NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, August 13 (game #1159)

Today marks the release of a new NYT Connections puzzle (#1159) for players around the globe. For those unfamiliar with the game, NYT Connections tasks users with grouping words into categories based on a shared theme, with varying difficulty levels. Spoiler warnings are in place, so avoid further reading if you wish to maintain the challenge of solving the puzzle on your own.

The four groups for today are YELLOW: PERSEVERE, GREEN: MOVE SLOWLY (UP TO), BLUE: AIRLINE STATUS PERKS, and PURPLE: COLD THINGS, IN IDIOMS. These categories were revealed alongside the game's words: COMFORT, EASE, SHOULDER, INCH, MILES, CARRY ON, FEET, CHECKED BAGS, CREEP, TURKEY, UPGRADE, and MAKE IT.

Hints were provided to assist players in identifying the themes of each group. For YELLOW, the hint encouraged proceeding forward, while GREEN advised moving slowly. BLUE suggested frequent flyer gifts, and PURPLE invited players to consider cold things within idioms.

After completing the puzzle, the author found themselves pondering their choices, particularly missing "COLD" things in idioms. They also made mistakes in three of the groups: selecting "CONTINUE" instead of "EASE" for MOVE SLOWLY (UP TO), choosing "SHOULDER" instead of "MAKE IT" for PERSEVERE, and selecting "COMFORT" instead of "MILES" for AIRLINE STATUS PERKS. Despite these errors, the author managed to complete the game.

As for what NYT Connections is, it is a word game offered by the New York Times. Players are challenged to identify groups of four items with a common theme, with each group representing a different level of difficulty: green (easy), yellow (moderately difficult), blue (challenging), and purple (very challenging). Players are allowed up to four mistakes, offering some room for error. The game is accessible for free via the NYT Games website on desktop or mobile.