Today’s Connections puzzle takes the “weird grid” route: instead of standard text clues, you’re looking at simple icons that map directly to common word ideas. Once you translate the drawings, it clicks—though that purple category still feels like a test of your flag-spotting instincts.
Hints
Yellow (easiest): Think casino action—something you might find when you “ante up” (or the vibe of sitting down to play).
Green: Objects you use to fasten things onto clothing or accessories.
Blue: Bowling-alley essentials: equipment you’d recognize the moment you step up to the lane.
Purple (toughest): Flag designs—specifically the kinds of geometric divisions you see on national flags.
If you’re stuck, a good method is to identify one category completely (often the yellow or blue), then use those shapes to avoid misreading similar-looking icons elsewhere. The grid is consistent; the art just isn’t spelling anything out for you.
Answers
Yellow (casino): cards, chips, dice, slot machine
Green (ways to fasten things): buckle, button, laces, zipper
Blue (seen in a bowling alley): bowling ball, bowling pins, lane, scorecard
Purple (flag designs): circle, horizontal bisection, horizontal trisection, vertical trisection
How the icons map (quick explanation): The designs are meant to represent the clue categories visually. For example, the flag group uses plain geometric partitions: a circle, a split in half (horizontal bisection), a split into three bands (horizontal trisection), and a split into left/right thirds (vertical trisection). In the bowling group, the lane includes the gutter lines, while the scorecard icon includes typical bowling scoring markers.
Solving tip for next time: Treat “icon confusion” as a placement problem. Instead of trying to interpret every picture immediately, anchor yourself with the clearest one in each row/column, then work outward. That usually prevents the purple category from stealing too much of your time.
