Strands was tough today. My brain felt like static until I cracked it. If you are staring at a grid that makes zero sense, don’t panic.
Look at the hints first. Then read this.
How does your garden grow
That’s the clue. It’s subtle, almost sneaky. The theme? By any other name… 🌹
You need three valid words of four letters or longer to trigger the hints. Any four-letter words will do. They just have to be real words. I used:
- RIDE
- WHEN
- RARE
Find three of those. The puzzle reveals a theme word. It feels like a reward for existing, almost.
Here is the damage. These are the theme answers hiding in the matrix. You have to find every last letter of the board. That means no empty squares left.
- BRIAR
- HEDGE
- WILD
- WHITE
- YELLOW
- PRAIRIE
- DAMASK
Why is a rose not a theme answer? Think about it. A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet, right? Shakespeare would approve of this particular wordplay.
The spangram runs across the board. It ties everything together. Once you place those roses—metaphorically speaking, since the answer isn’t actually just “ROSE”—the board clicks into place.
It’s tedious work sometimes. You find one word, then another, and suddenly you’re three feet off the ground. Or not. You might still be stuck. That’s life. That’s Strands.
