NYT Connections Hints, Answers & Clues - Sat, May 23, 2026

BEEHIVE, BOUFFANT, CHIGNON, and POMPADOUR are all names for specific classic hairstyles — each one a distinct silhouette with its own history and cultural moment.

BEEHIVE

A towering rounded updo where hair is piled high on the crown and lacquered into a dome shape — named for its resemblance to a traditional straw beehive, popularised in the early 1960s.

BOUFFANT

A style where hair is teased or backcombed into a large, full, rounded shape — the name comes from the French word for puffed or inflated, and it was a defining look of the 1950s and 60s.

CHIGNON

A smooth, elegant knot or coil of hair pinned at the back of the head or nape of the neck — a formal classic updo with French origins, still common at weddings and ballet.

POMPADOUR

A style where hair is swept upward and back from the forehead into a high wave or roll — originally associated with Madame de Pompadour in 18th-century France, later adopted by Elvis Presley as a rock-and-roll icon.

FIRST, PREFERABLY, RATHER, and SOONER can all function as adverbs meaning more willingly or in preference — each one fits the construction 'I would ___ do X than Y'.

FIRST

In the sense of 'I would do that first' meaning before anything else by preference — a less obvious adverbial use that sits behind its more common meaning of earliest in sequence.

PREFERABLY

The most explicit word in the group — it means ideally or if given the choice, making it the easiest entry point into this category.

RATHER

As in 'I would rather not' — RATHER is the most common everyday word for expressing preference or willingness, though it also means quite or somewhat in other contexts.

SOONER

As in 'I would sooner leave than stay' — SOONER expresses preference by framing one option as coming before another in desirability, not just in time.

DAREDEVIL, HAWKEYE, NIGHTCRAWLER, and WOLVERINE are all Marvel Comics superheroes — two Avengers and two X-Men — each with a distinctive power set and a long publication history.

DAREDEVIL

Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer in Hell's Kitchen who uses radar-like heightened senses to fight crime at night — a Marvel street-level hero with no superhuman strength, just extraordinary skill and courage.

HAWKEYE

Clint Barton, a founding Avenger who fights entirely with a bow and trick arrows — no superpowers, just world-class marksmanship, making him one of Marvel's most human heroes.

NIGHTCRAWLER

Kurt Wagner, an X-Men mutant who can teleport instantly in a burst of blue smoke and brimstone — he has a blue demonic appearance with a prehensile tail, but is one of the gentlest characters in the team.

WOLVERINE

Logan, an X-Men mutant with a skeleton coated in indestructible adamantium metal and retractable claws — his mutant healing factor makes him nearly impossible to kill, and he is one of Marvel's most iconic characters.

EMPIRE, FORCE, LAST, and PHANTOM each follow the word 'The' in an official Star Wars film title — The Empire Strikes Back, The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Phantom Menace.

EMPIRE

From The Empire Strikes Back (1980) — the second film in the original trilogy, in which the Galactic Empire pursues the Rebel Alliance and Darth Vader reveals a shocking secret.

FORCE

From The Force Awakens (2015) — the first film in the sequel trilogy, which introduced new characters Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren while bringing back Han Solo and Leia.

LAST

From The Last Jedi (2017) — the second film in the sequel trilogy, in which Rey trains with Luke Skywalker and the Resistance faces near-total destruction.

PHANTOM

From The Phantom Menace (1999) — the first prequel film, set decades before the original trilogy, introducing young Anakin Skywalker and the Sith lord Darth Maul.