NYT Connections Hints, Answers & Clues -
NYT Connections #1075 Tip
One word here is a Clue character moonlighting as a condiment.
What Makes NYT Connections #1075 Tricky?
Words like LOVE, MOON, HONEY, and PEACH pull in completely different directions — romance, astronomy, food, and slang — while COLONEL, SHOOFLY, and DEUCE sit there looking like they wandered in from three separate games.
The editor's trick is a fill-in-the-blank category where every word completes a two-word phrase ending in the same common noun — and that noun is nowhere on the board, so nothing signals the pattern until you see it.
This one is genuinely hard — one category snaps into place quickly, one more follows with a little thought, but the remaining two require you to abandon the obvious meanings of words you think you already understand.
Connections Hints for Every Word in the May 21, 2026 Puzzle
LOVE
Connections hint for LOVE
In tennis, love means zero — the score before either player has won a point. Not a term of endearment here.
CHESS
Connections hint for CHESS
Chess pie is a classic Southern American custard pie made with eggs, butter, and sugar — not the board game.
HONEY
Connections hint for HONEY
A sweet syrup made by bees — and the first word of a very familiar two-word condiment phrase.
MOON
Connections hint for MOON
To moon someone is to expose your bare backside — a butt-related meaning that sits alongside the astronomical one.
PEACH
Connections hint for PEACH
A fuzzy stone fruit whose rounded shape made it a long-running slang term for a butt — not a pie filling here.
HOT
Connections hint for HOT
As in the spicy condiment variety — the first word of a two-word phrase ending in a common condiment name.
YELLOW
Connections hint for YELLOW
A colour — and the first word of a two-word condiment phrase that is probably in your fridge right now.
PUMPKIN
Connections hint for PUMPKIN
The orange gourd whose flesh is spiced and baked into one of the most iconic American holiday pies.
ADVANTAGE
Connections hint for ADVANTAGE
In tennis, advantage is the score given to the player who wins the point after deuce — one point away from winning the game.
CAN
Connections hint for CAN
Slang for your backside — the same body part that caboose and moon refer to, though one of this group belongs elsewhere.
PECAN
Connections hint for PECAN
A buttery nut native to North America, baked into a rich sweet pie that is a Southern staple.
COLONEL
Connections hint for COLONEL
A senior military rank — and the first name of a certain mustachioed Clue suspect who also completes a condiment phrase.
DEUCE
Connections hint for DEUCE
In tennis, deuce is the score when both players are tied at 40-all — the next point gives one player advantage.
SHOOFLY
Connections hint for SHOOFLY
Shoofly pie is a dense molasses-based pie from Pennsylvania Dutch country — the name supposedly comes from shooing flies away from the sweet filling.
CABOOSE
Connections hint for CABOOSE
The rear car of a freight train — and a well-established slang word for your backside.
FORTY
Connections hint for FORTY
In tennis, forty is the third point level in a game — after fifteen and thirty, and before deuce or game point.
Traps & Misdirects Hints for NYT Connections Puzzle (#1075)
HONEY, PEACH, and PUMPKIN are all sweet terms of endearment you might call someone you love — and LOVE is sitting right there on the board too, making a 'pet names' cluster feel almost certain. That reading is a dead end. These three words belong to different categories and the connection the puzzle actually uses has nothing to do with affection.
The shared color imagery here subtly tricks the brain into forming a “shades of yellow” category. The visual association feels natural enough to create false confidence despite the lack of a real underlying scheme.
Connections Hints for May 21, 2026
Yellow Connections Hints
Yellow Category Hint
Baked desserts with a pastry crust underneath
Think: Think: Southern bakery, holiday table
Yellow Category Name
KINDS OF PIES
Yellow Category Words
Reveal word 1
CHESSReveal word 2
PECANReveal word 3
PUMPKINReveal word 4
SHOOFLYGreen Connections Hints
Green Category Hint
Slang words and phrases that all mean your rear end
Think: Think: playground nicknames for backsides
Green Category Name
THINGS ASSOCIATED WITH BUTTS
Green Category Words
Reveal word 1
CABOOSEReveal word 2
CANReveal word 3
MOONReveal word 4
PEACHBlue Connections Hints
Blue Category Hint
Words used to call out the score in a tennis game
Think: Think: umpire calling points aloud
Blue Category Name
TENNIS SCORING TERMS
Blue Category Words
Reveal word 1
ADVANTAGEReveal word 2
DEUCEReveal word 3
FORTYReveal word 4
LOVEPurple Connections Hints
Purple Category Hint
Each word precedes the same popular condiment to make a familiar phrase
Think: Think: what's in the squeeze bottle
Purple Category Name
___ MUSTARD
Purple Category Words
Reveal word 1
COLONELReveal word 2
HONEYReveal word 3
HOTReveal word 4
YELLOWNYT Connections Answers for May 21, 2026
NYT Connections Answers Explained: May 21, 2026
KINDS OF PIES
CHESS, PECAN, PUMPKIN, and SHOOFLY are all types of pie — three are well-known American classics and one is a regional specialty, but all four are baked desserts with a pastry crust.
- CHESS
- Chess pie is a Southern American custard pie made from eggs, butter, sugar, and a small amount of flour or cornmeal — the name's origin is debated but the pie is unmistakably a classic.
- PECAN
- Pecan pie is a rich, sweet pie made with a filling of corn syrup, eggs, butter, and whole pecans — a staple of Southern cooking and Thanksgiving tables.
- PUMPKIN
- Pumpkin pie is made from spiced pumpkin purée baked in a pastry shell — one of the most recognisable American holiday desserts.
- SHOOFLY
- Shoofly pie is a dense, sticky pie made with molasses and brown sugar, originating in Pennsylvania Dutch communities — the name reportedly comes from having to shoo flies away from the sweet filling.
THINGS ASSOCIATED WITH BUTTS
CABOOSE, CAN, MOON, and PEACH are all words associated with a person's backside — three are direct slang terms for the rear end, and one is a fruit whose rounded shape made it a long-running euphemism.
- CABOOSE
- Caboose is informal slang for your backside — borrowed from the rear car of a freight train, which trails behind everything else.
- CAN
- Can is casual slang for your rear end — a short, blunt term that has been in common use for decades.
- MOON
- To moon someone means to pull down your trousers and expose your bare backside — making moon a verb and noun both associated with butts.
- PEACH
- Peach is used as a playful euphemism for a butt, inspired by the fruit's rounded, two-lobed shape and soft skin — widely used in pop culture and emoji shorthand.
TENNIS SCORING TERMS
ADVANTAGE, DEUCE, FORTY, and LOVE are all official terms used in tennis scoring — the system is famously unusual, and all four words are called out by the umpire during a match.
- ADVANTAGE
- Advantage is the score given to the player who wins the first point after deuce — if that player wins the next point they win the game, otherwise the score returns to deuce.
- DEUCE
- Deuce is called when both players reach 40-all in a game — from that point, one player must win two consecutive points to win the game.
- FORTY
- Forty is the third point level in a tennis game, following fifteen and thirty — a player at forty needs one more point to win the game, unless the opponent is also at forty, which is deuce.
- LOVE
- Love means zero in tennis scoring — a player who has won no points in a game is said to be at love, and a 6-0 set is called a love set.
___ MUSTARD
COLONEL, HONEY, HOT, and YELLOW each precede the word MUSTARD to make a familiar two-word phrase — Colonel Mustard, honey mustard, hot mustard, and yellow mustard.
- COLONEL
- Colonel Mustard is the mustachioed military character from the board game Clue — his full name is the phrase, making him the most surprising entry in this condiment-completion group.
- HONEY
- Honey mustard is a popular condiment and dipping sauce made by blending mustard with honey — sweet, tangy, and widely available.
- HOT
- Hot mustard is a sharp, pungent condiment — the kind served with Chinese takeaway or pretzels — made from mustard powder mixed with water or vinegar.
- YELLOW
- Yellow mustard is the classic American condiment — the mild, bright yellow squeeze-bottle variety found at every hot dog stand and barbecue.
