NYT Connections hints today: Meanings for each word for Oct. 21, 2026
Why is NYT Connections trending today? Explaining the meanings behind the clues for NYT Connections #1228.
In today's NYT Connections, the puzzle features words with various meanings. Among them are a traditional children's circle game called Duck Duck Goose, a difficult or problematic issue known as Hot Potato. Other words include Leapfrog, a game where players hop over another's back, and Musical Chairs, a party game where players move around chairs while music plays.
The puzzle also includes terms like Alpha dog, the dominant leader in a dog or wolf pack, and Big cheese, signifying an important or influential person. Heavyweight refers to someone or something of above-average weight, while Top banana is the most important or leading person in a group or activity.
Other words in today's Connections include American Gothic, a 1930s oil painting of a Midwestern farmer and his daughter; Campbell's Soup Can, a series of paintings by artist Andy Warhol; and Sunflowers, a tall flowering plant famous for its bright yellow flower heads. The list also contains American breakfast cereal Grape-nuts and Mantis shrimp, a carnivorous marine crustacean.
Sweetbread, a culinary term for the thymus or pancreas, is also part of today's Connections puzzle. The variety of meanings in these words may provide clues to solve the puzzle.
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