If today’s Connections Sports Edition feels a little more “sports fan trivia” than usual, that’s because it is. The puzzle leans on three different sports-flavored language puzzles—plus one category that’s all about what comes after a blank. Even if you don’t know every reference, the grouping patterns are very gettable once you spot the wordplay.
Hints
Yellow group (easiest): Think of workout time—and the body parts people target when they’re training.
Green group: These are Ivy League team nickname-style names. The set should include four schools’ “sports identities,” not their official institution titles.
Blue group: All four items share the same first name. This one is more about recognizing a naming pattern than knowing sports history.
Purple group (tough): Look for something that can follow a blank—like a short phrase fragment that completes a common expression. It’s a “____ start” setup.
Answers
Yellow group — Muscles, informally: ab; pec; quad; trap.
Green group — Ivy League team nicknames: Big Green; Crimson; Lions; Quakers.
Blue group — Jonathans: Kuminga; Quick; Taylor; Vilma.
Purple group — ____ start: false; kick; quality; spot.
One useful solving tip: when a category hint sounds vague (“workout time” or “blank start”), don’t brute-force the exact words. Instead, hunt for the “most constraining” clue first—like whether the category is a body-part set, team nicknames, or a shared first name. Once you lock one group’s pattern, the rest usually fall into place faster than you’d expect.
