Paragraph 1: Introduction and New Year’s Anecdote
The author begins with a New Year’s greeting and a traditional Scottish well-wish, "lang may your lum reek," signifying prosperity. They then recount a personal New Year’s mishap from a decade prior. While celebrating in Berlin, their partner suffered a minor leg burn from a stray firework. The subsequent challenge of navigating the German healthcare system on New Year’s Day, with limited language skills, underscored the importance of safety and awareness during celebrations.
Paragraph 2: Connections Game Introduction and Gameplay
The author then pivots to the main topic: the New York Times’ Connections game. They explain that it’s a daily word puzzle where players sort 16 words into four interconnected groups of four. The groups are color-coded by difficulty, with yellow being the easiest and purple the hardest, often involving wordplay. Players submit their guesses, losing a life with each incorrect attempt. Four incorrect guesses result in game over. The author also promotes their Discord community for discussing strategies, feedback, and general Connections chat.
Paragraph 3: Hints and Group Categories for the January 1st Puzzle
The author presents the 16 words for the January 1st puzzle: EARTHWORM, CLOG, SLUG, WATERFALL, GLOWSTICK, RAINDROP, CANAL, FIREFLY, WINDMILL, RADIUM, SKYDIVE, SALAMANDER, AURORA, EEL, TULIP, GATEGRASH. Hints for each group are provided: "slithery critters" (yellow), "light ‘em up" (green), "like bicycles and Gouda" (blue), and "it all comes tumbling down at the end" (purple). These clues are designed to guide players toward the correct categories without revealing the specific words.
Paragraph 4: Revealing the Connections Groups and Solutions
The author further clarifies the categories: "slimy animals" (yellow), "things that luminesce" (green), "Dutch symbols" (blue), and "ending with synonyms for ‘plunge’" (purple). Finally, the correct answers are revealed: Yellow (EARTHWORM, EEL, SALAMANDER, SLUG), Green (AURORA, FIREFLY, GLOWSTICK, RADIUM), Blue (CANAL, CLOG, TULIP, WINDMILL), and Purple (GATECRASH, RAINDROP, SKYDIVE, WATERFALL). This staged revelation allows readers to engage with the hints and deduce the solutions at their own pace.
Paragraph 5: Personal Gameplay Experience and Strategies
The author details their personal experience playing the puzzle. They describe an initial incorrect assumption about words related to elements (EARTHWORM, WATERFALL, FIREFLY, WINDMILL) and a subsequent near-miss with a group ending in verbs. The realization that "slithery animals" was a likely category led to successfully identifying the yellow group. Further deduction, recognizing SKYDIVE’s double meaning as both a word and a synonym for "plunge," helped unlock the purple group. The remaining blue and green groups fell into place, showcasing the author’s problem-solving process.
Paragraph 6: Conclusion and Further Engagement
The author concludes by encouraging readers to check their blog for future Connections hints and solutions. They also include a musical recommendation from their hometown band, Average White Band, and offer general well-being advice – drink water and connect with loved ones. Finally, they promote their blog and Bluesky profile for further engagement on word games, video games, and other topics. This closing section combines a personal touch with calls to action for readers to connect with the author and their content.
