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Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections: Sports Edition No. 119 for Jan. 20

Here are some hints -- and the answers -- for the Jan. 20 Strands puzzle, No. 323.

After 15 months war, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on Sunday morning.

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The new initiative will be rolled out across 27 stations and feature "additional visual storytelling capabilities," Allen Media Group says.

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Trump took the rally as an opportunity to preview several of his Day 1 actions, including on border security, energy, and ending the Biden administration's diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in government agencies.

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Our top choices for internet in Mankato offer fast multi-gig speeds and prices as low as $15 per month.

Los Blancos look to close the gap on league leaders Atlético as they host the Canarians.

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need clues.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #589) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• COOKIE
• BEAR
• SPINACH
• SHOULDER
• CROOK
• ANCHOR
• ELBOW
• CHEAT
• PIPE
• HANDLE
• BEND
• FOREARM
• FITTED
• ANGLE
• ASSUME
• BALANCE

NYT Connections today (game #589) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Control the situation
• GREEN: You go around these 
• PURPLE: Add a word that rhymes with “neat”
• BLUE: Musclebound sailorman

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #589) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: TAKE ON, AS A RESPONSIBILITY 
• GREEN: CORNERS 
• PURPLE: SHEET 
• BLUE: ASSOCIATED WITH POPEYE 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #589) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #589, are…

• YELLOW: TAKE ON, AS A RESPONSIBILITY ASSUME, BEAR, HANDLE, SHOULDER
• GREEN: CORNERS ANGLE, BEND, CROOK, ELBOW
• PURPLE: SHEET BALANCE, CHEAT, COOKIE, FITTED
• BLUE: ASSOCIATED WITH POPEYE ANCHOR, FOREARM, PIPE, SPINACH

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 mistakes

SPINACH will forever be ASSOCIATED WITH POPEYE – the leafy veg giving him superhuman strength and giving parents across the generations an example of why you should eat your greens. But I could have looked at the other three words forever and I’d have never got the link – FOREARM? – congratulations to anyone who worked out that one.

Interestingly, bicep tears or ruptures caused by people attempting to mirror his bulging muscles are called Popeye Deformity. What a legacy.

Meanwhile, before wrestling with Purple and Blue, I got obsessed thinking one group of words had to be about plumbing and although you can get pipes that come in an ELBOW shape and SHOULDER sounded like a specialized type of PIPE too, I was overthinking the obvious CORNERS.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, 19 January, game #588)

• YELLOW: FUND KITTY, POOL, POT, PURSE
• GREEN: COURT FILING ACTION, CASE, CLAIM, SUIT
• BLUE: LANDFORMS BASIN, BLUFF, CAPE, PLAIN
• PURPLE: THEY HAVE RAYS AQUARIUM, GEOMETRY, SUN, TAMPA BAY

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1092) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1092) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1092) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1092) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1092) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• T

• T

• R

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1092) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1092, are…

• SIXTY
• THONG
• TATTY
• ROBIN

A pleasing Quordle victory today. I convinced myself that the T in the first word had to be the fourth letter and took a chance with SIXTH, which unlocked SIXTY.

I could have got ROBIN quicker, as it was obvious after the first two guesses that the word began RO, but my attention was elsewhere and as is often the case I was locked in trying to solve the first word.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Daily Sequence today (game #1092) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1092, are…

• ROWER
• CAMEL
• CURVE
• CREEK

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1091, Sunday 19 January: WREST, RINSE, SCOUR, CANNY
• Quordle #1090, Saturday 18 January: BLARE, ITCHY, BICEP, PIPER
• Quordle #1089, Friday 17 January: CATCH, WEARY, SWOON, LATHE
• Quordle #1088, Thursday 16 January: PARTY, BLUNT, TWEED, PLANT
• Quordle #1087, Wednesday 15 January: RISEN, PLATE, RURAL, ENVOY
• Quordle #1086, Tuesday 14 January: SWARM, SCRAP, ONION, BELCH
• Quordle #1085, Monday 13 January: EYING, GIDDY, CHEAP, PETAL
• Quordle #1084, Sunday 12 January: BRIEF, PETAL, WOMAN, FELON
• Quordle #1083, Saturday 11 January: ASCOT, FIBER, ROGUE, SMELL
• Quordle #1082, Friday 10 January: BIGOT, INLET, LEECH, TUNIC
• Quordle #1081, Thursday 9 January: RESET, HUMOR, TENOR, IMAGE
• Quordle #1080, Wednesday 8 January: MINCE, SADLY, RISEN, VOUCH
• Quordle #1079, Tuesday 7 January: CREED, FILET, ROUTE, TAPER
• Quordle #1078, Monday 6 January: PIVOT, WOOLY, GRUNT, GROOM
• Quordle #1077, Sunday 5 January: BORAX, JUDGE, CADET, SALON
• Quordle #1076, Saturday 4 January: CORER, CRATE, QUASI, EXIST
• Quordle #1075, Friday 3 January: PERKY, QUARK, NAVEL, SHEEN
• Quordle #1074, Thursday 2 January: UNIFY, SWORE, DEPOT, INTRO
• Quordle #1073, Wednesday 1 January: CLING, SUITE, WORRY, TONIC
• Quordle #1072, Tuesday 31 December: PLUMP, TUBER, IRATE, ICILY

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #323) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Curiouser and curiouser!

NYT Strands today (game #323) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• THAT
• TILL
• BONE
• PART
• TONE

NYT Strands today (game #323) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Lewis Carroll fantasy

NYT Strands today (game #323) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: top, 5th column

Last side: bottom, 1st column

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #323) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #323, are…

• HATTER
• RABBIT
• CROQUET
• DORMOUSE
• CATERPILLAR
• SPANGRAM: WONDERLAND

• My rating: Easy
• My score: 1 hint

Anyone unfamiliar with the work of Lewis Carroll would have had a very curious experience trying to fathom today’s theme. CROQUET? CATERPILLAR?

It took me a couple of hints and the WONDERLAND Spangram before it made sense.

Alice In Wonderland is classed as a fantasy, but I always thought of it as a horror – I can handle zombies, vampires, and mutants, but the thought of a playing-card soldier chills me to the bones. I’m not alone: this children’s classic was turned into a horror film – Alice In Terrorland – a couple of years ago, although it’s 3% Rotten Tomatoes rating suggests that it wasn’t the greatest of ideas.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, 19 January, game #322)

• SPAM
• SENT
• INBOX
• TRASH
• DRAFTS
• STARRED
• SNOOZED
• SPANGRAM: EMAIL LABEL

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

We give these paddleboards a standing ovation when it comes to quality and usability for all skill levels.

In the Transcarpathia region, some locals embrace a traditional lifestyle and cultural identity. After surviving Soviet threats, now they fear Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to erase their culture.

This weekend's NFL playoff slate concludes in Buffalo on CBS and Paramount Plus.

• Softbank is apparently looking to buy Ampere Computing
• Japanese tech giant already owns Graphcore and Arm
• Experts say Softbank's ambition would be to rival global hyperscalers

SoftBank, the majority stakeholder in Arm, is reportedly in talks to acquire Ampere Computing (via Bnnbloomberg).

Ampere, known for its data center chips built on Arm architecture, has garnered attention for its advanced chips, including the 192-core Polaris and the upcoming 256-core Magnetrix.

The deal is currently uncertain but highlights SoftBank’s ambitions to challenge processor industry giants like AMD and Intel amid the ongoing boom in AI investment.

Ampere's strategic significance

Ampere Computing, backed by Oracle, is a pivotal player in the AI and data center chip market, and acquiring it would undoubtedly bolster Arm’s push beyond licensing chip designs to becoming a full-fledged chipmaker.

Ampere’s expertise could also enhance Arm’s push into the lucrative data center market, aligning with CEO Rene Haas’s vision of expanding the company’s presence in this sector.

Ampere processors are designed to handle demanding data center workloads, a critical capability as industries increasingly rely on AI-driven solutions. Combining Softbank Graphcore’s AI accelerators with Ampere’s processors could enable SoftBank to build competitive systems for that sector.

The potential acquisition comes with some caveats for either company. Ampere has been preparing for an IPO, indicating its interest in maintaining independence, while Softbank will have to convince Oracle and the Carlyle Group, both significant stakeholders in Ampere, to ratify the deal.

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Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections No. 589 for Monday, Jan. 20.

Here are some hints and the answer for Wordle No. 1,311 for Monday, Jan. 20.

Wolf Man is the latest horror movie from Leigh Whannell, who’s known for horror hits including Insidious, Saw, and most recently, his adaptation of the Universal Monster movie The Invisible Man. Wolf Man was one of my most anticipated horror movies of 2025, and I'm pleased to say that Whannell has delivered once again, with a surprisingly heartfelt tale that takes us on a horrifying journey of grief and loss.

These themes are present throughout the whole movie, and it wastes no time in throwing us straight into the action after a family – parents Blake (Christopher Abbott) and Charlotte (Julia Garner), and their daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth) – are attacked by a creature during a full moon. The family end up barricading themselves into their isolated farmhouse hoping to protect themselves from the danger that lurks outside – but unknowingly, they’ve inadvertently locked danger inside with them.

Blake’s body begins to deteriorate and transform into something monstrous, confronting the viewer with horror that is both physical and psychological. Much like The Substance, our favorite body horror of 2024, it doesn't shy away from the gory detail and physiological trauma of a human being metamorphosing into something utterly inhuman . Expect nails ripping off, a jaw being broken, and bones moving – and it sounds as dreadful as it looks, thanks to a sound design that leaves nothing to the imagination, and which really elevates the whole movie. And yet, as horrific as it is to witness, it's the psychological aspects of Blake's transformation that scared me the most. The loss of a person’s identity is a recurring theme across many body horrors; it’s perhaps captured best in the way that Jeff Goldblum’s scientist slowly loses his mind as he loses his humanity in The Fly, and in Wolf Man Whannell approaches a similarly traumatic metamorphosis through a very sympathetic lens.

Without giving too much away, Wolf Man uses some clever POV shifting so we get to experience Blake’s transformation through both human and wolf's eyes, with the latter making for some particularly distressing scenes. As he changes into a ferocious wild animal, Blake can no longer understand his terrified wife and daughter., everything is more heightened. Their inability to communicate cleverly mirrors Blake and Charlotte's already strained relationship.

(Image credit: Blumhouse)

The goal of a the original Universal Monster movies was to be scary, and the creature in the latest Wolf Man adaptation certainly is. There are some effective jump scares here, again thanks in part to the sound design, which are best experienced on a big screen, though some might argue that the movie is too reliant on the jump. I'm inclined to agree – and for me the psychological aspects of the story are just as frightening if not more so.

The creature design did seem to divide audiences when teasers for Wolf Man were first released, and while I do think it could have been a bit more, well, wolf-like in places, no horror movie has so far really managed to nail the werewolf, and any shortcomings in this department are easily made up for by Abbott’s performance as a man losing both his own humanity and the people he loves. I can easily forgive some slightly-off special effects when a story is as rich and thought-provoking as this, proving that sometimes raw, human emotion is the scariest thing of all. All three of the lead actors are fantastic, but 10-year-old Matilda Firth deserves a special shoutout for the way in which she skilfully navigates the terrifying, dark, jump-filled landscape of Wolf Man, displaying a confidence and maturity way beyond her years. Considering I'm approaching 30 and I watched a lot of this through my fingers, she's officially braver than me.

Wolf Man is quite a way to start 2025, and while January is not typically the season for horror, it's already set the bar high for scarier entries among the new movies we’re looking forward to this year. You’ll want to catch it in the theater for the best experience – but you might want to make sure there's not a full moon that night, as it could make for a nerve-jangling walk home.

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Residents along the East Coast, from the Northern Plains to the tip of Maine, are bracing for several inches of snow on Sunday followed by dangerously cold temperatures.

(Image credit: David Zalubowski/AP)

The president-elect said he will issue an executive order Monday to delay the ban while he brokers a sale. The app has returned on web and mobile, but is not available in Apple and Google's stores.

(Image credit: Ashley Landis)

When he ran for office in 2020, President Joe Biden vowed to turn the page on then president Donald Trump. But it's Trump who is returning to the White House for a second term in office.

We speak with NPR's Asma Khalid, who covered the Biden administration, on the legacy he leaves behind.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

(Image credit: Mandel Ngan)