NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, April 7 (game #400)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, April 6 (game #399).

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 #400) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Half-and-half

NYT Strands today (game #400) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• CRATE
• TRIM
• MICE
• HERD
• CRACK
• PEAK

NYT Strands today (game #400) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 14 letters

NYT Strands today (game #400) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: top, 1st column

Last side: bottom, 6th column

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

NYT Strands today (game #400) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #400, are…

• SATYR
• MERMAN
• GRIFFIN
• CENTAUR
• JACKALOPE
• SPANGRAM: HYBRID CREATURE

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• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 hints

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I found it tricky to get going today and wasn’t helped much when my first Hint gave me SATYR – a mythical beast I had never heard of before.

It wasn’t until the second word that I knew what we were looking for and completed the search after landing the lengthy Spangram.

To save you Googling – and you really may not want to if you value a clean search history – a Satyr is a “comically hideous” man who has the ears of a horse or goat (depending on whether you’re Greek or Roman) and a prominent magical body part he enjoys balancing a wine cup on.

A JACKALOPE, meanwhile, is a horned rabbit-like creature, a MERMAN is the male equivalent of a mermaid, a CENTAUR has the torso and head of a man and the body of a horse; and a GRIFFIN is a mythical combination of a lion and an eagle – but it tastes like chicken.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

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Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, 6 April, game #399)

• CLICK
• RELATE
• MESH
• CONNECT
• VIBE
• HARMONIZE
• AGREE
• SPANGRAM: GET ALONG

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What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which 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.

https://ift.tt/U9Pqxdo

Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, April 6 (game #1168)

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, April 5 (game #1167).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 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 #1168) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 5*.

* 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 #1168) - 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 0.

Quordle today (game #1168) - 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 #1168) - 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 #1168) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• A

• G

• S

• S

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

Quordle today (game #1168) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1168, are…

• AMBER
• GAUZE
• STORE
• SLICK

My slip up was picking a common word (GAUGE) instead of an uncommon one with a rare letter – GAUZE.

It’s fun when it comes off, but these choices tend not to work in the long run. In this case, though, I’m kicking myself as with the letters I had remaining these were the only two options.

AMBER took me a while to get and I almost typed in an incorrect word just to release some more clues, but I got there eventually. A slow day.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

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Daily Sequence today (game #1168) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1168, are…

• SCOWL
• SWINE
• RIGID
• GHOUL

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Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1167, Saturday 5 April: GUSTY, VAULT, WHINE, BEGAT
• Quordle #1166, Friday 4 April: OAKEN, LOOPY, CURIO, BUTTE
• Quordle #1165, Thursday 3 April: ASCOT, JETTY, DRUNK, JOLLY
• Quordle #1164, Wednesday 2 April: INDEX, QUEEN, INCUR, STOLE
• Quordle #1163, Tuesday 1 April: HUMUS, BALMY, WORRY, ERECT
• Quordle #1162, Monday 31 March: RECUT, MOODY, WHERE, BRACE
• Quordle #1161, Sunday 30 March: CRIME, DRINK, CLOVE, TRUER
• Quordle #1160, Saturday 29 March: LATER, ODDLY, CUMIN, AGREE
• Quordle #1159, Friday 28 March: TERSE, MUSHY, PROVE, FROND
• Quordle #1158, Thursday 27 March: CRONE, APNEA, LIGHT, AWOKE
• Quordle #1157, Wednesday 26 March: LEFTY, NOOSE, NOISE, TRIAD
• Quordle #1156, Tuesday 25 March: SNEER, WATCH, FLORA, STAIN
• Quordle #1155, Monday 24 March: FLOUT, SMASH, RAZOR, SMALL
• Quordle #1154, Sunday 23 March: ALLEY, GAMUT, GEESE, RADII
• Quordle #1153, Saturday 22 March: PICKY, BRACE, BOOZE, SURLY
• Quordle #1152, Friday 21 March: DITTY, VALOR, TOWER, AMISS
• Quordle #1151, Thursday 20 March: RIPER, STILL, WAFER, NOTCH
• Quordle #1150, Wednesday 19 March: FLAME, CARAT, SPAWN, TUNIC
• Quordle #1149, Tuesday 18 March: NAVEL, TREAT, COPSE, SLINK
• Quordle #1148, Monday 17 March: INFER, FLINT, CHUMP, SHEER

https://ift.tt/UyjFwAE

Don't worry, TikTok isn't going anywhere - at least not for the next 75 days

Many of us remember January 19, the day TikTok was erased from app stores before being reinstated approximately 12 hours later.

We were told TikTok had a new shelf life of 75 days, and promised a US buyer would soon swoop in to save the day.

But today, April 4, is 75 days after January 19 - and we still don't have a finalized deal in place for one of the world's largest social media platforms with over 175M US users.

Is TikTok actually getting banned in the United States again?

No, TikTok won't disappear from app stores - yet

Even though that initial 75 day grace period, issued by Presidential executive order decree, has now passed, TikTok is here to stay...for now.

The Trump administration has issued yet another executive order to keep TikTok in US app stores for another 75 days, which makes the new deadline June 18.

He explains in a post on Truth Social, "My Administration has been working very hard on a Deal to SAVE TIKTOK, and we have made tremendous progress. The Deal requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed, which is why I am signing an Executive Order to keep TikTok up and running for an additional 75 days."

Post by @karissabe

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More importantly, ByteDance sent us their first public comment on the potential sale, and, to be honest, it sounds no more certain that what we''re hearing from President Trump:

"ByteDance has been in discussion with the U.S. Government regarding a potential solution for TikTok U.S.  An agreement has not been executed.  There are key matters to be resolved.  Any agreement will be subject to approval under Chinese law," said a ByteDance spokeperosn in an email sent to TechRadar.

The question remains: How many 75-day extensions will we get before the long-awaited deal is finalized?

Trump mentions his administration does "not want TikTok to 'go dark,'" but at this time, we have very few details on the potential deal in place, and ByteDance notes there are "key matters" they still have to resolve.

While we wait for the pair to reach an agreement, there are numerous TikTok suitors in the mix.

We're aware of some interested parties, namely:

• Mr Beast
• Perplexity AI
• Oracle
• A consortium that includes Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary
• The White House

But TikTok's fate ultimately still looms in the balance as nothing concrete has come from any of these potential buyers.

Governments, Tariffs, and TikTok

President Trump also touches on tariffs, which have been making waves recently as popular tech companies deal with the rising costs of production and transit.

Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders were just announced as delayed in the US "amid tariff uncertainty" for example, and it's possible the Chinese government isn't interested in approving a sale with these hefty fines in place.

Trump explains, "We hope to continue working in Good Faith with China, who I understand are not very happy about our Reciprocal Tariffs (Necessary for Fair and Balanced Trade between China and the U.S.A.!). This proves that Tariffs are the most powerful Economic tool, and very important to our National Security!"

It's undoubtedly a rocky sea to navigate, but at least we know we have another 75 days of doom scrolling ahead of us.

You might also like

• Forget the US TikTok ban – what we need is better social media and privacy laws
• Oracle could still end up running TikTok
• ‘Possible, but not probable': analysts react to rumors of a $2,300 iPhone after Trump tariffs

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Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, April 5 (game #1167)

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Friday, April 4 (game #1166).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 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 #1167) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* 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 #1167) - 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 0.

Quordle today (game #1167) - hint #3 - uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1167) - 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 0.

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 #1167) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• G

• V

• W

• B

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

Quordle today (game #1167) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1167, are…

• GUSTY
• VAULT
• WHINE
• BEGAT

I had a great run today, though I had to do a little bit of thinking alongside my good fortune.

WHINE was the easiest of the four words, but I thought I was in trouble when it didn’t add any new clues to the remaining three.

Without having eliminated the letters I would have gone for ADULT or FAULT instead of VAULT, but handily there was no alternative.

The hardest word was BEGAT — not the sort of thing you’d use much in everyday life. Although in many ways Quordle is a game where one word begat another.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

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Daily Sequence today (game #1167) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1167, are…

• PAPAL
• AVAIL
• ALLOY
• TWICE

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Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1166, Friday 4 April: OAKEN, LOOPY, CURIO, BUTTE
• Quordle #1165, Thursday 3 April: ASCOT, JETTY, DRUNK, JOLLY
• Quordle #1164, Wednesday 2 April: INDEX, QUEEN, INCUR, STOLE
• Quordle #1163, Tuesday 1 April: HUMUS, BALMY, WORRY, ERECT
• Quordle #1162, Monday 31 March: RECUT, MOODY, WHERE, BRACE
• Quordle #1161, Sunday 30 March: CRIME, DRINK, CLOVE, TRUER
• Quordle #1160, Saturday 29 March: LATER, ODDLY, CUMIN, AGREE
• Quordle #1159, Friday 28 March: TERSE, MUSHY, PROVE, FROND
• Quordle #1158, Thursday 27 March: CRONE, APNEA, LIGHT, AWOKE
• Quordle #1157, Wednesday 26 March: LEFTY, NOOSE, NOISE, TRIAD
• Quordle #1156, Tuesday 25 March: SNEER, WATCH, FLORA, STAIN
• Quordle #1155, Monday 24 March: FLOUT, SMASH, RAZOR, SMALL
• Quordle #1154, Sunday 23 March: ALLEY, GAMUT, GEESE, RADII
• Quordle #1153, Saturday 22 March: PICKY, BRACE, BOOZE, SURLY
• Quordle #1152, Friday 21 March: DITTY, VALOR, TOWER, AMISS
• Quordle #1151, Thursday 20 March: RIPER, STILL, WAFER, NOTCH
• Quordle #1150, Wednesday 19 March: FLAME, CARAT, SPAWN, TUNIC
• Quordle #1149, Tuesday 18 March: NAVEL, TREAT, COPSE, SLINK
• Quordle #1148, Monday 17 March: INFER, FLINT, CHUMP, SHEER
• Quordle #1147, Sunday 16 March: INPUT, RUMBA, ELUDE, BLANK

https://ift.tt/AsCIprT

Amazon's Starlink rival is ready for lift-off next week –and promises to deliver satellite broadband 'later this year'

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• Amazon is launching its first Project Kuiper satellites on April 9
• They're the first step in its plan to offer a new satellite broadband service
• Project Kuiper will launch "later this year" to take on Starlink

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The new space race, where tech giants battle to offer us high-speed internet from low-earth orbit, is heating up – Amazon has just announced that its first Project Kuiper satellites will be launching next week to take on Starlink.

The launch of 27 satellites – the first of around 3,200 that Amazon will blast into space – is scheduled to take place at 12pm ET on April 9, weather permitting. More importantly for anyone who's pinning their hopes on satellite-based broadband solving their dead zones, Amazon says "we expect to begin delivering service to customers later this year".

Like the Starlink satellites launched by SpaceX, Amazon's system will be a worldwide service. The tech giant says Project Kuiper "will deliver high-speed, low-latency internet to virtually any location on the planet". It hasn't revealed how long it'll take to get its 3,200 low-earth orbit satellites into space, but says the process will involve 80 launches – and that its satellite internet will be available before the end of 2025.

Amazon sent two prototype satellites into space in October 2023, but says the new KA-01 (or Kuiper Atlas 1) models that are launching on an Atlas V rocket next week are a "significant upgrade" on those, with better antennas, processors and more. They've also apparently been coated in a unique "dielectric mirror film" to make them less of a visible eyesore to earth-based astronomers.

How fast will its broadband be?

(Image credit: Amazon)

Amazon says the broad aim of Project Kuiper is to "provide fast, affordable broadband to communities around the world that are currently unserved by traditional internet and communications options". That includes the developing world but also regions of countries like the US and UK, where Amazon is hoping to take on Starlink by offering affordable broadband to rural areas.

During Project Kuiper's early days, you'll need to get one of three antennas or "terminals" (above) to connect to Amazon's low-earth orbit satellites. The smallest model will apparently provide speeds of "up to 100Mbps", with the middle option going "up to 400Mbps". The largest one is designed for businesses and government, and will deliver "up to 1Gbps".

Those "up to" qualifiers are obviously important and we'll have to wait until later this year to get an idea of real-world speeds. Our Starlink review, for example, found that it gave us 71Mbps download speeds (and 15Mbps uploads), which did indeed fit into the promised range of 25-100Mbps.

Amazon hasn't yet announced pricing for Project Kuiper, so far only promising that "affordability is a key principle of Project Kuiper" and compared its pricing strategy to that of its Echo Dot and Fire TV Stick. Further down the line, we can expect Amazon to move towards a 'direct-to-device' service that connects its satellites to smartphones and tablets, but a launch for that hasn't yet been confirmed.

For now, Amazon is looking to get its first internet satellites into space – and all things being well, that'll be the case by the end of next week.

You might also like

• What is Starlink? How to get the satellite service for free on your phone with T-Mobile, plus everything you need to know
• United Airlines successfully installed Starlink on its first aircraft, and the promised speeds are up to 50 times faster
• Amazon is bringing its satellite broadband to the UK

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NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, April 4 (game #397)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, April 3 (game #396).

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 #397) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Step on it!

NYT Strands today (game #397) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• MEAT
• WOOD
• TIRE
• REAL
• WHALE
• MATE

NYT Strands today (game #397) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 8 letters

NYT Strands today (game #396) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: right, 7th row

Last side: left, 7th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #397) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #397, are…

• CONCRETE
• HARDWOOD
• LINOLEUM
• LAMINATE
• TERRAZZO
• SPANGRAM: FLOORING

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• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 2 hints

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The beauty of Strands is that it gets you thinking about things you wouldn’t normally think about, like today’s search for FLOORING.

There’s a town not far from where I live in London called Staines – they’ve rebranded as Staines-on-Thames because a) they think it sounds more classy than Staines and b) Sacha Baron Cohen based his character Ali G in the town and it’s not something they’re proud of.

What they are proud of, though, is that LINOLEUM made in Staines was once world-famous and was exported around the globe. What Carrara in southern Tuscanny is to marble, Staines in northwest Surrey is to solidified linseed oil. There is a beautiful statue in the city center of two men carrying a roll. A very rare example, in the UK at least, of a statue that honors working people instead of some major on a horse.

Despite my deep love for lino – and indeed CONCRETE (something my father used to tell me my head was made from) – I struggled with today’s search and needed a couple of hints to get me going. You could say I was floored.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

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Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, 3 April, game #396)

• LADY
• STINK
• DOODLE
• LIGHTNING
• POTATO
• ASSASSIN
• SPANGRAM: ENTOMOLOGY

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What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which 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.

https://ift.tt/VdCXmnA

NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, April 3 (game #396)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Wednesday, April 2 (game #395).

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 #396) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Get the bug

NYT Strands today (game #396) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• THAN
• DOLE
• SOAP
• TOOL
• SNAP
• LADS

NYT Strands today (game #396) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 10 letters

NYT Strands today (game #396) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 4th row

Last side: right, 3rd row

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

NYT Strands today (game #396) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #396, are…

• LADY
• STINK
• DOODLE
• LIGHTNING
• POTATO
• ASSASSIN
• SPANGRAM: ENTOMOLOGY

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• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 hints

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ENOTOMOLOGY, and I will tell you as I’ve just googled it, is the study of insects, encompassing their biology, ecology, behavior, and interactions with humans.

I must admit that a couple of the bugs that made today’s search are ones that I thought were just names for things, rather than names for actual insects.

Until today I thought DOODLEbug was the name given, during the Second World War, to flying bombs – rather than a small unattractive creature that lives in sand.

Strictly speaking, LADYbugs are beetles rather than bugs and they’re really fascinating.

The two facts that I remember most about them is that although they have a short lifespan (two years at most) they hibernate for about nine months of that time and secondly that the charming name for a large group of them is a “loveliness”.

STINKbugs don’t have an official collective term but the experts like to call large groups “a stench”.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

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Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, 2 April, game #395)

• DAZZLE
• TWINKLE
• SHIMMER
• SPARKLE
• GLEAM
• RADIATE
• SPANGRAM: STAR POWER

---

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which 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.

https://ift.tt/QJFnb43

Gave up trying to install Chrome on Windows 11 because it wouldn’t work? Google has fixed this error, but I can’t believe how long it took

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• Google’s Chrome installer for PCs with AMD and Intel CPUs has been broken for the past week
• Detective work suggests that the version for these PCs was accidentally replaced by the Arm installer, which is for very different Snapdragon CPUs
• While the issue has now been fixed, Google took a long time to resolve it

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Those trying to install the Chrome browser in Windows 11 or 10 over the course of the past week may well have been flummoxed by an error telling them the app won’t run on their PC – and I can’t quite believe how long it’s taken Google to fix this.

Nonetheless, the good news is that the glitch is fixed, even if it took the company way longer than it should have.

The problem, in case you missed it, was flagged on Reddit and by Windows Latest a week ago.

What happened was that on firing up the Chrome Installer file (ChromeSetup.exe, download from Google’s website), people watched the process come to a screeching halt, with an error message that read: “This app can’t run on your PC: To find a version for your PC, check with the software publisher.”

As to the cause, Windows Latest did some detective work, and theorized that what Google had done here – somehow – was accidentally swap the Arm installer of Chrome with the x86 installer. Meaning that the version of Chrome for Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon (Arm-based) processors got swapped with the version for AMD or Intel CPUs.

That conclusion was based on digging into the setup file and finding references to ‘Arm’ which surely wouldn’t be there with a non-Arm executable. Furthermore, 9 to 5 Google backs up this theory, as the tech site tried the faulty version of Chrome on a Snapdragon PC, and found it worked fine (as it would do if it was the Arm installer).

9 to 5 Google was also on the ball in terms of noticing that the issue is finally cured, and you can now download the Chrome installer on a Windows PC with an AMD or Intel CPU, and it’ll work just as you’d expect.

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(Image credit: Shutterstock / Khosro)

Analysis: A bafflingly basic mistake with only one winner (Edge)

Okay, so mistakes can be made. Indeed, they happen all the time in the tech world, or elsewhere for that matter. But for such a basic glitch to be left in place to annoy a bunch of Windows users for the best part of a week is baffling – especially while reports were flying around about the problem.

I can’t imagine this was something that was particularly difficult to resolve, either, as it looks like a simple mix up of files, as noted (unless there’s something I’m missing here). Apparently, the Arm version of Google Chrome wasn’t affected, and the installer still worked for those with a Snapdragon-powered machine.

This could have cost Google some Chrome users potentially, who might have got fed up with the browser failing to install, and maybe even plumped for Microsoft Edge, its main rival, instead. (Incidentally, Edge is the best overall web browser as far as our roundup of the most compelling offerings out there is concerned).

You might also like

• Microsoft looks to be making a big change to how you install and log in to Windows 11 – and I’m not happy about it at all
• Microsoft gets rid of ‘Edge uninstall’ advice page after facing criticism over it having nothing to do with removing the app, and just promoting the browser instead
• How to use Microsoft Edge

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NYT Strands hints and answers for Wednesday, April 2 (game #395)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, April 1 (game #394).

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 #395) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Shine on

NYT Strands today (game #395) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• DART
• KITE
• MARS
• RATES
• DATA
• SHIP

NYT Strands today (game #395) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 9 letters

NYT Strands today (game #395) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: top, 4th column

Last side: bottom, 3rd column

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

NYT Strands today (game #395) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #395, are…

• DAZZLE
• TWINKLE
• SHIMMER
• SPARKLE
• GLEAM
• RADIATE
• SPANGRAM: STAR POWER

---

• My rating: Easy
• My score: 1 hint

---

The double-Z of DAZZLE set me on my way today as I ticked off these shine synonyms.

To anyone who is or was a parent the word TWINKLE will have added meaning as a key component of a nursery rhyme intended to lull tiny tots to sleep and also one of the first things learned during music lessons — for these reasons it’s equally nostalgic and irksome.

I’ve always struggled with fact that light from our nearest star system takes over four years to reach us, but then if you knew me this wouldn’t really surprise you, as when the clocks go forward or back I’m in a state of confusion for the rest of the week and constantly ask myself “yes, but what time is it really?”

The fact that the SPARKLE I’m seeing in the night sky is from 2021 hurts my brain almost as much as yesterday’s Connections.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

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Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Tuesday, 1 April, game #394)

• SHOWERS
• BUDS
• ROBINS
• POLLEN
• PUDDLES
• BLOSSOMS
• SPANGRAM: SPRINGTIME

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What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which 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.

https://ift.tt/QVvydRB

TikTok ban looms again – what's next for the social media platform, and do we still care?

Remember that time TikTok shut down and disappeared from app stores? It wasn't that long ago. For roughly 12 hours on January 19, TikTok was stripped away from roughly 175M US users only to be saved by a Presidential executive order decree that extended the ban deadline by 75 days. Don't worry; the White House promised we'll have a sale in place by then.

Guess what? While TikTok has multiple suitors, no US company, and certainly not the White House, has purchased any portion of ByteDance's popular social media content-sharing platform.

Throughout this process, ByteDance – a Chinese company – has yet to comment directly on the potential of a sale to a US firm. TikTok's US leadership and its CEO, Shou Zi Chew, have publicly praised President Donald Trump for his intervention but have been mostly silent since then.

In the meantime, TikTok has spent millions on televised ads and infomercial segments touting TikTok's positive impact on people and US businesses, specifically small businesses. The company currently says it has roughly 7.5M businesses on the platform. In a recent economic impact report, TikTok claims small businesses drove $15B in revenue in 2023.

There's no question that TikTok has had a significant impact on US business and, especially, culture (remember the pivotal role it played during COVID?). However, the US climate and appetite for a last-minute save of the social media platform may have shifted since January.

After all, that was the literal dawn of President Trump's second term. Since then, there have been dozens of Executive Orders touching almost every part of American life (including technology; see this AI-related order), and there's a chance consumers may have bigger fish to fry.

Even so, the fate of one of the world's most popular social media platforms does hang in the balance. Here's what we know about what comes next:

I did reach out to the White House, Apple, Google, and TikTok about the current state of negotiations and what might happen if the ban does not get another extension. As of this writing, only Google responded, but it had nothing new to share.

While there have been no public indications of any real progress or movement in the TikTok sale negotiation process, we do know that multiple suitors include:

• Mr Beast
• Perplexity AI
• Oracle
• A consortium that includes Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary
• The White House

Oracle is already managing TikTok's US data, so it might be the leading prospective buyer.

The White House has often been mentioned as acquiring a partial stake in the US-owned version of the company. here are already legal hurdles involved with a sitting President also running a private or non-public-sector business.

Perplexity AI is the most interesting suitor. In a lengthy blog post, the AI search company made an impassioned case for "Rebuilding TikTok in America."

While ByteDance and the White House remain mum on deal details or progress, multiple US senators are still urging the White House to extend the ban postponement to October of this year.

The White House stated this week that a deal would be done before the April 5 deadline but has yet to offer any further details beyond reiterating that there are "lots of potential buyers" and they have "tremendous interest."

What's next?

(Image credit: Future)

If the deal does not happen by then, TikTok could face a new ban, and that might mean the removal not only of TikTok but all of ByteDance's US apps, including Lemon8 and the popular video-editing app CapCut.

Apple and Google removed the apps, and even after the US president extended the ban, they remained unavailable on the app stores for weeks.

Apple did not respond to my request for comment. As I noted above, Google told me it had nothing new to share at this time.

So, the current state of play is that while there's a lot of sale chatter from some major US business players and investors, there is nothing solid. There are not even leaks of a deal being close. All we have is Trump's promises and mostly silence from TikTok and ByteDance.

What this boils down to is that you can't buy something that isn't for sale. ByteDance has never publicly stated that it is open to a sale. TikTok in the US, which has publicly appreciated the extension, may not have control of the situation without a sale agreement from its parent company. TikTok might be out of options.

With five days left, anything could happen, but realistically, it's been almost a year since Former President Joe Biden signed the bill that triggered the ban countdown.

Nothing material has changed, and time is running out.

You might also like

• TikTok Ban live: President Trump signs exec order giving TikTok a penalty-free 75-day extension
• Forget the US TikTok ban – what we need is better social ...
• CapCut hit by US ban – and in completely unrelated news ...

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NYT Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, April 1 (game #394)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, March 31 (game #393).

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 #394) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… It's a sign!

NYT Strands today (game #394) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• MOSS
• BITE
• BREW
• SHOES
• ROOM
• SLING

NYT Strands today (game #394) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 10 letters

NYT Strands today (game #394) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: bottom, 5th column

Last side: top, 4th column

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

NYT Strands today (game #394) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #394, are…

• SHOWERS
• BUDS
• ROBINS
• POLLEN
• PUDDLES
• BLOSSOMS
• SPANGRAM: SPRINGTIME

---

• My rating: Easy
• My score: 1 hint

---

There are some interesting cultural differences in today’s Strands that make it a little strange for someone from the UK.

ROBINS are something we associate with Christmas, while PUDDLES are a year-round phenomenon thanks to the combination of ceaseless rain, poor drainage and neglected street maintenance.

BLOSSOMS, meanwhile, are a global sign of SPRINGTIME and now, for the few weeks when fruit trees burst into flower, are often accompanied by people taking selfies in front of them.

I initially thought this was a tourist social media thing — over the weekend in London's Hyde Park I cycled past a queue of couples waiting for their turn to take snaps in front of a particularly fine cherry tree — but it’s spread everywhere. If they were in bloom year-round there’d be a lot less fuss.

April also marks the return of wasps and their long-term campaign of terror against the human race.

There are 120,000 different species of wasps in the world (the most common in the US are yellowjackets) and the only place on Earth where they don’t exist is Antarctica – a place where springtime doesn’t happen at all.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

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Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, 31 March, game #393)

• ROAN
• DAPPLE
• BUCKSKIN
• CHESTNUT
• PALOMINO
• SPANGRAM: HORSE COLORINGS

---

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which 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.

https://ift.tt/dgEaDtM

NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, March 31 (game #393)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, March 30 (game #392).

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 #393) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… That's an equine of a different shade!

NYT Strands today (game #393) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• LOSS
• LOSE
• LION
• RUNS
• BUSH
• HOOK

NYT Strands today (game #393) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 14 letters

NYT Strands today (game #393) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: top, 5th column

Last side: bottom, 2nd column

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

NYT Strands today (game #393) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #393, are…

• ROAN
• DAPPLE
• BUCKSKIN
• CHESTNUT
• PALOMINO
• SPANGRAM: HORSE COLORINGS

---

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 4 hints

---

Even with four hints I still struggled with today’s word search. I guess I have spent my entire life ignoring HORSE COLORINGS.

The only color I tapped out with confidence was CHESTNUT and this is only because Chestnut Mare by The Byrds is my fourth favorite song about horses. Give it a listen, it’s quite mad.

My top three, incidentally, are Crazy Horses by The Osmonds (for the giggles), the theme tune to the 1960s TV show White Horses (for the innocence of youth), and Wild Horses by the Rolling Stones (for the melancholy majesty).

Also, as previously discussed, Spangrams that begin in the center of the puzzle are an abomination and should be banned by the international puzzling authorities.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

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Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, 30 March, game #392)

• BASS 
• ALTO
• SOPRANO
• TENOR
• TREBLE
• BARITONE
• MEZZO
• SPANGRAM: CHOIR PART

---

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which 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.

https://ift.tt/tTHAN6r

NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, March 30 (game #392)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, March 29 (game #391).

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 #392) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Join the chorus

NYT Strands today (game #392) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• ROOT
• ZERO
• PASS
• BEAR
• SPORE
• MEAT

NYT Strands today (game #392) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 9 letters

NYT Strands today (game #392) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: right, 3rd row

Last side: left, 6th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #392) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #392, are…

• BASS 
• ALTO
• SOPRANO
• TENOR
• TREBLE
• BARITONE
• MEZZO
• SPANGRAM: CHOIR PART

---

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 hints

---

I really struggled to get going with today’s search and needed a couple of hints to prompt me into action.

Eventually this became one of those editions of Strands where you think you are not highbrow enough to know the words, but end up knowing them all — not that I know what they sound like.

Meanwhile, the one piece of choral history everyone knows is that of the castrato, a male vocalist who underwent castration before puberty in order to retain a soprano singing voice long into adulthood.

The castrati became wildly famous in the 17th century and had entire operas written for their unique ability, but went out of fashion by the 19th century when everyone realised it was just a gimmick and rather cruel.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

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Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, 29 March, game #391)

• NUTS
• TOFU
• SEITAN
• TEMPEH
• BEANS
• SEEDS
• YEAST
• SPANGRAM: VEGAN PROTEINS

---

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which 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.

https://ift.tt/aC1LtlM

Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, March 29 (game #1160)

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Friday, March 28 (game #1159).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 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 #1160) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 5*.

* 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 #1160) - 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 2.

Quordle today (game #1160) - hint #3 - uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1160) - 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 0.

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 #1160) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• L

• O

• C

• A

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

Quordle today (game #1160) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1160, are…

• LATER
• ODDLY
• CUMIN
• AGREE

Too early to call it a streak, but I checked out after seven guesses again. Not that it felt as “green lights all the way home” as it did yesterday, because I spent a good couple of minutes pondering before coming up with CUMIN.

One of the many health medical trends I followed for a few weeks was eating a banana sprinkled with cumin every night before bed. It wasn’t as bad as it sounds, but I gave up as it didn’t seem to make any health difference.

Anyway, I digress. In fairness today’s double letter words did make life easier, so I can’t claim to be at genius level just yet!

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

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Daily Sequence today (game #1160) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1160, are…

• MEANT
• HOLLY
• SMOKY
• WINCH

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Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1159, Friday 28 March: TERSE, MUSHY, PROVE, FROND
• Quordle #1158, Thursday 27 March: CRONE, APNEA, LIGHT, AWOKE
• Quordle #1157, Wednesday 26 March: LEFTY, NOOSE, NOISE, TRIAD
• Quordle #1156, Tuesday 25 March: SNEER, WATCH, FLORA, STAIN
• Quordle #1155, Monday 24 March: FLOUT, SMASH, RAZOR, SMALL
• Quordle #1154, Sunday 23 March: ALLEY, GAMUT, GEESE, RADII
• Quordle #1153, Saturday 22 March: PICKY, BRACE, BOOZE, SURLY
• Quordle #1152, Friday 21 March: DITTY, VALOR, TOWER, AMISS
• Quordle #1151, Thursday 20 March: RIPER, STILL, WAFER, NOTCH
• Quordle #1150, Wednesday 19 March: FLAME, CARAT, SPAWN, TUNIC
• Quordle #1149, Tuesday 18 March: NAVEL, TREAT, COPSE, SLINK
• Quordle #1148, Monday 17 March: INFER, FLINT, CHUMP, SHEER
• Quordle #1147, Sunday 16 March: INPUT, RUMBA, ELUDE, BLANK
• Quordle #1146, Saturday 15 March: SPEED, CLASH, RISKY, GRATE
• Quordle #1145, Friday 14 March: BELIE, SPEAR, GROWL, ADOBE
• Quordle #1144, Thursday 13 March: AMISS, METAL, TEARY, SHORT
• Quordle #1143, Wednesday 12 March: AWASH, PUSHY, RALPH, PROOF
• Quordle #1142, Tuesday 11 March: LINGO, JUICE, SHARP, REVEL
• Quordle #1141, Monday 10 March: AVAIL, THESE, TITAN, GAUGE
• Quordle #1140, Sunday 9 March: SKILL, IDEAL, WHERE, REHAB

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