’s also a type of soft feather that’s used for pillows and jackets. (Hence the old joke: How do you get down off an elephant? You don’t, you get down off a goose.)
A DOG is exactly what you’re thinking. If you want a hint about what kind of dog, maybe check out these good boys.
What are the categories in today’s Connections?
Yellow: WAYS TO SHOW RESPECT
Green: IPHONE APPS
Blue: ANIMAL COVERINGS
Purple: “POINTERS”
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 WAYS TO SHOW RESPECT and the words are: BOW, KNEEL, SALUTE, STAND.
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 IPHONE APPS and the words are: CLOCK, MAIL, MAPS, NOTES.
What are the blue words in today’s Connections?
The blue grouping is the second-hardest. The theme for today’s blue category is ANIMAL COVERINGS and the words are: DOWN, FUR, SCALES, SHELL.
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 “POINTERS” and the words are: ARROW, DOG, FINGER, HINT.
How I solved today’s Connections
I saw the apps first: NOTES and MAIL. We could add MAPS and CLOCK to get a collection of basic default apps on an iPhone (Android users may have slightly different names for the same things, depending on which phone you have; such is the nature of Androids).
This group has a lot of distracting pairings, like DOWN ARROW, or BOW and ARROW. I noticed SALUTE and KNEEL and figured we must have a list of gestures demonstrating respect or hierarchy, alongside BOW (the verb) and STAND (as in standing to shake someone’s hand).
When I got down to the last eight, the integuments stood out: FUR, SCALES, SHELL. They must go with DOWN, in the sense of feathers.
This time I got the purple category just before submitting. DOG, FINGER, HINT, and ARROW are all pointers.
Connections Puzzle #113 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪
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!