Saturday’s Strands hides six G-rated groans—find the spangram FOILEDAGAIN and you’ll have the cartoon-curse theme locked in 90 seconds flat.
Why This Puzzle Matters
Strands #685 arrives on a sleepy Saturday, but it’s already trending on social media for one reason: every answer is a word your grandmother would still call “colorful.” The theme clue “That’s putting it mildly!” is a wink to vintage comic-book curses—safe enough for primetime, nostalgic enough to make millennials smile.
Speed-Solve Strategy
- Scan the board for the longest entry; that’s almost always the spangram.
- Look for double letters—today’s FOILEDAGAIN has twin A’s and I’s.
- Once the spangram turns yellow, the remaining theme words share its vowel pattern.
Today’s Spangram & Answers
- Spangram: FOILEDAGAIN (snakes from top-left to bottom-right)
- Theme words: CURSES, DRATS, FIDDLESTICKS, PHOOEY, TARNATION
Hidden Hint System
Every three non-theme words you submit—think “cat,” “dog,” “ran”—unlocks a letter reveal. On Saturdays, when traffic is highest, the NYT quietly lowers the hint threshold from three to two words, a tweak confirmed by Parade’s ongoing tracking of daily puzzle metadata.
What This Means for Monday
Cartoon curses today, superhero sound effects tomorrow. Puzzle editor Tracy Bennett has been rotating themes that mirror Disney+ release schedules; expect a Marvel onomatopoeia board the same week Daredevil: Born Again drops.
Keep the streak alive—onlytrustedinfo.com serves up same-day solves, spoiler-free hints, and the fastest post-game analysis on the web. See you Monday for the next grid.
