How to Bring Back the Old Chrome

Change isn't everyone's cup of tea. Some of us like things the way they are, dammit: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Unfortunately, staying still doesn't get you very far in most aspects of life, at least not with technology. Companies are always looking for new ways to move their products forward—or, at the very least, keep them up-to-date with the latest trends.

So it is with Chrome: Google rolled out a new design language for its wildly popular web browser, adopting the Material You UI seen on Google's other software products like Android. Material You adopts the UI's color scheme to images in the background to create a more cohesive look. In addition, buttons and menus are more rounded, since everything needs to be round these days.

The new Chrome isn't for everyone

I actually like the changes (although I'm a Safari guy when I can help it). However, if you hate the new Chrome, you aren't alone. Tom's Hardware's Avram Piltch despises it. Piltch detests the way menus float above the UI, how folder icons and the extensions menu appear, and, worst of all, how the tabs menu is now on the left side of the display rather than the right. (Those of us on macOS seemed to have been spared this last change, as Google didn't seem keen to squish the tabs menu in with the left-justified window management buttons.)

Anyone who shares in Piltch's sentiments is in luck, however: Unlike many tech companies that force design changes on users without an option to go back, there's actually an easy way to flip the switch and bring back the old Chrome—at least, for now.

How to bring back the old Chrome

To start, copy and paste the following into the URL field in Chrome, then follow the link: chrome://flags/#chrome-refresh-2023. This feature flag—an experimental feature tucked away in Chrome—controls whether or not Chrome loads with the new redesign. If you haven't tinkered with it before, it's likely set to Default, which, obviously, enables the redesign.

Click Default, then change the option to Disabled. Finally, hit the Relaunched button that appears in the bottom right to refresh Chrome with your changes.

How to Get Rid of a Bad Smell in Your Dryer

Contrary to what fabric softener commercials would have you believe, your freshly washed and dried laundry does not need to smell like a crisp Alpine breeze or a lavender field in Provence. But it shouldn't come out of the dryer with a noticeably bad odor, either—and sometimes, the machine itself is to blame.

Before you can stop the stink from spreading to the rest of your wardrobe, you have to identify the source of the stench. Here are some of the most common causes of smelly dryers, and how to get rid of them.

Why does my dryer smell bad?

When clothes dryers emit foul odors, it could be a sign of a larger problem—or that you've simply fallen behind with maintaining the appliance. Here's how to figure out what's causing various bad smells, and what you can do to stop them:

The smell: Mildew

The problem: Laundry that smells musty right out of the dryer indicates that you're probably dealing with some type of mold or mildew problem. Leaving wet laundry sitting in the dryer could be the culprit—or a full lint trap.

The solution: First, remove any lint, dust, and hair from the lint trap—first by hand (or using a cloth), and then with a vacuum attachment. If it still smells like mildew, remove the screen and wash it with warm water and mild detergent. If the odor still isn't gone, spray the screen with a mixture of one-part water and one-part white vinegar, then rinse with warm water. Let it dry completely before putting the lint trap back in the dryer. While the screen is air drying, unplug the dryer, and use a vacuum attachment to remove as much lint as possible from the lint trap slot.

The mildew smell could also be coming from the drum the dryer. To clean it, first, unplug the dryer, then wipe it down using a lint-free microfiber cloth and the water/vinegar solution. Lastly, "rinse" it by wiping it again with a clean, damp cloth.

If none of that works, experts at Home-Tech, an emergency appliance repair service in Florida, recommend dampening a few clean towels with white vinegar, then running the dryer.

The smell: Something dead and rotting

The problem: According to Wayne Herr, the founder and owner of VentSmart Dryer Vent Cleaning, the culprit is probably lint that made it past the lint trap and into your dryer vent, where it gradually built up to the point of causing a blockage. Because of the obstruction, steam from the dryer turns back into water, and apparently the combination of heat, water, and lint can smell like a dead animal. Though rare, it is also possible for an animal to crawl into your dryer vent—or even make it into your actual dryer—and die.

The solution: Whether it's a lint blockage or actual animal, you'll need to clean your dryer vent to get rid of the smell. This previous Lifehacker post walks you through that process.

The smell: Burning rubber

The problem: The smell of burning rubber could be the result of putting items in the dryer, like some synthetic fabrics, that aren't supposed to go in there—especially on higher heat settings. It could also be a wire short.

The solution: Follow the care instructions on your clothes and linens. If the smell isn't there when you're drying items that can tolerate the dryer, you've found your issue. Otherwise, it could be a wire short. In this case, carefully unplug the dryer, then inspect its power cord for any defects, like frayed or exposed wire. If you find any, you'll need a new power cord, according to Home-Tech repair experts. Whether it's the power cord or something else, the smell of burning rubber isn't one to ignore, so at this point, you'll have to decide whether it makes more sense to repair or replace your dryer.

The smell: Something on fire

The problem: If the odor is more of a general burning or fire smell, it could be anything from lint buildup, to a broken thermostat, drive belt, or motor.

The solution: Start with cleaning your dryer vent—especially if it has been a while since you last did it. If that doesn't help, repair experts at Mr. Appliance recommend checking the dryer's manual to find out where the thermostat is located, then unplugging the dryer, and removing the thermostat. Check the thermostat using an ohmmeter: If the reading anything other than zero, you'll need a new thermostat.

If that's not it, consult your manual to find out how to access the dryer housing, as well as whether the appliance uses a rubber drive belt to turn the drum. Make sure the belt is securely wrapped around the drum, and check for signs of damage or degradation. Remove the belt if it's damaged, bring it to an appliance or hardware store to ensure you buy the right replacement belt, then install it.

A damaged motor will not only smell like something is burning, but it'll also be quite noisy. If that's the problem, you'll have to decide whether to repair or replace your dryer.

The smell: Gas or kerosene

The problem: The smell of gas or kerosene coming from the dryer's drum or laundry dried inside of it is typically a sign of a ventilation issue, or—if you open the door and smell gas early in the cycle—a failing igniter, according to an expert at Appliance Repair Specialists. If you smell gas or kerosene in the area around your dryer when it's not running and the door isn't open, there may be an issue with the gas valve, or a leak in the exhaust system.

The solution: Never ignore the smell of gas or kerosene anywhere in your home. Call a professional right away if you smell gas or kerosene when the dryer isn't operating. If the odor is limited to when the dryer is running, start with the easiest fixes: Cleaning the lint trap, screen, and slot, then the dryer vent. If the smell persists, it's time to bring in the appropriate professionals to identify and fix the problem.

Six Questions Everyone Needs to Ask During a Home Inspection

Home inspections are often viewed as a formality: Just one of the many steps involved in buying or selling a property. But beyond that, it's a valuable opportunity for buyers who want to learn more about their new home.

While you can learn a lot simply by attending your home inspection, you can learn even more by asking the right questions. But if this is your first time going through the process—or owning a home—it can be hard to know where to start. That's why I asked Mike Powell, P.E., CPI, a seasoned home inspector at Red Flag Home Inspection in Tampa, Florida, for some of his favorite questions to get from buyers during an inspection, and why they're especially useful.

When to ask questions during a home inspection

Before getting into the questions, let's talk about when to ask them. For instance, should you ask questions about the home's HVAC system while you're standing in front of the furnace—and run the risk of interrupting the inspector's process—or wait until the end? Ultimately, this comes down to your inspector's preference. Powell, for example, sticks to a specific routine during inspections—systematically covering all aspects of the property—and prefers getting questions during breaks, or post-inspection discussions.

"Waiting for appropriate moments ensures that I can maintain my focus and attention to detail," he says. "It's about striking the right balance between being informative and respecting the professionalism involved in the inspection process."

Before the inspection officially begins, ask the inspector whether you should ask questions as they come up during the process, or hold them until a break or the end. Either way, it may be helpful to make a list of questions as you think of them during the inspection, either on your phone, or pen and paper, so you don't forget to ask them when the appropriate time comes.

Questions to ask during your home inspection

It can be hard to think of questions on the spot—especially if you're not familiar with the process, and are unsure what to ask. Powell says that his favorite questions to answer are those that demonstrate the buyer's genuine interest in understanding the home's condition, including these:

1. Can you explain more about this issue you found?
   The information in inspection reports is limited, so it can be helpful to ask the inspector to share additional details about any issues they discovered, including what, exactly, is wrong, and the options for addressing them.

2. How severe is this problem, and what are the potential consequences if not addressed?
   In addition to finding out about the issues that need to be addressed, ask the inspector which are most urgent. This will help you prioritize the necessary repairs—including when negotiating the terms of the sale.

3. Are there any routine maintenance tasks I should be aware of for this property?
   Sometimes, a home's age or location may mean it has additional maintenance needs. Ask the inspector about the current maintenance tasks, as well as any they anticipate coming up in the future.

4. Can you show me how to operate [specific system or component]?
   Not quite sure how the home's HVAC system works? Now's your chance to ask and get a demonstration.

5. What is the expected lifespan of [a major component, e.g., roof or HVAC system]?
   Having a general idea of how long various appliances, systems, and parts of your home are likely to last will give you the chance to budget for their eventual replacements.

6. Are there any signs of potential issues in the near future?
   If the inspector has experience with other homes in the neighborhood—especially those built around the same time as yours—they may have insights into potential problems you could face in the future. That's not to say you should base your purchasing decision on a hypothetical future problem, but knowing what to keep an eye on moving forward could allow you to catch a small issue before it turns into a big one.

The bottom line, Powell says, is to keep in mind that that you hire a home inspector to be your advocate, and asking questions helps them fill that role more effectively.

Today's NYT Connections Hints (and Answer) for Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Today’s puzzle looks tricky, but it’s not as hard as it may seem at first. If you’re looking for the Connections answer for Wednesday, January 3, 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 January 3, NYT Connections #206! 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!

Credit: Connections/NYT

---

Does today’s Connections game require any special knowledge?

There are musical references here, plus a few terms you might recognize from spy movies or political thrillers. 

Hints for the themes in today’s Connections puzzle

Here are some spoiler-free hints for the groupings in today’s Connections:

• Yellow category - Like a bird.

• Green category - Secret devices.

• Blue category - Fill in the bubble.

• Purple category - Partial names.

Does today’s Connections game involve any wordplay?

Yep, there’s a purple one that is…sort of a fill-in-the-blank? It’s a bit more specific than usual.

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?

• FLY and BUG and TICK don’t go together today; none of them are insects. They are, respectively, a verb, a device, and a MARK.

• MARK and MIKE can both be names, but they are just ordinary nouns now (and they don’t go together).

• COLE isn’t a reference to COLEslaw; think of rapper J. COLE.

What are the categories in today’s Connections?

• Yellow: MOVE THROUGH THE AIR

• Green: HIDDEN LISTENING DEVICES

• Blue: SELECT, AS A BOX ON A FORM

• Purple: RAPPERS MINUS FIRST LETTER

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 MOVE THROUGH THE AIR and the words are: FLOAT, FLY, GLIDE, SOAR

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 HIDDEN LISTENING DEVICES and the words are: BUG, MIKE, TAP, WIRE.

What are the blue words in today’s Connections?

The blue grouping is the second-hardest. The theme for today’s blue category is SELECT, AS A BOX ON A FORM and the words are: CHECK, MARK, TICK, X

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 RAPPERS MINUS FIRST LETTER and the words are: [E-] 40, [J.] COLE, [T-] PAIN, [Q-] TIP.

How I solved today’s Connections

This one looked tricky, but SOAR had to go with FLY, right? And there are two other flight-related words. 🟨 Next I saw the TICK box, which British people say in place of a CHECK box. MARK and X went with that nicely. 🟦 My next tip-off was MIKE, which could either be a person (but I didn’t see any partners for it) or a shortening of microphone. If it’s a microphone, maybe we’re looking at wiretapping–a WIRE, a TAP–or a BUG. 🟩 I wasn’t sure what to do with the last group, except that this whole time, whenever I looked at PAIN I thought of T-PAIN. Turns out I was closer than I knew. 🟪

Connections 
Puzzle #206
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟪🟪🟪🟪

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!

Tangzhong Is the Key to Making the Softest Bread You’ve Ever Had

Winter is my bread season. Not in terms of eating—please, that’s a year-round practice—but in terms of baking. While I love a crusty, seeded batard or tomato stained focaccia, I find eating a soft roll smeared with butter gives me a sensation akin to meditation. For soft, tender rolls that stay plush for days, use tangzhong in your bread dough.

What is Tangzhong?

Tangzhong is a gelatinized starch paste made by heating flour with milk or water. Incorporating tangzhong into doughs is a traditional Chinese technique to make soft breads, including pillowy steamed buns, but it’s not limited to that. It can be incorporated into any yeast bread recipe that’s meant to be soft. 

Why does it work?

Besides tasting damn delicious, starches are prized for their ability to thicken and gelatinize with water and heat. Tangzhong is no different. Flour is cooked with liquid, and during the process, the starch molecules engage with and hold onto more water as they swell and gelatinize. When you pre-cook some of the bread’s flour with water in this way, you’re able to increase the overall hydration of your bread dough without sacrificing the texture and stability of the raw dough. If you were to add that extra liquid without capturing it in gelatinous starch bubbles first, the bread dough would become extremely sticky, making it hard to shape, and possibly too heavy, resulting in an inferior rise. 

Gelatinized starches, bloated with water, will share this springy, hydrated quality with the entire loaf of bread, resulting in tender, springy rolls perfect for tearing and shoving directly into your mouth; a fine-crumbed, sliceable loaf for sandwich bread; or a stable but soft, thick French toast. Although starch retrogradation will still happen, the tangzhong will buy you several days of soft, fluffy bread.

How do you make tangzhong?

Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

Making tangzhong is similar to making a roux (a paste made by heating butter, flour, and a liquid), but it’s even easier. To make tangzhong, whisk one part flour to four or five parts liquid in a pot until smooth. Turn the heat on medium. I switch to a rubber spatula here because it makes better contact with the pan. Stir the mixture constantly until it thickens. This only takes about one minute for a small amount of tangzhong. Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature before incorporating it into the rest of the bread recipe.  

Can you tangzhong any bread recipe?

I have used this recipe for Japanese milk bread from King Arthur Baking a few times, and it’s a great starter recipe with helpful GIFs and pictures if you’re new to using tangzhong. They don’t specify this in the steps, but my only word of advice is to dissolve the milk powder into the whole milk first when you get to the dough section. 

Otherwise, you can add a tangzhong component to any bread recipe that you wish was more springy and soft. That being said, it will take some experimentation depending on the recipe’s ingredients and existing hydration levels. Start small, using around 5% of the total amount of flour to make the tangzhong. You can see in the King Arthur recipe I linked to above that they only use two tablespoons of flour to start building the tangzhong. That’s only 14 grams of flour compared to the 300 grams used in the rest of the recipe.

Try the ratio of one part flour to four parts liquid by weight. Take the flour from the measurement indicated in your recipe. In other words, after you measure out the total amount of flour, scoop a tablespoon or two out of that bowl. Whisk and cook it with liquid additional to the liquid measurement in your recipe. Since much of the point is for your bread dough to hold onto additional hydration, this is where you want to add extra water. The starch will be absorbing that water, so adding extra is a good way to keep the finished dough from becoming too stiff. (You can read here for more about calculating the increased hydration in your recipe.)

Once your tangzhong is ready and you’ve cooled it to room temperature, add it into the mixing bowl after the yeast has bloomed and along with all of the other dough ingredients. Proceed with mixing and proofing as indicated in your recipe. Your bread will bake up tall and fluffy with a fine, tender crumb. It’s divine. (Angels and gods definitely eat bread made with pre-gelatinized starch.) Try it for your next batch of soft rolls. You’ll swear by it.

Use These AI Tools Before Your Next Home Renovation Project

Designing your home renovation project, planning, and budgeting—not to mention choosing materials and contractors—can seem daunting. There are so many options available, and so much information to digest. Luckily, there are AI tools that can help you along the way; they’ll save you time and introduce you to new style concepts, as well.

Design inspiration and visualization

Before you begin looking into materials, the research phase should include design inspiration, visualization of your space, and introducing yourself to common materials and color palettes. During this phase of the planning process, AI can help you with inspiration and putting names to the design styles you prefer. Being able to visualize your overall design as well as communicate your preferences clearly to a contractor is an important step that gets easier when you employ an AI-powered design app in the process.

• Remodel AI will help you visualize and choose materials and colors by processing photos of your space and then allowing you to choose different finishes, materials, and color palettes. The app is free, but you will only get 15 free image generations per month.

• RE Imagine Home is an AI-powered design tool that will facilitate arranging rooms, testing out colors and finishes, and staging empty rooms. It will also take input from you on your color preferences and design style sensibilities. It’s free for unlimited features for up to 7 days and after that, only the basic version is free (the paid version is $99/month). However, for most people, the basic package—which allows 30 images per month—will be more than sufficient.

• Room AI is a generative AI-powered app that allows you to choose the room type, size, and design style you want and then can produce design inspiration pictures, based on a photo. This app is free for up to 5 generations per month, but after that, the pro version costs $8.99/month.

None of these apps will ever give you a perfectly finished rendering, but they can help you pinpoint your preferences, play with placement of furniture and decor, and experiment with colors and materials. As a result, homing in on your specific preferences can be significantly faster.

Budgeting and scheduling

The other big challenge for a remodel is getting a good idea of how much it will cost. Since not all projects are the same, there will be variation based on the difficulty of your job, your location, and the availability of materials. Using an AI tool to help you estimate costs and time constraints can help make this part of the process simpler and faster, giving you more time to look at paint swatches and tile samples.

• ChatGPT can give you a good overview of your budget and a breakdown of the construction schedule, including factors such as moving plumbing, installing new fixtures, including electrical and HVAC, and replacing flooring or wall coverings. The more specific your description is of your project, the more accurate your estimate for both time and materials will be. It will give you a breakdown of the costs, but only provides a general idea—you'll still need to get a specific quote from a contractor for a more specific estimate.

• Renotag is an AI-powered cost calculator that will give you a cost estimate on your remodeling project based on the current cost of materials and labor in your area. In order to give you the quote, they do want your phone number and email, making it an opening for advertisers and unsolicited quotes from local pros. But if you’re okay with marking unwanted ads generated by the tool as spam, the price quote is much more specific than the ones generated based on national averages.

Choosing a contractor

Choosing a specific contractor for your particular job isn’t something you should leave to AI alone, but deciding what type of contractor to hire and finding ones with the proper certifications and skills can definitely be made simpler through the use of AI.

• Chatbots like ChatGPT and Google Bard can help you determine which contractors in your area have good reviews and include the specific type of work you need as a part of what they offer. They can also help you determine what licenses and certifications you should look for when choosing a specific contractor.

• Using AI-powered chatbots on contractor websites when you’re in the initial stages of finding a contractor for your remodeling project can help you narrow down which contractors might have the appropriate skills and services for your job. These tools can also answer any other basic questions you might have about the contractor—such as their licensing and certifications, safety records, and specialties.

While these tools are helpful, they should always be double-checked by an actual human specialist (such as a contractor) before you decide to book your job. The information they provide can be flawed or incomplete. Once you narrow down your needs and the scope of your job, it’s a good idea to still get at least three estimates from three different contractors before taking the plunge.

Today's NYT Connections Hints (and Answer) for Tuesday, January 2, 2024

There is a sandwich here, but resist the urge to make it right away! If you’re looking for the Connections answer for Tuesday, January 2, 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 January 2, NYT Connections #205! 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!

Credit: Connections/NYT

---

Does today’s Connections game require any special knowledge?

It will help to recognize some sports terms. 

Hints for the themes in today’s Connections puzzle

Here are some spoiler-free hints for the groupings in today’s Connections:

• Yellow category - The perfect sandwich.

• Green category - All plugged up. 

• Blue category - Terms you’ll use while watching a game.

• Purple category - It’s not big!

Does today’s Connections game involve any wordplay?

There’s a fill-in-the-blank for purple. 

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?

• To RUN or WALK can be a way of getting around on your feet; or they can be a point scored and a first-base freebie, respectively, in baseball.

• JAM can be something you put on BREAD, or something like a CLOG. 

• A FRY can be a golden, crispy slice of potato; or a tiny fish. 

• I promise that there is a category of sandwich ingredients here today. You’ll just have to eliminate all of the non-sandwich items first.

What are the categories in today’s Connections?

• Yellow: B. L. T. INGREDIENTS

• Green: OBSTRUCT

• Blue: BASEBALL STATS

• Purple: SMALL ____

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 B. L. T. INGREDIENTS and the words are: BREAD, BACON, LETTUCE, TOMATO.

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 OBSTRUCT and the words are: BLOCK, CLOG, JAM, STOP.

What are the blue words in today’s Connections?

The blue grouping is the second-hardest. The theme for today’s blue category is BASEBALL STATS and the words are: DOUBLE, HIT, RUN, WALK.

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 SMALL ____ and the words are: FRY, TALK, WONDER, WORLD.

How I solved today’s Connections

CLOG and JAM stood out to me first, so I got that group easily. 🟩 Then I saw RUN and WALK, but what could go with them? Aha—they’re baseball terms. 🟦 

Down to the last eight, I clearly had a bunch of foods, so what do the outliers have in common? WONDER woman, TALK woman? No. Small WONDER, small TALK? That’s it! And that left me humming small FRY. 🟪 What was left? Just the ingredients for a B.L.T. 🟨

Connections 
Puzzle #205
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟨🟨🟨🟨

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!