Today's NYT Connections Hint and Answer (December 19, #557)

以下が翻訳結果です： "Quick Links What is a connection? Today's Connection Group Tip Today's NYT Connection Answer How to Guess: Connections 'Connections' is a game created by the New York Times that challenges you to find the relationships between words. It seems simple, but it isn't—'Connections' categories can be almost anything and are usually very specific. If you need help finding an answer, we'll assist you." "No ad was found in the specified zone (below the first paragraph, within native ads in the content)."

What is a connection?

New York Times game 'Connections'. The goal is simple: classify 16 words into four groups. Each group of words connects by some common idea or theme. The common element can be anything. We've seen games that work based on the number of letters in a word, categories that require finding an additional letter at the end of the last word, and more. Sometimes it's about references to economics, sometimes about magical stories.

Be confident and understand connections before selecting four words and pressing the 'Submit' button. You have a total of four attempts, so be careful not to be too adventurous.

Tips for Today's Connection Group

Here are some tips to start today's Connections game (557th):

• Yellow: Delay something.
• Green: A place where beer and other alcohol might be provided.
• Blue: Think of a ship.
• Purple: A feature of games featuring famous apes.

If you still need help, here are the actual group names:

• Yellow: Delay
• Green: Beer Bar
• Blue: Watercraft
• Purple: Found in "Donkey Kong": Donkey Kong

Today's NYT Connection Answer

Delay (yellow):

delay, postpone, hold off, notation

Beer Bar (green):

counter, keg, star, tap

'Watercraft (blue):'

barge junk, total, tag

'Seen in "Donkey Kong":' translates to 'Seen in "Donkey Kong":'

beach, gorilla, hammer, step stoo

How to Predict Connection Groups?

There is no quick and reliable method like Wordle for tackling connections. That's because Connections are not based on algorithms. However, keeping a few points in mind can help:

1. Look for similar parts of speech. Are some words verbs and others nouns? Adjectives? Try grouping them by category to see if any other patterns become apparent.
2. Are the words synonyms? Sometimes, categories can be synonymous phrases or very close synonyms. However, don't rely too much on this. Sometimes, connections may intentionally include words that appear to be synonyms to mislead you.
3. Try saying the word out loud. Sometimes, just saying a word helps. One puzzle might contain words like 'go', 'rate', 'quickly', 'clip', 'pace', 'speed', 'move', 'commute', and 'hastily', all of which are clearly related to movement. However, when you say them, it becomes clear that only four (go, move, hastily, quickly) are actually used to encourage someone to act like they're moving.
4. Be wary of the red herring. Connections usually include words that can be grouped reasonably even if they are wrong. For example, consider 'grape', 'cola', and 'light'. These three words might immediately make you think of a beer category, but they don't.
5. Look for different words. Use a word on the board as a basis for a category if it doesn't have multiple meanings or is only used in one context.
6. Shuffle them up. Sometimes changing the position of the words can give you a new perspective.

'If you can't solve this, don't worry—there will be another chance tomorrow! And if these words align with topics you're interested in, you'll have an advantage in the competition.'