<p><em><strong>NYT Connections Today:</strong></em> The New York Times’ daily brainteaser Connections continues to challenge players with cleverly grouped word associations, and Thursday’s puzzle (#787) was no exception. If you were scratching your head over today’s grid, you’re not alone. With a mix of tennis legends, digital gestures, fantasy figures and sharp objects, the categories offered a delightful test of wit and wordplay.</p>
<p>Here’s how it all broke down.</p>
<h3><span style=”color: #ba372a;”><strong>The Easy Clicks: Office Mouse Actions</strong></span></h3>
<p>The Yellow category, the simplest group according to the game’s difficulty tier, was built around actions familiar to anyone with a desk job. The group included Click, Drag, Hover, and Scroll, everyday digital motions performed countless times on computer screens.</p>
<p>If you work in an office or spend your day online, this one may have come to you faster than you could say “double-click”.</p>
<h3><span style=”color: #ba372a;”><strong>Sharp Moves: Words That Mean Perforate</strong></span></h3>
<p>Green, the second-easiest set, sharpened things up with a theme based on puncturing or piercing. Bore, Pierce, Poke, and Punch were the four that made the cut here.</p>
<p>All these words describe different ways of making a hole, whether it’s through drilling, stabbing or jabbing.</p>
<h3><span style=”color: #ba372a;”><strong>Ears to You: Fictional Icons With Pointy Ears</strong></span></h3>
<p>Things got more interesting in the Blue category, which stumped many with its fantasy-leaning theme. The connection? Characters known for their distinctively pointy ears. Batman, Devil, Elf, and Vulcan formed this quartet.</p>
<p>These aren’t the kind of ears you’d see at a dinner party, unless you’re dining in Gotham or aboard the USS Enterprise.</p>
<h3><strong><span style=”color: #ba372a;”>From Centre Court to the Grid: Wimbledon Winners</span></strong></h3>
<p>Finally, the Purple category, typically the hardest of the lot, took a swing at tennis history. The connection here? Champions who have triumphed at Wimbledon. Borg, Graf, King, and Sinner were the chosen few.</p>
<p>This nod to tennis legends across generations was both elegant and challenging. Björn Borg, Steffi Graf and Billie Jean King are household names, but Jannik Sinner’s inclusion may have surprised a few who haven’t kept up with recent champions.</p>
<h3><span style=”color: #ba372a;”><strong>Connections Hints Recap</strong></span></h3>
<p>To help nudge solvers in the right direction, the New York Times provided a few cryptic hints earlier in the day:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Yellow:</strong> “An office worker performs these actions many times per day.”</li>
<li><strong>Green:</strong> “How to make a hole?”</li>
<li><strong>Blue:</strong> “They’re characters with a shared characteristic.”</li>
<li><strong>Purple:</strong> “Look for people.”</li>
</ul>
<p>There were also some extra nudges: only the Yellow group lacked four-letter words, and all others included at least one word beginning with the letter “B”.</p>
<p>If you didn’t crack it this time, don’t worry, the next puzzle awaits. And as always with Connections, it’s less about speed and more about spotting the subtle links that tie the world of words together.</p>
About The Author
