Need a bit of help with NYT Strands today? No shame in that, and you've come to the right place. Below, we've compiled some useful hints for Strands #861 as well as the answers, should it come to that.
We'll start off with some clues, before building up to the full answer for Strands #861, so read on if you need a little help.
Warning: Spoilers lie ahead for Strands #861.
Today's NYT Strands answer — Today's theme and hints
The official theme for NYT Strands #861 is... "In the Big Apple".
And here's an unofficial hint from me: "City life".
If you're still in the dark, here are some useful words to give you those valuable clue tokens:
- BOUGH
- BELLES
- TEASED
- STEAD
- ESTATE
- POST
- GATED
- TILED
- ROUGH
Still struggling? The spangram touches two opposite sides of the board (but can start and end anywhere), and will give you a hint about the connection between the answers. Today, it starts and ends with 'E'.
Scroll down to find out what it is...
It's EMPIRESTATE.
Today's Strands answers
So, what are today's Strands answers for game #861?
Drumroll, please...
- DELI
- TAXI
- BAGEL
- BOROUGH
- SUBWAY
- STOOP
- BODEGA
...and the spangram was EMPIRESTATE.
Strands #861
“In the Big Apple”
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Hi Strands fans. A slightly tricky puzzle for someone who lives an ocean away from New York, this one.
Still, I was able to get started easily enough, as I know that the "Big Apple" refers to the city. So I began looking for things associated with it, finding DELI, TAXI and BAGEL along the left-hand side.
BOROUGH was in the bottom-right corner, before I returned to the opposite side to find SUBWAY.
I now had the outline of the spangram, so was able to connect EMPIRESTATE spelt from the bottom of the board to the top.
Unfortunately, I drew a blank trying to find the final two answers, so I used a clue. It revealed STOOP, which I still don't really understand as a BRIT. Still, it made finding the final answer - BODEGA - easy enough, and I duly completed the puzzle.
Yesterday's Strands answers
Reading this in a later time zone? Here are the Strands answers for game #860.
- MILK
- PEAS
- SALT
- PEPPER
- NOODLES
- TUNA
- SOUP
- CHEESE
...and the spangram was CASSEROLE.
Strands #860
“Fishy fare”
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Hi Strands fans. I was at a disadvantage here for two reasons. Firstly, I don't eat fish or seafood. Secondly, in the UK where I live, casseroles aren't automatically fishy, so it wasn't something I immediately jumped to.
At first, I was looking for types of fish, and then I switched to looking for tall tales and exaggerations - a different kind of "fishy".
When all else failed, I used two clues. The first revealed MILK, and the second PEAS.
Right, so it's a recipe then. Like the worst chefs, I began looking for ingredients with no idea what I was making, finding SALT and PEPPER at the top of the board. I then located NOODLES on the left-hand side. TUNA was in the neat gap at the top of the board.
After that, I was lost again, so used a third clue, revealing SOUP. This completely threw me off, given I see soup as a complete course in its own right.
Still, I could see the spangram of CASSEROLE, so connected it. And that just left CHEESE in the bottom-left corner to complete the puzzle.
