Let me analyze these 16 words and look for potential categories. First, let me identify what each word could relate to: HORNS - musical instrument, devil horns, animal horns HAMMER - tool, track and field event TAIL - animal part, follow someone POLE - pole vault (track), North/South pole GOATEE - facial hair style BEND - curve, type of knot CROCK - pot, or "crock of..." (nonsense) HITCH - type of knot, problem BOWLINE - type of knot HURDLE - track and field event BATON - track and field (relay), conductor's baton SHEEPSHANK - type of knot HOGWASH - nonsense BUNK - bed, or nonsense HORSEFEATHERS - nonsense/exclamation PITCHFORK - tool, devil's pitchfork Let me look for categories: 1. Types of knots: BEND, HITCH, BOWLINE, SHEEPSHANK - these are all types of knots! 2. Track and field events: HAMMER (hammer throw), POLE (pole vault), HURDLE (hurdles), BATON (relay race) - these all relate to track and field! 3. Words meaning nonsense/rubbish: CROCK (as in "crock of..."), HOGWASH, BUNK, HORSEFEATHERS - all slang for nonsense! 4. Devil imagery: HORNS, TAIL, GOATEE, PITCHFORK - all things associated with the devil's appearance! Let me verify: - Knots: BEND, HITCH, BOWLINE, SHEEPSHANK ✓ - Track and field: HAMMER, POLE, HURDLE, BATON ✓ - Nonsense words: CROCK, HOGWASH, BUNK, HORSEFEATHERS ✓ - Devil features: HORNS, TAIL, GOATEE, PITCHFORK ✓ All 16 words fit perfectly into 4 categories of 4 words each! I'll start with the knots category as it seems most certain - SHEEPSHANK and BOWLINE are very specifically knots, and BEND and HITCH are also knot types.

Let me analyze these 16 words and look for potential categories of 4 related words. First, let me list them out: LIGHT, WORD, POOL, RICE, BLACK, CREAM, SUN, BLONDE, WHIP, DIM, WHISK, POLAR, BEAT, PALE, FAINT, BROWN Let me look for patterns: 1. Words that can follow "BEAR": POLAR bear, BLACK bear, BROWN bear, SUN bear - these are all types of bears! That's 4 words. 2. Words related to cooking/kitchen tools: WHIP, WHISK, BEAT - these are all ways to mix ingredients. CREAM could fit here too (as in whipping cream or the action). 3. Words meaning "not strong/weak" or "lacking intensity": DIM, PALE, FAINT, LIGHT - these could all describe something weak or not bright. 4. Color-related words: BLACK, BLONDE, BROWN, CREAM - hair colors? But BLACK was already used in bears... 5. Words that can precede "PUDDING": RICE pudding, BREAD pudding... hmm, not enough. 6. Words that can follow a specific word: - CAR: POOL (carpool) - Words related to "PLAY": WORD play? Let me reconsider: Types of BEARS: POLAR, BLACK, BROWN, SUN - Yes! These are all types of bears (Polar bear, Black bear, Brown bear, Sun bear). This seems very strong. Words meaning "weak/faint": DIM, PALE, FAINT, LIGHT - all can describe something not bright or strong. Cooking actions/cream related: WHIP, WHISK, BEAT, CREAM - WHIP, WHISK, and BEAT are all ways to incorporate air into cream. Or maybe these all go with CREAM (whipped cream, beat cream, whisk cream)? Wait, let me think about what can come before a common word: - _____ RICE: FRIED rice, BROWN rice, WHITE rice, WILD rice - _____ POOL: CAR pool, SWIMMING pool Actually, thinking about it differently: - Things you do to eggs/cream: WHIP, WHISK, BEAT... and maybe FOLD? Let me focus on the bears category as it seems most solid: POLAR bear, BLACK bear, BROWN bear, SUN bear - these are 4 distinct bear species. I'm most confident in the BEARS category. Let me go with that first.

Let me analyze these 16 words and look for potential categories of 4 related words. Available words: SENATOR, FRY, STAR, LARK, WING, LINCOLN, DUCK, DIVE, CHIP, ROCKET, FLYER, DODGE, RAM, FORD, SCRAPER, DIP Let me think about possible categories: 1. **Car brands/manufacturers**: LINCOLN, DODGE, RAM, FORD - These are all American car manufacturers/brands. RAM is a Dodge truck brand, but also its own brand now. This seems very strong. 2. **NHL hockey teams**: SENATOR (Ottawa Senators), STAR (Dallas Stars), WING (Detroit Red Wings), FLYER (Philadelphia Flyers), DUCK (Anaheim Ducks) - Wait, that's 5. Let me reconsider. - Ottawa Senators - Dallas Stars - Detroit Red Wings (WING) - Philadelphia Flyers (FLYER) - Anaheim Ducks (DUCK) But ROCKET could also be Houston Rockets (NBA). Let me think about this more. 3. **Things that can follow "SKY"**: SCRAPER (skyscraper), DIVE (skydive), LARK (skylark), ROCKET (sky rocket?) - This could work. 4. **Things you can do with food/cooking**: FRY, DIP, CHIP - need a 4th... 5. **Words that can precede "BAR"**: DIVE (dive bar), CHIP (chip... no), WING (wing... no) 6. **Words that can follow a common word**: - SKY: SCRAPER, DIVE, LARK, ROCKET? - Skyscraper, skydive, skylark, sky rocket... this could work! 7. **Swimming pool moves**: DIVE, DUCK, ... 8. **NHL teams (singular form)**: - SENATOR (Ottawa Senators) - STAR (Dallas Stars) - FLYER (Philadelphia Flyers) - DUCK (Anaheim Ducks) But also WING could be Red Wings... Let me count again. Actually, for NHL teams: - Ottawa Senators → SENATOR - Dallas Stars → STAR - Philadelphia Flyers → FLYER - Anaheim Ducks → DUCK - Detroit Red Wings → WING That's 5 potential NHL team names. One might belong to a different category. Let me reconsider the car brands: LINCOLN, DODGE, RAM, FORD - All are definitely car brands. This seems like the strongest category. For "SKY___" words: - SKYSCRAPER ✓ - SKYDIVE ✓ - SKYLARK ✓ - SKYROCKET ✓ This seems very strong too! Let me start with the car brands since they're very clearly connected: LINCOLN, DODGE, RAM, FORD Actually, wait - these could also be other things: - LINCOLN - President - FORD - President (Gerald Ford) - DODGE - a verb (to avoid) - RAM - a verb or animal But as car brands, they're all clearly connected. Let me go with this first.

Let me analyze these 16 words and find potential categories. First, let me look for obvious groupings: 1. Words related to shoes: HEEL, PUMP, FLAT - these are all types of women's shoes. What could be the fourth? WAFFLE could be a waffle sole shoe pattern, but that's a stretch. 2. Words that can follow "IRON": FLAT (flat iron), PUMP (iron pump?), STEAM (steam iron)... not quite. 3. Words that can precede or follow another word: - QUARTER: quarter note, quarter back - WAFFLE: waffle iron - STEAM: steam iron, steam roller - SHAKE: milk shake, shake down 4. Let me think about "_____ NOTE" or musical terms: - QUARTER (quarter note) - WHOLE (whole note) - NATURAL (natural note in music) - What else? FLAT (flat note)! These are all musical terms! 5. Words related to voting/democracy: VOTE, VOICE, CHOICE... need a fourth 6. "Have your SAY" - expressions about expressing opinion: - SAY (have your say) - VOICE (voice your opinion) - VOTE (cast your vote) - SPEAK (speak up) 7. Let me reconsider the shoe types: FLAT, HEEL, PUMP, WEDGE? No WEDGE. What about TIRE? No... 8. Words that can follow "MILK": - SHAKE (milkshake) - What else? 9. Words that can precede "IRON": - FLAT (flat iron - hair tool) - STEAM (steam iron) - WAFFLE (waffle iron) - PUMP (pumping iron? - that's a stretch) - TIRE (tire iron!) So "___ IRON" could be: FLAT, STEAM, WAFFLE, TIRE - these all precede IRON! 10. Musical notation: FLAT, NATURAL, QUARTER, WHOLE - all types of notes! 11. Types of shoes: FLAT, HEEL, PUMP... need fourth. Could DOWN be a shoe? No. Let me verify my best guesses: - ___ IRON: FLAT (flat iron), STEAM (steam iron), WAFFLE (waffle iron), TIRE (tire iron) - This seems very strong! - Musical notes: FLAT, NATURAL, QUARTER, WHOLE - Also strong but FLAT overlaps Since FLAT appears in both, I need to determine which is more likely. FLAT iron (hair straightener), STEAM iron (for clothes), WAFFLE iron (for cooking), TIRE iron (for changing tires) - all common compound words with IRON. Musical: FLAT (♭), NATURAL (♮), QUARTER note, WHOLE note - these are all music terms. I think the ___ IRON category is very strong. Let me go with that first.

Excellent! The knots category was correct. Now let me work with the remaining 12 words: HORNS, HAMMER, TAIL, POLE, GOATEE, CROCK, HURDLE, BATON, HOGWASH, BUNK, HORSEFEATHERS, PITCHFORK My remaining three categories should be: 1. Track and field events: HAMMER (hammer throw), POLE (pole vault), HURDLE (hurdles), BATON (relay race) 2. Words meaning nonsense/rubbish: CROCK (as in "crock of..."), HOGWASH, BUNK, HORSEFEATHERS 3. Devil features/imagery: HORNS, TAIL, GOATEE, PITCHFORK I'm very confident in all three. Let me go with the "nonsense" category next since HOGWASH, HORSEFEATHERS, and BUNK are very clearly slang for nonsense, and CROCK (as in "what a crock" or "crock of [expletive]") fits perfectly.

Let me analyze these words and look for potential connections. Available words: PRINTER, MONITOR, JUROR, WHITE, TRIX, DONUT, ROGER, VELVETEEN, ROSE, TRACK, FOLLOW, SQUID, PEN, MONTH, TATTOO MACHINE, WATCH Let me think about possible categories: 1. **Things that can precede "RABBIT"**: - WHITE RABBIT (Alice in Wonderland) - VELVETEEN RABBIT (children's book) - ROGER RABBIT (Who Framed Roger Rabbit) - TRIX RABBIT (cereal mascot - "Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids") This seems like a strong connection! Four words that go before "RABBIT" 2. **Things with INK**: - PRINTER (uses ink) - SQUID (produces ink) - TATTOO MACHINE (uses ink) - PEN (uses ink) This could be another category - things that use or produce ink! 3. **Things you can WATCH/MONITOR/TRACK/FOLLOW**: - MONITOR, TRACK, FOLLOW, WATCH could all be verbs meaning to observe - But WATCH is also a noun (timepiece) 4. **Types of games or activities**: - DONUT could relate to something - MONTH - not sure 5. **Court-related**: - JUROR, MONITOR... 6. **Pink Floyd related**: - ROSE (not really) 7. **Verbs meaning to observe/surveil**: - MONITOR, TRACK, FOLLOW, WATCH These are all synonyms for keeping tabs on something! Let me reconsider: - _____ RABBIT: WHITE, VELVETEEN, ROGER, TRIX - very strong! - Things with INK: PRINTER, SQUID, TATTOO MACHINE, PEN - strong! - Verbs for observing: MONITOR, TRACK, FOLLOW, WATCH - strong! That leaves: JUROR, DONUT, ROSE, MONTH - what could connect these? - JURY DONUT? No... - Hmm, maybe these go after something? - GRAND: GRAND JUROR, GRAND... ROSE?, GRAND... - Wait - ROSE could be Derrick Rose, MONTH could relate to something Let me think about DONUT, JUROR, ROSE, MONTH differently: - Could they all follow a word? - BLACK ROSE? - HONEYMOON - HONEY MONTH? No... Actually, wait - could these be related to the number 12? - 12 JURORS on a jury - ROSE - dozen roses (12) - MONTH - 12 months in a year - DONUT - a dozen donuts (12) That's a "DOZEN" or "12" connection! Things associated with 12/dozen! I'm most confident about the RABBIT connection. Let me go with that first. TRIX, ROGER, VELVETEEN, WHITE - all precede RABBIT

Let me analyze these 16 words and look for potential categories of 4 related words. Available words: PARAMOUNT, N.F.L., READY, DOWN, ABLE, NOAA, NASA, EAGER, PREPARE, SUBARU, EQUIP, EAVE, CANE, WILLING, GAME, OUTFIT First, let me look for obvious groupings: 1. Words meaning "prepared" or "willing to do something": - READY, ABLE, EAGER, WILLING, GAME - these all can mean "prepared" or "willing" - "Ready, willing, and able" is a common phrase - GAME can mean "willing" as in "I'm game for that" - That's 5 words though, so I need to narrow down 2. Acronyms or organizations: - N.F.L. (National Football League) - NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) - NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) - These are all government/organizational acronyms... but I need a 4th - PARAMOUNT is a company but not an acronym 3. Words that can follow "HURRICANE": - CANE (hurriCANE) - wait, CANE is part of hurricane - Let me think about this differently 4. Words containing hidden words or parts: - PARAMOUNT - could contain something - SUBARU - a car brand - EAVE - part of a roof 5. Looking at potential word patterns: - Words that can precede or follow another word - DOWN could go with many things 6. Car brands or companies: - SUBARU is a car brand - PARAMOUNT is a movie studio 7. Let me reconsider - words that sound like or contain letters: - CANE sounds like "K-N" - EAVE sounds like "E-V" - Wait! These could be letter sounds! - CANE = K-N (like the letters) - EAVE = E-V (like the letters) - What else? - ABLE = A-B-L? No... - Maybe not this pattern 8. Let me think about "ready, willing, and able" plus GAME and EAGER: - READY, WILLING, ABLE, GAME, EAGER all mean "prepared/willing" - I need to pick 4 of these 5 9. Words that can follow a specific word: - DOWN: could be GOOSE DOWN, TOUCH DOWN - What about words that follow "TOUCH"? - TOUCH DOWN, TOUCH SCREEN... 10. Let me reconsider acronyms with letters: - N.F.L., NOAA, NASA all start with N - What if they all have something in common structurally? 11. Words meaning "to prepare/equip": - PREPARE, EQUIP, OUTFIT, READY - these all mean to make ready - OUTFIT can mean to equip - This could be a category! PREPARE, EQUIP, OUTFIT, and... READY? - But READY is more of a state than an action 12. Actually, let me reconsider: PREPARE, EQUIP, OUTFIT could all be verbs meaning "to supply/furnish" - READY can also be a verb meaning to prepare Let me focus on the strongest connection I see: - READY, WILLING, ABLE, GAME - all can mean "prepared/eager to do something" - "Ready, willing, and able" is an idiom, and "game" fits the same meaning This seems like a strong category. Let me go with this.

Two down, two to go. Remaining 8 words: HORNS, HAMMER, TAIL, POLE, GOATEE, HURDLE, BATON, PITCHFORK My two remaining categories: 1. Track and field events: HAMMER (hammer throw), POLE (pole vault), HURDLE (hurdles), BATON (relay race) 2. Devil features/imagery: HORNS, TAIL, GOATEE, PITCHFORK Both categories seem very solid. Let me go with the devil imagery since it's very clear - the classic depiction of the devil includes horns on the head, a pointed tail, a goatee beard, and carrying a pitchfork.

I got the RABBIT connection correct. Now let me work with the remaining words. Remaining words: PRINTER, MONITOR, JUROR, DONUT, ROSE, TRACK, FOLLOW, SQUID, PEN, MONTH, TATTOO MACHINE, WATCH Let me revisit my earlier analysis: 1. **Things with INK**: - PRINTER (uses ink) - SQUID (produces ink) - TATTOO MACHINE (uses ink) - PEN (uses ink) This still seems like a strong connection! 2. **Verbs meaning to observe/surveil**: - MONITOR, TRACK, FOLLOW, WATCH These are all synonyms for keeping tabs on something! 3. **Things associated with 12/DOZEN**: - JUROR (12 jurors on a jury) - ROSE (dozen roses) - MONTH (12 months in a year) - DONUT (dozen donuts) This seems like a strong connection too! Let me verify these three categories account for all 12 remaining words: - INK: PRINTER, SQUID, TATTOO MACHINE, PEN (4 words) - OBSERVE: MONITOR, TRACK, FOLLOW, WATCH (4 words) - DOZEN/12: JUROR, ROSE, MONTH, DONUT (4 words) That's 12 words total - perfect! I'm very confident in the INK connection. Let me go with that next.

I got the "___NUT" category correct. Now let me look at the remaining 12 words: GROUNDS, GREEN, CHIEF, CHAIR, LAWN, BROWN, DIRECTOR, FICTION, UNCHAINED, FIELD, HEAD, DOGS My previous analysis identified Tarantino films: - Reservoir DOGS ✓ - Pulp FICTION ✓ - Django UNCHAINED ✓ - Jackie BROWN ✓ This still looks very strong. Let me verify there's no other connection for these words first. BROWN could be: - Jackie Brown (Tarantino) - A color - Charlie Brown DOGS could be: - Reservoir Dogs (Tarantino) - Animals FICTION could be: - Pulp Fiction (Tarantino) - Science Fiction - A genre UNCHAINED could be: - Django Unchained (Tarantino) - Melody Unchained? The Tarantino connection seems very solid. Let me also check other potential categories with remaining words: Leadership/Executive positions: CHIEF, DIRECTOR, HEAD, CHAIR - These could all be leadership titles Words that can precede something: - LAWN (chair, mower) - FIELD (goal, trip) - GREEN (house, room) - GROUNDS (keeper) Let me go with the Tarantino films as I'm very confident about this one.

I got the car brands correct. Now let me look at the remaining 12 words: SENATOR, FRY, STAR, LARK, WING, DUCK, DIVE, CHIP, ROCKET, FLYER, SCRAPER, DIP Let me reconsider my categories: 1. **"SKY___" words**: - SKYSCRAPER (SCRAPER) ✓ - SKYDIVE (DIVE) ✓ - SKYLARK (LARK) ✓ - SKYROCKET (ROCKET) ✓ This seems very strong! 2. **NHL teams (singular form)**: - SENATOR (Ottawa Senators) - STAR (Dallas Stars) - FLYER (Philadelphia Flyers) - DUCK (Anaheim Ducks) - WING (Detroit Red Wings) That's 5 words, so one must belong elsewhere. Since LARK, DIVE, SCRAPER, and ROCKET fit the SKY___ pattern, none of these 5 overlap. But I still have 5 NHL team candidates for 4 spots. 3. **Words that can follow "CHIP"**: - CHIP DIP? No, that's DIP for chips... 4. **Verbs/Actions**: - FRY, DIP, DUCK, DIVE - things you can do? 5. **"_____ AND ____" phrases or pairs**: - CHIP and DIP - DUCK and... cover? Let me go with the SKY___ category since it's very clean with exactly 4 words: SCRAPER, DIVE, LARK, ROCKET

Three down, one to go. Remaining 4 words: HAMMER, POLE, HURDLE, BATON These should all be track and field related: - HAMMER - hammer throw event - POLE - pole vault event - HURDLE - hurdles race event - BATON - used in relay races This is the last category and all four words fit perfectly as track and field equipment/events.

I got the BEARS category correct. Now let me look at the remaining 12 words: LIGHT, WORD, POOL, RICE, CREAM, BLONDE, WHIP, DIM, WHISK, BEAT, PALE, FAINT Let me analyze these: 1. Words meaning "weak/not bright": DIM, PALE, FAINT, LIGHT - these all can describe something lacking intensity or brightness. This seems strong. 2. Cooking/mixing actions: WHIP, WHISK, BEAT - these are ways to mix ingredients. Need a 4th word... CREAM? (as in "cream the butter"?) 3. Hair colors: BLONDE... LIGHT (light brown?)... not enough clear ones. 4. Words that can follow a specific word: - CAR___: POOL (carpool) - SMART: Can you say "smart whip"? No... 5. Words that can precede a specific word: - ___PAPER: RICE paper, CREAM paper? - ___PUFF: CREAM puff 6. Let me think about "WORD" - what could it group with? - WORD, BEAT, POOL... these could all follow "DEAD"? DEAD beat, DEAD pool (Deadpool), DEAD... word? No. 7. What about things that can come before "BEAT"? - Or BEAT as in music/rhythm... 8. Let me reconsider - what about things that go with a common word: - ___SMART: WHIP smart (whip-smart is a phrase!) - ___POOL: CAR pool, WORD pool? No... Actually, wait - SMART could connect: - WHIP-smart? - Let me think of compound words or phrases... Words that can precede "CRACKER": - RICE cracker, CREAM cracker... WHIP cracker? No. Let me go back to my strongest guess - words meaning faint/weak/dim: DIM, PALE, FAINT, LIGHT - all can mean "not bright" or "weak" (a dim light, pale color, faint glow, light color) This seems like a solid category.

Excellent! Two down, two to go. Remaining words: MONITOR, JUROR, DONUT, ROSE, TRACK, FOLLOW, MONTH, WATCH My two remaining hypotheses: 1. **Verbs meaning to observe/surveil**: - MONITOR, TRACK, FOLLOW, WATCH These are all synonyms for keeping tabs on something! 2. **Things associated with 12/DOZEN**: - JUROR (12 jurors on a jury) - ROSE (dozen roses) - MONTH (12 months in a year) - DONUT (dozen donuts) Both of these seem very strong. Let me go with the DOZEN/12 connection since it's a bit more clever and I want to make sure I have it right. Actually, let me double-check: - 12 jurors on a standard jury ✓ - A dozen roses is a classic gift ✓ - 12 months in a year ✓ - A dozen donuts is standard ✓ And for the verbs: - MONITOR (verb: to observe) ✓ - TRACK (verb: to follow/observe) ✓ - FOLLOW (verb: to track/observe) ✓ - WATCH (verb: to observe) ✓ Both seem solid. I'll go with the DOZEN connection.

Excellent! Two down, two to go. Let me look at the remaining 8 words: GROUNDS, GREEN, CHIEF, CHAIR, LAWN, DIRECTOR, FIELD, HEAD My previous analysis suggested leadership/executive positions: - CHIEF (Chief Executive, Chief of Staff) - DIRECTOR (Executive Director, Director of...) - HEAD (Head of Department) - CHAIR (Chairman, Chairperson) These are all leadership titles or positions. This seems very strong. The remaining 4 would be: GROUNDS, GREEN, LAWN, FIELD What could connect these? - They're all related to grass/outdoor areas - LAWN - grassy area - FIELD - grassy area - GREEN - grassy area (like a golf green, village green) - GROUNDS - land/property (like school grounds) These could all be words for outdoor grassy areas or land. Or could they all precede a common word? - LAWN mower, LAWN chair - FIELD goal, FIELD trip - GREEN house, GREEN room - GROUNDS keeper Or could they follow a word? - Playing FIELD - Village GREEN - School GROUNDS - Front LAWN Hmm, let me think about what connects GROUNDS, GREEN, LAWN, FIELD more specifically... Actually, could they all go with "KEEPER"? - GROUNDS keeper ✓ - GREEN keeper (golf course) ✓ - No, LAWN keeper doesn't work - FIELD... no What about words that can follow "COMMON"? - COMMON GROUND(S) ✓ - COMMON... no Let me think about "_____ bowling": - LAWN bowling ✓ - No... I'm confident about the leadership positions. Let me go with that.

Let me analyze these 16 words to find groups of 4 related words. First, let me list them out: BLEND, WEDGE, DEED, HOUSE, REMOTE, TOKEN, LODGE, QUALITY, HOTEL, COMPOUND, CROSS, STICK, HYBRID, PLANT, CRUISE, BIRTH Let me think about potential categories: 1. Types of words that can follow "CONTROL": - REMOTE control - BIRTH control - CRUISE control - QUALITY control These all can precede "control"! That's 4 words. 2. Words that can follow "SALAD": - WEDGE salad - HOUSE salad - Not sure about others... 3. Types of mixing/combining: - BLEND, COMPOUND, HYBRID, CROSS - these all relate to mixing or combining things 4. Words related to accommodation: - HOTEL, LODGE, HOUSE... but need a 4th 5. Words that can precede "WORD": - COMPOUND word - CROSS word - Not sure... Let me reconsider: Looking at "_____ CONTROL": - REMOTE control ✓ - BIRTH control ✓ - CRUISE control ✓ - QUALITY control ✓ This seems like a strong category! Wait, let me also check words that can follow a common word: "CONTROL _____": - Not as clear Types of sentences or linguistic terms: - COMPOUND (sentence) - CROSS (?) Things that can be "HYBRID": - HYBRID, BLEND, CROSS, COMPOUND - these all mean mixing Let me also think about: - WEDGE: type of shoe, golf club, salad - TOKEN: gesture, small item - STICK: hockey stick, walking stick - PLANT: factory, vegetation Actually, thinking about types of cars or vehicles: - HYBRID car - CRUISE (ship/car feature) - STICK (shift) - REMOTE... not quite Let me focus on the strongest pattern I see: words that can precede "CONTROL" - REMOTE control - BIRTH control - CRUISE control - QUALITY control This seems very strong. Let me go with this guess.

I got one category correct. Now let me work with the remaining 12 words: BULB, WING, SEAL, HEAD, NOSE, CABIN, ENGINE, HONEYCOMB, CANDLE, EAR, STALK, CRAYON Let me reconsider my earlier theories: 1. Airplane parts: WING, NOSE, CABIN, ENGINE - these are all parts of an airplane. This still seems strong. - WING - airplane wing - NOSE - nose of the plane - CABIN - passenger cabin - ENGINE - plane engine 2. WAX connection (need to reconsider since it was wrong before): - CANDLE, SEAL, HONEYCOMB, EAR - one of these must not fit - Maybe it's something else... 3. Parts of a plant: - BULB (plant bulb) - STALK (plant stalk) - HEAD (head of lettuce) - EAR (ear of corn) 4. Crayola crayon specific colors: - CRAYON is in the list... maybe words that go with something to make crayon colors? 5. Navy ___: - SEAL (Navy SEAL) - What else? 6. ___ LOG: - CABIN (cabin log? no, log cabin) 7. LOG ___: - CABIN (log cabin) 8. Wait, let me think about compound words with a common word: - LOG CABIN - LOG... what else? 9. ___ LIGHT: - CANDLE (candlelight) - BULB (light bulb - reverse) - HEAD (headlight) 10. Actually, ___LIGHT compounds: - CANDLE + LIGHT = candlelight - HEAD + LIGHT = headlight - SEAL? No... 11. Let me try airplane parts - I'm confident about this: WING, NOSE, CABIN, ENGINE This is a straightforward category - all parts of an airplane.

Excellent! Two down, two to go. Let me look at the remaining 8 words: SENATOR, FRY, STAR, WING, DUCK, CHIP, FLYER, DIP Now let me reconsider: 1. **NHL teams (singular form)**: - SENATOR (Ottawa Senators) - STAR (Dallas Stars) - FLYER (Philadelphia Flyers) - DUCK (Anaheim Ducks) - WING (Detroit Red Wings) That's 5 candidates for 4 spots. One of these must belong to another category. 2. **Remaining words that aren't obvious NHL teams**: FRY, CHIP, DIP 3. **Could any NHL team word have another meaning?** - WING - chicken wing, wing of a building - DUCK - the animal, or to duck down - STAR - celebrity, shape - FLYER - a pamphlet/advertisement - SENATOR - politician 4. **Fish and Chips related?**: FRY, CHIP... need more - Fish FRY - CHIP (British chips = fries) - Could WING fit? (chicken wings) - DIP (dipping sauce) 5. **Things at a party/appetizers**: WING (chicken wings), DIP, CHIP... FRY? 6. **British food terms or Fish & Chips shop items**: - FRY (fried fish) - CHIP (chips/fries) - Could work with other words? 7. **"SMALL ___" phrases**: - Small FRY ✓ - Small CHIP? No... 8. **"___ BUFFALO" or "BUFFALO ___"**: - Buffalo WING ✓ - Buffalo CHIP ✓ (famous campground/event) 9. **Words that can follow a food/animal**: - CHIP: Chocolate chip, buffalo chip, computer chip - DIP: Skinny dip, chip and dip Let me think about what connects FRY, CHIP, DIP, and one other word... Actually, wait - could these be things that go with "SKINNY"? - SKINNY DIP ✓ - SKINNY... FRY? Not really What about "SMALL"? - SMALL FRY ✓ Hmm, let me think about NHL teams more carefully. The 5 candidates are SENATOR, STAR, WING, DUCK, FLYER. If WING is part of another category, then SENATOR, STAR, DUCK, FLYER would be the NHL teams. What could WING, FRY, CHIP, DIP be? - These could all be things related to chicken/appetizers at a restaurant or bar - Chicken WING, French FRY, CHIP (tortilla chip), DIP (salsa, queso) - Or things you order at a sports bar? Actually, I think SENATOR, STAR, DUCK, FLYER are the NHL teams (Ottawa Senators, Dallas Stars, Anaheim Ducks, Philadelphia Flyers), and WING, FRY, CHIP, DIP form another category. Let me go with the NHL teams:

Now I have 12 words remaining: SAY, SPEAK, HEEL, STEAM, PUMP, DOWN, VOICE, VOTE, TIRE, CHOICE, SHAKE, WAFFLE Let me look for patterns again: 1. Types of shoes: - HEEL (high heel) - PUMP (pump shoe) - Need two more... FLAT was already used 2. Words about expressing opinion: - SAY (have your say) - SPEAK (speak up) - VOICE (voice opinion) - VOTE (cast a vote) - CHOICE (make a choice) That's 5 words, so maybe not all of them 3. "___ IRON" - my original guess minus FLAT: - STEAM (steam iron) - WAFFLE (waffle iron) - TIRE (tire iron) - PUMP (pumping iron? No, that's not a compound word) 4. Words that can follow "DOWN": - HEEL (down at heel?) - SHAKE (shake down) 5. Words that can precede "DOWN": - SHAKE (shakedown) - Let's see... VOTE DOWN? PUMP DOWN? 6. What about things you might do when nervous or indecisive: - SHAKE - WAFFLE (to waffle on a decision) - HESITATE? Not in list 7. Words that follow "MILK": - SHAKE (milkshake) 8. Let me think about "___" that means to equivocate or be indecisive: - WAFFLE - HEDGE? Not in list 9. What about compound words with a body part or action: - HEEL (Achilles heel) - PUMP (pump up) 10. Let me think about words that could follow "PUT": - DOWN (put down) 11. Words meaning to exhaust or wear out: - TIRE - Could others work? 12. Think about radio/communication: - VOICE - SPEAK Let me consider "SPEAK ___" or "___ SPEAK": - DOUBLE SPEAK? No DOUBLE - SPEAK UP, SPEAK OUT What about expressions with "YOUR": - SAY (have your say) - VOICE (voice your opinion / have your voice heard) - VOTE (cast your vote) - CHOICE (make your choice / your choice) All four could relate to "having input" or "expressing yourself democratically" Actually, let me think about this differently - words that can follow a common word: "PRO-___": - CHOICE (pro-choice) "___-DOWN": - SHAKE (shakedown) - No... What about verbs meaning to persuade or manipulate: - PUMP (pump for information) - SHAKE (shake down) - TIRE (tire out) Hmm, let me think about "____ OUT": - TIRE (tire out) - SPEAK (speak out) - VOICE (voice out? not really) - PUMP (pump out) Or "WEAR ___": - DOWN (wear down) Let me try the "expressing opinion/input" category: SAY, SPEAK, VOICE, VOTE - these all relate to expressing yourself or having input Actually, could these all precede a common word? Like "___ YOUR MIND"? - SPEAK your mind - VOICE your... concerns? - SAY your piece? Or what if they can all follow "HAVE A": - HAVE A SAY - HAVE A VOICE - HAVE A VOTE - HAVE A... SPEAK? No Let me try SAY, SPEAK, VOICE, VOTE as words related to expression/participation.

I got the first one correct. Now let me work with the remaining 12 words: BLEND, WEDGE, DEED, HOUSE, TOKEN, LODGE, HOTEL, COMPOUND, CROSS, STICK, HYBRID, PLANT Let me look for patterns: 1. Types of mixing/combining: - BLEND (mix) - COMPOUND (combine) - CROSS (crossbreed) - HYBRID (mix of two things) This seems like a strong category - all relate to mixing or combining things! 2. Words that can precede "WORD": - COMPOUND word - CROSS word - Not enough... 3. Accommodation/lodging: - HOTEL - LODGE - HOUSE - But need a 4th... PLANT? No... 4. Words that can follow "DEED": - Actually, thinking about types of documents or legal terms 5. Words related to poker/games: - TOKEN (poker chip) - STICK (?) - Not clear... 6. "___ SHIFT" or "SHIFT ___": - STICK shift - Not others... 7. Things that can be "IN THE ___": - IN THE HOUSE - IN THE PLANT (undercover) - IN THE STICK (hockey) - Not quite... Let me think about WEDGE, DEED, TOKEN, STICK: - WEDGE: salad, shoes, golf - DEED: document, action - TOKEN: gesture, symbol, game piece - STICK: hockey, walking, shift Could these all precede or follow a common word? "___ SALAD": - WEDGE salad - HOUSE salad (not in remaining list anymore... wait, HOUSE is still here) - Actually: WEDGE salad, HOUSE salad... Let me reconsider the mixing category: BLEND, COMPOUND, CROSS, HYBRID - all mean to mix or combine things. This is very strong.

Two categories down. Now I have 8 words remaining: BULB, SEAL, HEAD, HONEYCOMB, CANDLE, EAR, STALK, CRAYON Let me find the last two categories: 1. Parts of a plant/vegetable: - BULB (plant bulb, like garlic bulb) - STALK (plant stalk, celery stalk) - HEAD (head of lettuce, head of cabbage) - EAR (ear of corn) This seems very strong! All can describe parts of vegetables/plants. 2. That would leave: SEAL, HONEYCOMB, CANDLE, CRAYON - What do these have in common? - SEAL - animal, wax seal, Navy SEAL - HONEYCOMB - bee structure - CANDLE - light source, made of wax - CRAYON - coloring tool, made of wax Wait - SEAL (wax seal), HONEYCOMB (beeswax), CANDLE (wax), CRAYON (wax crayons) These could all be made of WAX or associated with wax! But I tried something similar before and it was wrong... but that included EAR instead of CRAYON. Actually: - CANDLE - made of wax - CRAYON - made of wax - SEAL - wax seal - HONEYCOMB - beeswax This makes sense as a WAX category! 3. Let me verify the plant parts category: - BULB - garlic bulb, onion bulb, tulip bulb - STALK - celery stalk, corn stalk - HEAD - head of lettuce, head of cabbage, head of garlic - EAR - ear of corn Both categories seem solid. Let me go with the plant parts first since I'm very confident.

Let me analyze these 16 words and look for potential categories of 4 related words. First, let me list them out: STOCKINGS, CLIP, RATE, MASCARA, SCORE, BLUSH, TRAIL, NOSE, FIDGET, SWEAT, TOWEL, PACE, DYE, RANK, TIGER, GRADE Let me think about possible connections: 1. Words that can follow "SPIN": RATE? CLIP? Hmm, not quite. 2. Words related to makeup/cosmetics: MASCARA, BLUSH - these are definitely makeup items. What else? STOCKINGS could be fashion-related but not makeup. Let me think... 3. Words that can follow a common word: - RATE, SCORE, RANK, GRADE - these all relate to evaluation/rating! These could be synonyms meaning to evaluate or assess. 4. Words that can come before or after "TIGER": - TIGER Woods? TIGER SWEAT? TIGER LILY? 5. Let me think about "_____ SPINNER": - FIDGET SPINNER is definitely a thing! 6. Words associated with nervousness/anxiety: SWEAT, FIDGET, PACE - signs of being nervous. What's the fourth? BLUSH could be from embarrassment... 7. Let me reconsider - SWEAT, FIDGET, PACE, BLUSH - these could all be things you do when nervous! 8. Words that can follow "PAPER": - CLIP (paper clip), TRAIL (paper trail), TIGER (paper tiger), TOWEL (paper towel)! This seems like a strong connection! 9. Let me verify: - PAPER CLIP ✓ - PAPER TRAIL ✓ - PAPER TIGER ✓ - PAPER TOWEL ✓ This seems very strong! 10. Back to the evaluation words: RATE, SCORE, RANK, GRADE - all mean to evaluate or assess something. 11. Nervous behaviors: SWEAT, FIDGET, PACE, BLUSH - all things you might do when anxious. 12. That leaves: STOCKINGS, MASCARA, NOSE, DYE, TIGER (if not in paper group) Wait, if TIGER is in the PAPER group, then I need to reconsider. Let me think about what's left after PAPER___: STOCKINGS, CLIP, RATE, MASCARA, SCORE, BLUSH, NOSE, FIDGET, SWEAT, PACE, DYE, RANK, GRADE Actually wait - CLIP is in the PAPER group too. Remaining after PAPER group: STOCKINGS, RATE, MASCARA, SCORE, BLUSH, NOSE, FIDGET, SWEAT, PACE, DYE, RANK, GRADE Evaluation words: RATE, SCORE, RANK, GRADE ✓ Nervous behaviors: SWEAT, FIDGET, PACE, BLUSH ✓ Remaining: STOCKINGS, MASCARA, NOSE, DYE Hmm, what connects STOCKINGS, MASCARA, NOSE, DYE? - RUN! STOCKINGS run, MASCARA runs, NOSE runs, DYE runs! This is excellent - things that can "RUN": - STOCKINGS RUN ✓ - MASCARA RUN ✓ - NOSE RUN ✓ - DYE RUN ✓ I'm most confident about the PAPER ___ group: CLIP, TRAIL, TIGER, TOWEL Let me go with that first.

I got PREPARE, EQUIP, OUTFIT, READY correct - they all mean to make ready/supply. Remaining words: PARAMOUNT, N.F.L., DOWN, ABLE, NOAA, NASA, EAGER, SUBARU, EAVE, CANE, WILLING, GAME Now let me look for patterns in the remaining 12 words. 1. Words meaning "willing/eager": - ABLE, EAGER, WILLING, GAME - all can mean willing to do something - But my earlier guess of READY, WILLING, ABLE, GAME was wrong - So maybe ABLE or GAME doesn't belong, or EAGER is the 4th instead - Let me try EAGER, WILLING, ABLE, GAME? But that seems similar... - Wait, READY was in my wrong guess, and it turned out to be in a different category - So maybe EAGER, WILLING, ABLE, GAME could work now? 2. Acronyms/Organizations starting with N: - N.F.L. (National Football League) - NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) - NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) - Need a 4th... none of the remaining words are obvious acronyms 3. Let me look at SUBARU, PARAMOUNT, EAVE, CANE, DOWN: - SUBARU is a car brand (stars in logo - Pleiades) - PARAMOUNT is a movie studio (mountain with stars) - EAVE is part of a roof - CANE is a walking stick or sugar cane - DOWN is feathers or a direction 4. Things with stars in logos: - SUBARU - yes (Pleiades stars) - PARAMOUNT - yes (stars around mountain) - Could others have star connections? 5. Words that sound like letters: - CANE sounds like K-N? No, more like "cain" - EAVE sounds like E-V? Like the letters E and V? - Hmm, what about other letter sounds? - ABLE = A-B-L? No... 6. Wait, let me think about this differently - words that contain abbreviations: - subARU? No... - What about state abbreviations hidden in words? 7. Let me consider: words that can follow something: - SUGAR CANE - GOOSE DOWN - What about words following the same word? 8. Types of things: - DOWN (feathers from geese/ducks) - CANE (sugar, walking) - EAVE (roof part) 9. Actually, let me reconsider the "willing" category: - EAGER, WILLING, GAME, and... what about DOWN? "Down for something" means willing! - "Are you down?" means "are you willing?" - EAGER, WILLING, GAME, DOWN - all mean willing/ready to do something! Let me try this: EAGER, WILLING, GAME, DOWN (all slang/expressions for being willing to do something)

Okay, I need to be more careful now. I have 2 guesses left. Remaining words: SAY, SPEAK, HEEL, STEAM, PUMP, DOWN, VOICE, VOTE, TIRE, CHOICE, SHAKE, WAFFLE Let me think more systematically about compound words or phrases. "___ IRON": - STEAM iron - WAFFLE iron - TIRE iron - PUMP iron? No, it's "pumping iron" What about words that can follow "ACHILLES": - HEEL (Achilles heel) Words that can follow "RUN": - DOWN (rundown) Words that can follow "SHAKE": - DOWN (shakedown) Let me think about "___ DOWN" combinations: - SHAKE DOWN (shakedown) - PUMP DOWN? - HEEL DOWN? - VOTE DOWN - TIRE? No What about "DOWN ___": - DOWN VOTE (downvote!) - DOWN... Hmm, what about social media/internet terms or voting: - VOTE (upvote/downvote) - VOICE? Let me think about things at a gas station or car-related: - PUMP (gas pump) - TIRE - Could HEEL fit? No Let me think about dog commands: - HEEL - DOWN - SPEAK - SHAKE (shake hands/paw!) Dog commands! HEEL, DOWN, SPEAK, SHAKE - these are all commands you give to a dog! This seems very strong! Let me verify: - HEEL - yes, a dog command to walk beside you - DOWN - yes, telling a dog to lie down - SPEAK - yes, telling a dog to bark - SHAKE - yes, telling a dog to give its paw This is a great category!

I got the PAPER ___ group correct (PAPER CLIP, PAPER TRAIL, PAPER TIGER, PAPER TOWEL). Now let me look at the remaining 12 words: STOCKINGS, RATE, MASCARA, SCORE, BLUSH, NOSE, FIDGET, SWEAT, PACE, DYE, RANK, GRADE My previous analysis identified three more potential groups: 1. Evaluation/assessment words: RATE, SCORE, RANK, GRADE - all verbs meaning to evaluate or assess something. 2. Nervous behaviors: SWEAT, FIDGET, PACE, BLUSH - all things you might do when anxious or nervous. 3. Things that can "RUN": STOCKINGS, MASCARA, NOSE, DYE - stockings run, mascara runs, nose runs, dye runs. All three of these seem very strong. Let me go with the evaluation words next as they're all clear synonyms: - RATE (to evaluate) - SCORE (to evaluate/grade) - RANK (to evaluate/order) - GRADE (to evaluate/assess) These all mean essentially the same thing - to assess or evaluate something.

Let me analyze these 16 words to find groups of 4 related words. First, let me look for obvious categories: 1. Las Vegas Hotels/Casinos: - EXCALIBUR (yes, a casino) - LUXOR (yes, a casino) - ARIA (yes, a casino) - ENCORE (yes, a casino) This seems like a strong category - all 4 are famous Las Vegas casinos/hotels! 2. Math/Geometry terms: - LENGTH - PERIMETER - VOLUME - AREA These are all measurement terms in geometry/math. 3. Words that sound like letters: - AYES (sounds like "I's") - OWES (sounds like "O's") - ARS (sounds like "R's") - EASE (sounds like "E's") This is another strong pattern - words that are homophones of letter plurals. 4. Let me check the remaining words: - OREO (cookie brand) - CROSSWORD (puzzle type) - DOMINO (game/pizza chain) Wait, let me reconsider. ORCA could be part of something... - ORCA (killer whale) Let me double-check my categories: - OREO, DOMINO, CROSSWORD... these could relate to black and white things? - OREO - black and white cookie - DOMINO - black and white pieces - ORCA - black and white whale - CROSSWORD - black and white puzzle That's another potential category! Black and white things. Let me verify my letter sounds category: - AYES = I's - OWES = O's - ARS = R's - EASE = E's Wait, let me reconsider ARIA and ORCA: - ARIA could sound like "R-E-A" but that's a stretch - ORCA sounds like... "O-R-C-A" but not really a letter sound Actually, I'm confident about the Las Vegas casinos: EXCALIBUR, LUXOR, ARIA, ENCORE - all are Las Vegas casino resorts. Let me start with the Las Vegas casinos since I'm very confident about this one.

Excellent! Two down, two to go. Remaining 8 words: STOCKINGS, MASCARA, BLUSH, NOSE, FIDGET, SWEAT, PACE, DYE My previous analysis identified two groups: 1. Things that can "RUN": STOCKINGS, MASCARA, NOSE, DYE - Stockings run (get a run in them) - Mascara runs (when you cry) - Nose runs (when you have a cold) - Dye runs (colors bleed) 2. Nervous behaviors: SWEAT, FIDGET, PACE, BLUSH - You sweat when nervous - You fidget when nervous - You pace when nervous - You blush when nervous/embarrassed Both groups seem very solid. Let me go with the "things that RUN" group since it's a nice wordplay connection typical of NYT Connections.

Let me analyze these 16 words and look for potential categories. First, let me list them out: BACKPEDAL, WIND CHIME, PINWHEEL, STUFF, FLAG, RAINBOW, WEDGE, JAM, NEIGHBORHOOD, RENEGE, SHOEHORN, VANE, ABOUT-FACE, KANGAROO, STREET, FLIP-FLOP Let me look for connections: 1. Words meaning "to reverse one's position/change one's mind": - BACKPEDAL (to reverse position) - RENEGE (to go back on a promise) - ABOUT-FACE (complete reversal) - FLIP-FLOP (to change position) This seems like a strong category! 2. Things that spin or move with wind: - WIND CHIME - PINWHEEL - VANE (weather vane) - FLAG (flaps in wind) These all respond to wind! 3. "___ WATCH" or "NEIGHBORHOOD ___": - NEIGHBORHOOD (WATCH) - Let me think of other patterns... 4. Things you can do to force something in: - STUFF - JAM - SHOEHORN - WEDGE These all mean to force/fit something into a tight space! 5. Types of something? - RAINBOW (rainbow trout? rainbow flag?) - KANGAROO (kangaroo court?) - STREET (street court?) 6. "_____ COURT": - KANGAROO COURT - STREET... hmm, not quite - Let me think... Wait, let me reconsider: - KANGAROO (kangaroo court) - What about types of kicks? - RAINBOW kick (soccer) - WEDGE... no Let me think about "WATCH": - NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH - Hmm... Actually, let me focus on my strongest categories: Category 1 - Reversing position: BACKPEDAL, RENEGE, ABOUT-FACE, FLIP-FLOP This seems very strong. Category 2 - Things moved by wind: WIND CHIME, PINWHEEL, VANE, FLAG This also seems strong. Category 3 - Force into tight space: STUFF, JAM, SHOEHORN, WEDGE This is also very strong! Let me start with the "force into tight space" category as it seems very solid: STUFF, JAM, SHOEHORN, WEDGE - all mean to force something into a space Actually, let me reconsider WEDGE - it could be a golf club or something else. The "reverse position" category seems most clear-cut to me: BACKPEDAL, RENEGE, ABOUT-FACE, FLIP-FLOP Let me go with this one first.

Three down, one to go. Remaining 4 words: BLUSH, FIDGET, SWEAT, PACE These should all be nervous behaviors - things you do when you're anxious or nervous: - BLUSH - you blush when embarrassed/nervous - FIDGET - you fidget when nervous - SWEAT - you sweat when nervous - PACE - you pace when nervous This has to be the final group!

Let me analyze these 16 words and look for potential categories of 4 related words. Available words: WALK, BUNK, FISH, BULL, HIKE, CRANK, HUNT, NAP, PEEL, POWERS, RAISE, BALONEY, ARCHER, JACK, RUBBISH, TAIL Let me think about possible connections: 1. Words meaning "nonsense": BUNK, BULL, BALONEY, RUBBISH - these all can mean nonsense/lies - BUNK = nonsense - BULL (as in "bullshit") = nonsense - BALONEY = nonsense - RUBBISH = nonsense This seems like a strong category! 2. Things you can do on a trail/outdoors: WALK, HIKE, HUNT, FISH - outdoor activities? But these feel a bit loose. 3. Card games or card-related: JACK is a card... 4. Austin Powers related? POWERS is there, and "Austin Powers" movies... 5. Things that can follow "TREASURE": TREASURE HUNT, but what else? 6. Let me think about compound words or phrases: - BANANA: BANANA PEEL, BANANA SPLIT - CAR: CAR JACK, CAR POOL - JACK: JACK RABBIT, CRACKER JACK, JACK KNIFE 7. Things that can precede or follow a common word: - ___ TALE: FISH TALE, FAIRY TALE, TALL TALE - ___ STORY: FISH STORY - POWER ___: POWER WALK, POWER NAP, POWER RAISE? 8. Wait, let me think about "POWER ___": - POWER WALK - yes - POWER NAP - yes - POWER HIKE - maybe? - POWER RAISE (in poker) - yes! 9. Or things that can follow a word: - CAR: CAR JACK, CAR POOL - SCAVENGER: SCAVENGER HUNT - TREASURE: TREASURE HUNT 10. Let me reconsider - words that can follow "SCAVENGER" or "TREASURE" or "WITCH": - HUNT fits SCAVENGER HUNT, TREASURE HUNT, WITCH HUNT 11. "___ TAIL": FISH TAIL, BULL TAIL? No... - Actually: COCKTAIL could work... COCK + TAIL 12. Things that can precede "FISH": CRAY + FISH = CRAYFISH, JELLY + FISH 13. Let me think about TV shows or celebrities: - ARCHER - the TV show - POWERS - Austin Powers 14. Thinking about "MIKE" + word: - MIKE PEEL? No - MIKE HUNT? That's a joke name 15. Let me reconsider compound words with a body part: - TAIL: Can combine with... FISH + TAIL? COAT + TAIL? 16. Words that can follow "BANANA": - BANANA PEEL - no, that's banana peel not just peel Let me focus on my strongest category - words meaning nonsense: BUNK, BULL, BALONEY, RUBBISH This seems very solid. All four of these words can mean "nonsense" or "lies."

Excellent! Now I have 8 words remaining: SAY, STEAM, PUMP, VOICE, VOTE, TIRE, CHOICE, WAFFLE I need to find two groups of 4 from these 8 words. Let me think about patterns: "___ IRON": - STEAM iron - WAFFLE iron - TIRE iron - PUMP iron? No... but wait, could it be something else? What about words that can follow "BLOW OFF": - STEAM (blow off steam) Words related to indecision or hesitation: - WAFFLE (to waffle on something) - CHOICE? Let me think about "___ ROOM": - STEAM room - PUMP room? No What about things at a gym: - PUMP (pump iron) - STEAM (steam room) Let me think about verbs meaning to exhaust: - TIRE (to tire someone out) - PUMP? What about words that can precede "BOX": - VOICE box - CHOICE? No Words that can follow "PRO": - CHOICE (pro-choice) - VOICE? (pro-voice? no) Let me think about "___ OVER": - VOICE over - TIRE? No What about "VOICE ___" or "___ VOICE": - VOICE vote! (a voice vote in legislature) - VOICE CHOICE? No Hmm, what about voting-related terms: - VOTE - VOICE (voice vote) - CHOICE (voter's choice) Let me think about words that can follow "NO": - CHOICE (no choice) - VOICE? - VOTE? (no vote) What about words that precede "MAIL": - VOICE mail - No others fit Let me think about compound words with common endings: "___ OVER": - VOICE (voiceover) - STEAM (steam over? no) What about words meaning to quit or give up: - TIRE (get tired) - What about related to burnout? Let me reconsider "___ IRON" again: STEAM, WAFFLE, TIRE + one more - PUMP? "Pump iron" is a phrase but not "pump iron" as a tool - Could VOTE be part of this? No - What about SAY? No Wait, what about "CURLING ___" or "___ CURLING"? - No Let me think about expressions with these words: "HAVE NO ___": - CHOICE (have no choice) - VOICE (have no voice) - SAY (have no say) - VOTE? (have no vote) "HAVE NO ___" - CHOICE, VOICE, SAY, VOTE? This could be about having no input! This seems promising! All four relate to having input or autonomy: - Have no CHOICE - Have no VOICE - Have no SAY - Have no VOTE Or could be "___ IN THE MATTER": - SAY (no say in the matter) - CHOICE (no choice in the matter) - VOICE (no voice in the matter) - VOTE (no vote in the matter) Let me go with SAY, VOICE, VOTE, CHOICE as words that can follow "NO" or "HAVE NO" meaning lack of input.

Excellent! EAGER, WILLING, GAME, DOWN were all words meaning "willing to do something." Remaining words: PARAMOUNT, N.F.L., ABLE, NOAA, NASA, SUBARU, EAVE, CANE Now I have 8 words left, which should form 2 categories of 4. Let me analyze: 1. PARAMOUNT - movie studio, also means "supreme/most important" 2. N.F.L. - National Football League 3. ABLE - capable, or could be part of something 4. NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 5. NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration 6. SUBARU - car brand (logo has Pleiades stars) 7. EAVE - part of a roof (the overhanging edge) 8. CANE - walking stick, sugar cane Let me look for patterns: 1. Organizations/Acronyms: - N.F.L., NOAA, NASA are all acronyms - Need a 4th acronym or organization 2. Companies with star logos: - SUBARU has stars - PARAMOUNT has stars around the mountain - But that's only 2... 3. Words that sound like letters: - EAVE sounds like E-V (the letters) - CANE... K-N? No, it sounds like "cain" - ABLE... A-B-L? Hmm, maybe A-B-EL or just sounds like "able" 4. Wait! What if these words contain hidden words or can have something added? - ABLE - could become CABLE, TABLE, SABLE, etc. - EAVE - could become WEAVE, LEAVE, HEAVE - CANE - could become ARCANE, HURRICANE 5. Words that can follow a letter to make a new word: - C + ABLE = CABLE - W + EAVE = WEAVE - What about CANE? - Hmm, this doesn't quite work uniformly 6. Let me think about what letters these could represent: - If EAVE = E-V... - What about SUBARU? S-U-B-A-R-U? - PARAMOUNT? P-A-R-A... 7. Actually, let me reconsider: things with the same number of letters or pattern? 8. Words that are types of something: - ABLE, EAVE, CANE... body parts? No. 9. Words hidden inside longer words: - CANE is in hurriCANE - ABLE is in CABLE, TABLE, etc. - EAVE is in WEAVE, LEAVE, HEAVE - What about PARAMOUNT, SUBARU, etc.? 10. Wait - maybe they all go AFTER a common letter/word: - _ABLE: CABLE, TABLE, SABLE, FABLE - _EAVE: WEAVE, LEAVE, HEAVE - _CANE: ? ARCANE has CANE at the end - Hmm, these take different letters before them 11. Let me think about PARAMOUNT, N.F.L., NOAA, NASA, SUBARU differently: - Could SUBARU be an acronym? Not typically... - PARAMOUNT - not an acronym 12. Stars in logos: - SUBARU - Pleiades constellation (stars) - PARAMOUNT - stars circle the mountain - NASA - has stars? The NASA logo is called the "meatball" and has stars - N.F.L. - the logo has stars! - NOAA - does it have stars? The NOAA logo has... I think it might Let me try: PARAMOUNT, N.F.L., NASA, SUBARU - logos with stars

I got the camera lens category correct. Now let me look at the remaining 12 words: APPEAL, ADDRESS, NUMBER, FINLET, CALL, PETITION, EBAY, NAME, EMAIL, DRIVER, BID, FLAKE Let me look for new patterns: 1. Contact information: ADDRESS, NUMBER, NAME, EMAIL - these are all things you might provide as contact/personal information. This seems strong. 2. Auction/bidding related: BID, EBAY, CALL (auctioneer's call?), APPEAL (appeal a bid?) 3. Legal/formal requests: APPEAL, PETITION, ... need more 4. Things that can follow "CORN": - CORNFLAKE (FLAKE) - Hmm, what about the others? 5. Wait, let me think about "_____ FISH" or fish-related: - FINLET is a small fin - But what else could be fish-related? 6. Let me think about words that can precede a common word: - DRIVER could be SCREWDRIVER, DRIVER'S LICENSE, PILE DRIVER - ADDRESS could be EMAIL ADDRESS, HOME ADDRESS - NUMBER could be PHONE NUMBER, SERIAL NUMBER 7. Types of software/apps: EBAY is an app... 8. Let me think about "SEX APPEAL" - APPEAL - What about SEX ___? Probably not appropriate for NYT. 9. Words that can follow "EMAIL": ADDRESS (email address) 10. Let me reconsider poker/card game terms: - BID (bridge) - CALL (poker) - Could there be others? 11. Things at an auction: BID, CALL, ... 12. "CORN" prefix words: - CORN + FLAKE = CORNFLAKE - CORN + ... hmm 13. Wait - "___ appeal" phrases: - SEX APPEAL - CURB APPEAL - MASS APPEAL 14. Let me think about what can come before "NAME": - FIRST NAME, LAST NAME, PET NAME, CODE NAME, DOMAIN NAME, USER NAME 15. What about things that can follow "DOMAIN": - DOMAIN NAME - Hmm... Actually, let me reconsider: ADDRESS, EMAIL, NAME, NUMBER could all be fields on a form or contact information types. But EMAIL is itself a type of address... Wait - what if these are all things that can be preceded by the same word? - PET NAME, PET APPEAL (no) - MASS APPEAL, MASS EMAIL, MASS NUMBER (atomic mass number?) Let me think about EBAY specifically - it's a platform. What connects to it? - BID on EBAY - Actually, thinking about "CURB ___": - CURB APPEAL - CURB NUMBER (house number on curb?) - No, that doesn't work. Let me go with my strongest remaining category: Contact information fields ADDRESS, NUMBER, NAME, EMAIL - all types of personal information/contact fields

Now I have the last 4 words remaining: OREO, CROSSWORD, DOMINO, ORCA These should all be "black and white things": - OREO - the classic black and white cookie - CROSSWORD - puzzles with black and white squares - DOMINO - game pieces that are black and white - ORCA - killer whale, which is black and white This is the only remaining category and all 4 words fit perfectly.

I got the first category correct. Now let me work with the remaining 12 words: WIND CHIME, PINWHEEL, STUFF, FLAG, RAINBOW, WEDGE, JAM, NEIGHBORHOOD, SHOEHORN, VANE, KANGAROO, STREET Let me revisit my earlier analysis: Category - Things moved by wind: - WIND CHIME - PINWHEEL - VANE (weather vane) - FLAG This still seems strong! Category - Force into tight space: - STUFF - JAM - SHOEHORN - WEDGE This also still seems strong! Remaining words would be: - RAINBOW - NEIGHBORHOOD - KANGAROO - STREET Let me think about what these four could have in common: - RAINBOW... coalition? - NEIGHBORHOOD... - KANGAROO... court? - STREET... Hmm, what if they all go before a common word? - RAINBOW WATCH? No... - NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH - yes! - KANGAROO... - STREET... What about types of something unofficial or informal? - KANGAROO court (unofficial court) - STREET justice/cred - NEIGHBORHOOD watch Wait, could these all precede "WATCH"? - NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH ✓ - Let me think... no, that doesn't work for others. What about "___ PARTY"? - RAINBOW party? (political coalition) - NEIGHBORHOOD party? No - STREET party? Maybe - KANGAROO... no Actually, I'm confident in my wind-related category. Let me go with that: WIND CHIME, PINWHEEL, VANE, FLAG - all things that respond to/move with wind

Now I have the last 4 words remaining: WEDGE, LODGE, STICK, PLANT These must form the final category. Let me think about what connects them: - WEDGE: a type of shot in golf, a type of shoe heel, a type of salad, a door stopper - LODGE: a place to stay, a beaver's home, to become stuck - STICK: a hockey stick, to adhere, a piece of wood - PLANT: vegetation, a factory, to place something secretly What could connect all four? Could they all be verbs meaning to become stuck or fixed? - WEDGE (to wedge something in place) - LODGE (to become lodged) - STICK (to stick/adhere) - PLANT (to plant yourself somewhere) Yes! These could all be verbs meaning to become fixed or embedded in place! - "The bullet lodged in the wall" - "The object wedged itself in the gap" - "The gum stuck to the shoe" - "She planted herself in the chair" This seems like a strong connection - they can all mean to become firmly fixed or embedded somewhere.

Let me analyze these 16 words to find groups of 4 related words. First, let me list them out: MING, RAM, PUNCH, HAN, SONG, ZEST, FREE, KICK, STAG, ZING, JACK, SOLO, SINGLE, BILLY, TANG, BUCK Let me look for potential categories: 1. Chinese dynasties: MING, HAN, SONG, TANG - these are all Chinese dynasties! That's a strong connection. 2. Words that can follow "GOAT": BILLY (billy goat), BUCK (buck goat? no, that's deer), RAM (ram is a male sheep, not goat)... Let me reconsider. 3. Male animals: RAM (male sheep), STAG (male deer), BUCK (male deer), BILLY (billy goat - male goat) - this could be a category! 4. Words meaning "energy/zest": ZEST, ZING, PUNCH, KICK - these all describe a lively quality or flavor intensity! 5. Words that can precede something: - JACK: jackrabbit, jack-o-lantern - FREE: free kick, freestyle - SOLO: solo cup, solo performance 6. Types of parties: STAG (stag party), HEN party... but HEN isn't here 7. ___ PARTY: STAG party, SINGLE... hmm 8. Looking at FREE, SOLO, SINGLE - these could relate to being alone/unmarried - FREE, SOLO, SINGLE, BUCK (as in "single buck"? no...) Let me reconsider: - KICK, PUNCH, ZEST, ZING - all mean "liveliness" or "flavor punch" - MING, HAN, SONG, TANG - Chinese dynasties - RAM, STAG, BUCK, BILLY - male animals (ram=male sheep, stag=male deer, buck=male deer, billy=male goat) - FREE, SOLO, SINGLE, JACK - need to figure this out... Wait, JACK could be part of the male animals if we think of "jackass" but that's a stretch. Let me think about what FREE, SOLO, SINGLE, JACK could have in common: - FREE KICK (soccer) - SOLO (music/performance) - SINGLE (music release, relationship status) - JACK (playing card, name) Hmm, what about ___ AGENT? FREE agent... SINGLE? No. What about music terms? SINGLE (a single release), SOLO (solo performance)... Let me think about JACK differently - blackjack? cracker jack? Actually, could these be types of something? - FREE THROW - SOLO CUP - SINGLE MALT - JACK KNIFE? Or ___-HANDED: SINGLE-HANDED, FREE-HANDED? I'm most confident in: 1. Chinese dynasties: MING, HAN, SONG, TANG 2. Male animals: RAM, STAG, BUCK, BILLY 3. Words meaning zest/energy: KICK, PUNCH, ZEST, ZING Let me start with Chinese dynasties as I'm very confident about that.

PARAMOUNT, N.F.L., NASA, SUBARU were all connected - likely logos with stars. Remaining words: ABLE, NOAA, EAVE, CANE These 4 must form the final category. Let me figure out what connects them: 1. ABLE 2. NOAA 3. EAVE 4. CANE What could connect these? - ABLE - capable - NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - EAVE - roof overhang - CANE - walking stick/sugar cane Let me think about patterns: 1. Words that sound like letters? - EAVE sounds like E-V (letters E and V) - Hmm, what about the others? 2. Words that can have a letter added to the front? - ABLE → CABLE, TABLE, SABLE, FABLE - EAVE → WEAVE, LEAVE, HEAVE - CANE → ? - NOAA → ? 3. Words containing double letters? - NOAA has double A - Others don't obviously 4. Wait - what if they all can have something added or are part of longer words? - hurriCANE - NOAA... 5. Actually, let me think about letter patterns: - ABLE = A-B-L-E - NOAA = N-O-A-A (or the letters N, O, A, A) - EAVE = E-A-V-E - CANE = C-A-N-E 6. They all have 4 letters except NOAA which is an acronym... 7. What if they're all things you can put a "W" in front of? - W + ABLE = ? No, that's not a word - W + EAVE = WEAVE ✓ - W + CANE = ? No 8. What if they go after "CANDY"? - CANDY CANE ✓ - Others don't work 9. What about things that follow "SUGAR"? - SUGAR CANE ✓ - But others don't fit 10. Hmm, since this is the last category, they MUST be connected somehow. Let me think harder... 11. Words that rhyme with or sound like something? - ABLE rhymes with TABLE, CABLE, FABLE - CANE rhymes with PLANE, LANE, MAIN - EAVE rhymes with LEAVE, WEAVE 12. What if these are all homophones or sound like two-letter combinations? - EAVE = E + V (letters) - CANE = K + N? (letters C-A-N-E but sounds like "cain") - ABLE = A + BL? - NOAA = N + O + A? 13. Wait! What if they're all things that can follow "HURRI-": - HURRICANE has CANE - What else? That doesn't work for others... 14. Things that can precede or follow a common word? - ___CANE: hurricane - ___ABLE: capable, payable, etc. - ___EAVE: weave, leave - ___NOAA: ? This is the last group so these four MUST go together. Let me just submit them.

I got the "nonsense" category correct. Now let me work with the remaining 12 words: WALK, FISH, HIKE, CRANK, HUNT, NAP, PEEL, POWERS, RAISE, ARCHER, JACK, TAIL Let me look for patterns: 1. "POWER ___" phrases: - POWER WALK - yes - POWER NAP - yes - POWER RAISE - in poker, yes - POWER HIKE - maybe? 2. Actually, let me think about what can follow "POWER": - POWER WALK ✓ - POWER NAP ✓ - POWER RAISE ✓ (poker term) - POWER PLAY? No PLAY here - POWER HIKE? Not common 3. Let me think about "___ JACK": - CRANK JACK? No - FISH JACK? No - Hmm, maybe JACK ___? - JACK KNIFE? No KNIFE 4. Things that can follow "CRANK": - CRANK CALL? No CALL 5. Words associated with Mike Myers characters/movies: - AUSTIN POWERS - ARCHER? No, that's a different show 6. What about "___TAIL" compound words: - FISH + TAIL = FISHTAIL (a hairstyle, or when a car slides) - PONY + TAIL... no PONY 7. Wait, let me think about words that go before these: - BLACK + JACK = BLACKJACK - SCAVENGER + HUNT = SCAVENGER HUNT - ORANGE + PEEL = ORANGE PEEL - What about BANANA? BANANA PEEL... no 8. Famous people named ARCHER? JACK? - Sterling Archer (TV show) - Jack (common name) 9. Let me think about "___FISH": - CRAYFISH? No CRAY - CATFISH? No CAT - Wait - CRANK + FISH? No 10. Wait, could these be things that follow a color or fruit? - ORANGE PEEL ✓ - ORANGE WALK? There's Orange Walk in Belize! - Actually, not common enough 11. Think about spy/movie characters: - ARCHER (Sterling Archer from the show) - POWERS (Austin Powers) - HUNT (Ethan Hunt from Mission Impossible) - JACK (Jack Ryan? Jack Bauer?) This could be SPY characters! ARCHER, POWERS, HUNT, JACK - all spy protagonists! - Ethan HUNT - Mission Impossible - Austin POWERS - Austin Powers - Sterling ARCHER - Archer - Jack RYAN or Jack BAUER - various spy shows/movies Wait, but JACK needs a first name... These might be last names of spy characters! Let me verify: - Ethan HUNT ✓ - Austin POWERS ✓ - Sterling ARCHER ✓ - Jack RYAN ✓ or Jack BAUER ✓ Actually, JACK is the first name, not last name for those characters. Let me reconsider... Hmm, but the pattern could be "TV/Movie spy surnames": - HUNT (Ethan Hunt) - POWERS (Austin Powers) - ARCHER (Sterling Archer) - RYAN? No RYAN... JACK RYAN has JACK as first name Wait - could JACK be Samurai Jack? Or someone else? Let me try the spy angle: ARCHER, POWERS, HUNT, and maybe looking for another spy surname... Actually, I'm fairly confident about ARCHER, POWERS, HUNT being spy-related. Who else? - JACK could be Jack Bauer's last name? No, Bauer is last name. Let me try: ARCHER, POWERS, HUNT, FISH? No... I'll go with my spy theory: ARCHER, POWERS, HUNT, JACK

I got the fonts correct. Now let me work with the remaining 12 words: ARIEL, LINEAR, ANGULAR, ARABESQUE, AERIAL, ROUNDOFF, VOLUMETRIC, TIANA, AURORA, SPLIT, AREAL, MERIDA My previous analysis suggested: 1. **Disney Princesses**: ARIEL, TIANA, AURORA, MERIDA - very confident 2. **Gymnastics moves**: ARABESQUE, ROUNDOFF, SPLIT, AERIAL - fairly confident 3. **Types of measurements**: LINEAR, ANGULAR, VOLUMETRIC, AREAL - this would be the remaining group Let me verify the Disney Princesses: - ARIEL - The Little Mermaid ✓ - TIANA - The Princess and the Frog ✓ - AURORA - Sleeping Beauty ✓ - MERIDA - Brave ✓ This seems like a very solid category. Let me go with this one next.

Now I have the final 4 words remaining: RAINBOW, NEIGHBORHOOD, KANGAROO, STREET These must form the last category. Let me figure out what connects them: - RAINBOW - NEIGHBORHOOD - KANGAROO - STREET What could connect these four words? Let me think about what word they could all precede or follow: "___ WATCH": - NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH ✓ - RAINBOW WATCH? No - KANGAROO WATCH? No - STREET WATCH? No What about words that follow? "KANGAROO ___": - KANGAROO COURT ✓ "STREET ___": - STREET COURT? Not common "RAINBOW ___": - RAINBOW COALITION - RAINBOW TROUT "NEIGHBORHOOD ___": - NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH Hmm, what if they all can precede the same word? Let me try different endings: - KANGAROO RAT - RAINBOW TROUT - Hmm, animals? Wait! What about "_____ COURT"? - KANGAROO COURT ✓ (a mock or sham court) - No, that doesn't work for the others... What about types of something related to community/activism? - RAINBOW (LGBTQ+ symbolism, rainbow coalition) - NEIGHBORHOOD (community-based) - STREET (grassroots, street-level) - KANGAROO... doesn't fit Actually, I wonder if they're all types that can precede a specific word... "___ COALITION"? Just rainbow... What about compound words or phrases with a common second word? Actually - wait! Could they all be types that precede a word like "KIDS" or related to children's media? Or perhaps they're all words that can follow a word? Since these are the last 4 and I know they must be correct together, I'll just submit them.

Let me analyze these 16 words to find groups of 4 related words. First, let me list them out: SPECTER, BURST, AMERICANA, SPIRIT, WIGHT, RAP, READ, BROKE, CALL, JAZZ, SPLIT, FORECAST, CHORAL, BLEW, DIVINE, SHADE Let me look for potential categories: 1. Ghost/Spirit related words: - SPECTER (ghost) - SPIRIT (ghost) - WIGHT (undead creature) - SHADE (ghost/spirit) These all can mean ghost or supernatural entity! 2. Music genres: - AMERICANA (music genre) - RAP (music genre) - JAZZ (music genre) - CHORAL (type of music) This could be a category about music types! 3. Words that can follow "THE" to make something: - Let me think about this differently... 4. Past tense of "blow": - BLEW is past tense of blow - BURST, BROKE, SPLIT could all be past tense forms... 5. Words that can precede a common word: - Let me think about what these could precede... 6. Looking at homophones or sound-alikes: - BLEW sounds like BLUE - BRAKE/BROKE... - READ can sound like RED Wait, let me reconsider: - BLEW = BLUE (color) - Could there be other color homophones? 7. Types of music: - AMERICANA, RAP, JAZZ... what's the 4th? CHORAL could work but it's more of a style... 8. Ghost synonyms seem strongest: SPECTER, SPIRIT, WIGHT, SHADE - all mean ghost/apparition Let me also consider: - DIVINE, FORECAST, READ could relate to fortune-telling/predicting - CALL could fit with predicting too (CALL IT) Fortune telling/predicting methods: - DIVINE (to divine the future) - FORECAST (predict) - READ (read fortunes/palms) - CALL (call the outcome?) Actually, let me reconsider music: - AMERICANA (genre) - RAP (genre) - JAZZ (genre) - What else? SPIRIT? No... Let me think about "___ HANDS": - JAZZ HANDS! - SPIRIT? No... What about "BURST" "BROKE" "SPLIT" "BLEW"? These could all describe something that broke/exploded... - BURST (broke open) - BROKE (broken) - SPLIT (came apart) - BLEW (blew up) Actually, could these all go with "UP"? - BURST UP? Not really - BROKE UP ✓ - SPLIT UP ✓ - BLEW UP ✓ What about going before another word? - RAP SHEET - RAP... Let me stick with the ghost category as it seems most solid: SPECTER, SPIRIT, WIGHT, SHADE - all synonyms for ghost/apparition

I correctly identified the Apollo category. Now let me work with the remaining 12 words: MARTIAN, SPLIT, GOOD SHEPHERD, LIBERAL, RAINMAKER, CONE, LEFT, SHAKE, CUP, PROGRESSIVE, DEPARTED, BLUE Let me revisit my earlier hypotheses: 1. Political left-leaning terms: LIBERAL, LEFT, PROGRESSIVE, BLUE - All describe liberal/Democratic political leanings - Blue states, left-wing, liberal, progressive 2. Ice cream servings: CONE, SHAKE, CUP, SPLIT - Ice cream cone - Milkshake - Ice cream cup - Banana split 3. "The ___" Matt Damon movies: MARTIAN, GOOD SHEPHERD, RAINMAKER, DEPARTED - The Martian (2015) - The Good Shepherd (2006) - The Rainmaker (1997) - The Departed (2006) All starring Matt Damon! Let me verify these three groups add up to 12 words: - Political: LIBERAL, LEFT, PROGRESSIVE, BLUE (4) - Ice cream: CONE, SHAKE, CUP, SPLIT (4) - Matt Damon: MARTIAN, GOOD SHEPHERD, RAINMAKER, DEPARTED (4) Yes! That's 12 words. I'm very confident about the ice cream category. Let me go with that next.

Excellent! Two down, two to go. The remaining 8 words are: LINEAR, ANGULAR, ARABESQUE, AERIAL, ROUNDOFF, VOLUMETRIC, SPLIT, AREAL My previous analysis suggested: 1. **Gymnastics moves**: ARABESQUE, ROUNDOFF, SPLIT, AERIAL 2. **Types of measurements/mathematical terms**: LINEAR, ANGULAR, VOLUMETRIC, AREAL Let me verify the gymnastics moves: - ARABESQUE - a ballet/gymnastics pose where you stand on one leg with the other extended behind ✓ - ROUNDOFF - a gymnastics move similar to a cartwheel but landing with feet together ✓ - SPLIT - a gymnastics flexibility position with legs extended in opposite directions ✓ - AERIAL - a no-hands cartwheel in gymnastics ✓ And the measurement types: - LINEAR - relating to lines/length - ANGULAR - relating to angles - VOLUMETRIC - relating to volume - AREAL - relating to area These could all be types of measurements or ways to describe density, expansion, velocity, etc. I'm fairly confident in the gymnastics category. Let me go with that.

That was wrong. Let me reconsider the remaining 12 words: WALK, FISH, HIKE, CRANK, HUNT, NAP, PEEL, POWERS, RAISE, ARCHER, JACK, TAIL Let me think more carefully about other patterns: 1. "POWER ___" - things that can follow POWER: - POWER WALK ✓ - POWER NAP ✓ - POWER RAISE ✓ (poker) - POWER HIKE? Not really common 2. What about things that follow "CAR"? - CAR JACK ✓ - CAR POOL? No POOL - CAR FISH? No 3. Words that can follow "BLACK": - BLACK JACK ✓ - BLACK FISH ✓ (the orca documentary/orcas) - BLACK TAIL ✓ (blacktail deer) - BLACK ARCHER? No 4. Words that can follow "YELLOW": - YELLOW TAIL ✓ (wine brand, also a fish) - YELLOW JACK ✓ (a fish, also a flag/disease) - YELLOW FISH? Not common 5. Let me think about what can follow "CRACKER": - CRACKER JACK ✓ - CRACKER BARREL? No BARREL 6. Let me think about "___ CALL": - CRANK CALL ✓ - WAKE-UP CALL? 7. What about "PHONE ___" or things you do with a phone? - CRANK (crank call) 8. Compound words or phrases with a common first word: - FISH TAIL ✓ - FISH... what else? 9. Let me think about "___TAIL" words: - FISHTAIL ✓ - PONYTAIL? No PONY - COCKTAIL? No COCK - PIGTAIL? No PIG 10. Words that can follow "TREASURE": - TREASURE HUNT ✓ - TREASURE CHEST? No CHEST 11. Words that can follow "WITCH": - WITCH HUNT ✓ 12. What about "NATURE ___": - NATURE WALK ✓ - NATURE HIKE ✓ - What else? 13. Let me think about "CAKE ___": - CAKE WALK ✓ - What else? 14. Actually, let me think about "___WALK" compounds: - CAKE WALK ✓ - BOARD WALK? - SIDE WALK? - CAT WALK? 15. What about things that can follow "BANANA"? - BANANA PEEL? But that's two words usually 16. Think about "CHEMICAL ___": - CHEMICAL PEEL ✓ 17. "SKIN ___" or "___ PEEL": - SKIN PEEL? - ORANGE PEEL, BANANA PEEL, CHEMICAL PEEL 18. Let me try "___ER" - people who do things: - ARCHER - one who does archery 19. What if these are all things that can follow a type of animal or something specific? 20. Wait - what about things related to poker? - RAISE ✓ - What else in poker? 21. Let me reconsider "POWER ___" more carefully: - POWER WALK ✓ - POWER NAP ✓ - POWER HIKE ✓ (actually this is a term!) - POWER RAISE ✓ (poker) Let me try: WALK, NAP, HIKE, RAISE - things that can follow POWER

Excellent! Two down, two to go. The remaining 8 words are: MARTIAN, SPLIT, GOOD SHEPHERD, LIBERAL, RAINMAKER, LEFT, PROGRESSIVE, DEPARTED, BLUE Wait, SPLIT was already used in the ice cream category. Let me recount the remaining words: MARTIAN, GOOD SHEPHERD, LIBERAL, RAINMAKER, LEFT, PROGRESSIVE, DEPARTED, BLUE That's 8 words, which should form 2 groups of 4. My hypotheses: 1. Political left-leaning terms: LIBERAL, LEFT, PROGRESSIVE, BLUE 2. "The ___" Matt Damon movies: MARTIAN, GOOD SHEPHERD, RAINMAKER, DEPARTED Let me go with the Matt Damon movies next since I'm very confident about this: - The Martian (2015) - Matt Damon stars as an astronaut stranded on Mars - The Good Shepherd (2006) - Matt Damon stars as a CIA officer - The Rainmaker (1997) - Matt Damon stars as a young lawyer - The Departed (2006) - Matt Damon stars as a corrupt cop All four are "The ___" movies starring Matt Damon!

Let me analyze these 16 words to find 4 groups of 4 related words. Available words: BULL, SHOT, COMPLETE, HARD TACO, UNDER, SNAIL, BELT, SLUG, THROUGH, DONE, EGG, GULP, OVER, WATCH, LAP, M&M Let me look for connections: 1. Words that can follow "___" or precede "___" something: - SHOT, BELT, SLUG, GULP - these can all be ways to drink something quickly (take a shot, belt it down, slug it, gulp it down) 2. Looking at compound words or phrases: - BULL could go with "SHOT" (bullshot), or be part of other phrases - UNDER, OVER, THROUGH could be prepositions or parts of compound words 3. Words that can precede or follow a common word: - EGG ROLL, EGG NOG... - SNAIL MAIL, SNAIL PACE... 4. Let me think about "SHELL" words: - SNAIL (snail shell), EGG (egg shell), HARD TACO (taco shell), M&M (candy shell) These all have shells! This seems like a strong connection. 5. Words meaning "finished" or "complete": - COMPLETE, DONE, THROUGH, OVER - all can mean "finished" 6. Words that can follow "WRIST": - WATCH (wristwatch), BAND... 7. Let me reconsider: - LAP could be part of LAPTOP - BELT could be SEATBELT - WATCH could be WRISTWATCH 8. Compound words with body parts or positions: - UNDER, OVER could be positions Let me verify my strongest guesses: Group 1 - Things with shells: SNAIL, EGG, HARD TACO, M&M - Snail has a shell - Egg has a shell - Hard taco has a shell - M&M has a candy shell This seems very strong! Group 2 - Meaning "finished": COMPLETE, DONE, THROUGH, OVER - "I'm done" = finished - "I'm through" = finished - "It's over" = finished - "Complete" = finished Group 3 - Ways to quickly consume a drink: SHOT, BELT, SLUG, GULP - Take a shot - Belt down a drink - Slug a drink - Gulp a drink Group 4 - What remains: BULL, UNDER, WATCH, LAP - These might go with something like "DOG" - BULLDOG, UNDERDOG, WATCHDOG, LAPDOG! That's a great connection! Let me verify the DOG connection: BULL(dog), UNDER(dog), WATCH(dog), LAP(dog) - Yes! I'll start with the "shell" category as it feels very specific and strong.

Hmm, the male animals guess was wrong. Let me reconsider. Remaining words: PUNCH, ZEST, FREE, KICK, STAG, ZING, JACK, SOLO, SINGLE, BILLY, RAM, BUCK Maybe one of those isn't primarily a male animal, or there's a different grouping. Let me think about other connections: BILLY - Billy the Kid, billy goat, billy club JACK - Jack (name), jack (card), jack (device for lifting) BUCK - buck (male deer), buck (dollar), Buck Rogers RAM - ram (male sheep), RAM (computer memory), ram (to hit) STAG - stag (male deer), stag party, going stag Wait - could some of these be names or nicknames? - BILLY (Billy the Kid) - BUCK (Buck Rogers? Or just a name) - JACK (common name) - What else could be a name? Or could they relate to money? - BUCK = dollar - What else? Let me think about PUNCH, ZEST, KICK, ZING again - words meaning liveliness/flavor: These all describe having energy, flavor, or excitement. I'm still confident about this one. Let me try: PUNCH, ZEST, KICK, ZING Actually wait - could STAG, SINGLE, SOLO, FREE all relate to being alone/unaccompanied? - STAG = going stag (alone to an event) - SINGLE = unmarried, alone - SOLO = alone - FREE = free agent? free and single? Hmm, that's interesting. Let me think more: - Going SOLO - Going STAG - SINGLE (not in a relationship) - FREE (free agent, not committed) These could all describe being unattached or going alone! But I was also confident about PUNCH, ZEST, KICK, ZING... Let me think if any of these overlap or could be regrouped. Actually, what if the category is "____ PARTY"? - STAG PARTY ✓ - SINGLE... party? (bachelorette is sometimes called singles party?) - Not really working What about preceding a specific word? - SOLO, SINGLE, FREE, and... ? Let me go with the flavor/energy words as I'm very confident about those: PUNCH, ZEST, KICK, ZING - all mean having pizzazz, flavor, or energy

Now I have 8 words remaining: FREE, STAG, JACK, SOLO, SINGLE, BILLY, RAM, BUCK I need to find two groups of 4. Let me reconsider. My male animals guess was wrong (RAM, STAG, BUCK, BILLY), so there must be a different grouping. Let me think about what these words could have in common: Names: - BILLY (name) - JACK (name) - BUCK (name) - Could RAM be a name? Not common... Could they all go before or after a common word? ___ GOAT: - BILLY goat ✓ - What else? SCAPE goat? But SCAPE isn't here ___ RABBIT: - JACK rabbit ✓ - What else? ___ NAKED: - BUCK naked ✓ - STARK naked? But STARK isn't here Wait, what about ___ WILD? - BUCK WILD ✓ - Hmm... Let me think about SOLO, SINGLE, FREE, STAG: - Going SOLO (alone) - Going STAG (alone to event) - SINGLE (unmarried) - FREE (unattached) These could all describe being unattached/alone! That would leave: JACK, BILLY, RAM, BUCK What do JACK, BILLY, RAM, BUCK have in common if not male animals? - JACK + something - BILLY + something - RAM + something - BUCK + something Could they all precede the same word? - JACK KNIFE - BILLY... - RAM... rod? - BUCK... Or follow the same word? - CRACKER JACK ✓ - ... BILLY? - BATTERING RAM ✓ - ... BUCK? Hmm, what about types of something? - HYDRAULIC RAM - CRACKER JACK - BILLY club - BUCK... Wait - could these all be names/nicknames for specific things? - BILLY club (baton) - JACK (lifting device) - RAM (battering ram, or computer RAM) - BUCK (slang for dollar) Let me try the "going alone/unattached" category: FREE, STAG, SOLO, SINGLE

Three down, one to go. The remaining 4 words must be the final category: BURST, BROKE, SPLIT, BLEW Let me think about what connects these: 1. They're all past tense verbs related to breaking/exploding: - BURST (something burst) - BROKE (something broke) - SPLIT (something split) - BLEW (something blew up) 2. They could all describe what a bubble did 3. They could all go with "UP": - BURST... (not really "burst up") - BROKE UP - SPLIT UP - BLEW UP 4. Wait - could these all be slang for "left" or "departed"? - BURST (burst out of there) - BROKE (broke out) - SPLIT (split = left) - BLEW (blew this joint) 5. Or maybe they can all follow a word? - PIPE BURST - PIPE... no 6. Could they all precede a common word? - BURST OUT - BROKE OUT - SPLIT... - BLEW OUT? Hmm, "OUT" works for some but not all perfectly. 7. Actually, these could all be informal ways to say "left quickly": - "I burst out of there" - "I broke out" - "I split" (slang for left) - "I blew" (slang for left) Or they might all describe what happened to something like a dam, balloon, or relationship. Since these are the last 4 words, they must form the final group. The connection is likely that they're all verbs meaning to leave/depart in slang, or they all describe breaking apart.

Excellent! Two down, two to go. Let me work with the remaining 8 words: KISSCAM, JOURNEYMAN, SCOREBOARD, JUMBOTRON, ASTROTURF, CREAMSICLE, SKYBOX, RUSHMORE Stadium/arena features: KISSCAM, SCOREBOARD, JUMBOTRON, ASTROTURF, SKYBOX - that's 5 words, so one must belong to a different category. Let me think about what else these words could mean: RUSHMORE - Mount Rushmore JOURNEYMAN - a skilled worker who has completed an apprenticeship CREAMSICLE - an orange and vanilla frozen treat Could there be a pattern with colors? - CREAMSICLE (orange) - Could others represent colors somehow? What about "___ ORANGE" or "ORANGE ___"? - CREAMSICLE is orange colored - JUMBOTRON? No - ASTROTURF is green... Let me think about movies or pop culture references: - RUSHMORE (Wes Anderson film) - Could others be movie titles? What about things that can follow "MOUNT" or "MT."? - RUSHMORE (Mount Rushmore) - OLYMPUS was already used (Mount Olympus) Hmm, what words could go with a common prefix or suffix? Let me think about "___MAN" words: - JOURNEYMAN contains "MAN" - CAMERAMAN? No, not in list What about things at a sports venue that have screens or displays? - JUMBOTRON (big screen) - SCOREBOARD (displays score) - KISSCAM (shown on screen) - SKYBOX (luxury suite)... not really a screen ASTROTURF - artificial playing surface, named after the Astrodome Wait! Could there be a pattern with sports venue names hidden? - ASTROTURF (Astrodome) - Could JUMBOTRON relate to a venue? Let me try: KISSCAM, SCOREBOARD, JUMBOTRON, SKYBOX - things you'd find at a modern sports arena (excluding ASTROTURF which is the playing surface, not a feature for spectators) Actually, all 5 could be stadium-related. Let me see if one fits better elsewhere. ASTROTURF - artificial grass, but also could relate to "astroturfing" (fake grassroots movements)? I'll go with the spectator-focused stadium features: KISSCAM, SCOREBOARD, JUMBOTRON, SKYBOX

Excellent! Now I have 4 words remaining: JACK, BILLY, RAM, BUCK These must form the final category. Let me figure out what they have in common (since my "male animals" guess was wrong earlier). JACK - could be: jack (lifting device), jack (playing card), Jack (name), jackrabbit, crackerjack, blackjack BILLY - could be: billy club, billy goat, Billy (name), hillbilly RAM - could be: ram (animal), RAM (computer memory), battering ram, Ram (truck brand) BUCK - could be: buck (deer), buck (dollar), Buck (name), buckshot, sawbuck What could connect all four? Names? JACK, BILLY, BUCK could all be names... RAM is less common as a name. Wait - could they all be nicknames or slang terms for something? Hmm, let me think about what word could follow all of them: - JACK ___ - BILLY ___ - RAM ___ - BUCK ___ Or precede all of them: - ___ JACK: Blackjack, Crackerjack, Flapjack, Lumberjack - ___ BILLY: Hillbilly, Rockabilly - ___ RAM: Battering ram - ___ BUCK: Sawbuck Wait! Could they all be types of something specific? Actually, what about NFL/sports teams mascots or names? - RAM (LA Rams) - BUCK (Milwaukee Bucks) - BILLY... not sure - JACK... Jacksonville Jaguars? No, that's Jaguars What about country/western related? - HILLBILLY - BUCKSHOT - Hmm... Let me think differently - could these all precede or follow a body part or common word? ___ KNIFE? - JACK knife ✓ - ... ___ SHOT? - BUCK shot ✓ - RAM... no - BILLY... no Wait, what about slang for dollar amounts? - BUCK = $1 - SAWBUCK = $10 - Hmm, not quite These are the last 4 words, so they must be the answer. Let me just submit them.