NYT Connections Answers (April 24): From Villains To Vegetables, Can You Crack Today’s Themes?

NYT Connections Answers: If today’s Connections puzzle on the New York Times website had you second-guessing everything from produce aisles to Gotham City, you’re not alone. Puzzle #682 proved to be one of those brain-bending days where idioms, lettuce types, and comic book lore all collided in a uniquely challenging grid.

For those playing catch-up or still staring at those 16 words in frustration, here’s a breakdown of today’s puzzle, with carefully crafted clues and a full reveal (scroll slowly if you’d rather guess first).

Lettuce Guess Again?

The green category had players digging into their culinary knowledge. The clue? “Find the lettuce.” And indeed, the group was all about salad staples. The four answers under this banner were:

  • Butter
  • Iceberg
  • Leaf
  • Romaine

Nothing too cryptic here — if you frequent grocery store produce sections, this one might have come easily. But with so many food-themed red herrings in the grid, even seasoned solvers may have hesitated.

Holy Theme Twist, Batman!

The blue group leaned into classic villainy, and the clue made no attempt to hide it: “This is a rather villainous theme.” Fans of the Caped Crusader likely grinned as they uncovered:

  • Bane
  • Joker
  • Penguin
  • Scarecrow

Each of these infamous baddies has squared off against Batman across comics, films, and TV. This group may have offered a moment of clarity for pop culture enthusiasts drowning in ambiguity.

Ears, But Not What You Think

Perhaps the trickiest to crack was the purple group, with clues teasing, “Things with ears... as a matter of speaking,” and a nudge toward idiomatic language. This subtle wordplay led to a clever collection:

  • Cornfield
  • Musicians
  • Pitchers
  • Walls

From “the walls have ears” to “a pitcher has big ears,” this group leaned into metaphor, rewarding players who thought beyond the literal.

A Whiteout of Possibilities

Rounding out the puzzle was the yellow category, linked by the theme “Things That Are White.” The words were:

  • Baby Powder
  • Milk
  • Polar Bear
  • Snow

A soft, wintery group, but easy to miss if you focused too hard on function rather than colour. “Polar bear” was offered as a teaser in the hints section for those who needed a push.

Today’s puzzle threw in a little bit of everything — culinary cues, comic book nostalgia, idiomatic expressions, and simple colour categories. As one of the trickier recent editions, it served as a reminder that Connections rewards not just knowledge, but the ability to shift mental gears quickly.

Still stuck tomorrow? Don’t worry — we’ll be back with more hints and themes to help you untangle the next challenge.

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