NYT Connections Hint - December 21, 2025

Hey there! ☕️ It’s another Connections challenge, with today’s cozy mix that made me feel like I’m in a library sipping tea. Not gonna lie—the teapot parts trio jumped out at me first. But then I got stuck on that last playful group. We’ll get into hints and breakdowns in a bit. Ready to dive in?

Word Explanations

• RAIN

  • Rain is weather in drops—often in slumps of ‘dripping’ days. In modern slang, you might hear it jokingly about raining candy or something falling hard (like ‘raining cats and dogs’ for emphasis). More formally, ‘rain’ can mean to fall as if in drops, which ties into today’s playful ___DROP puzzle. The word also pops up in idioms about ‘after the rain comes the彩虹’ (if you’re feeling poetic!). Plus, I’m pretty sure I use ‘rain’ in the wrong context when I’m overcaffeinated… but it adds drama. ☔️

• LID

  • A lid keeps your tea warm—and your life secrets contained (just kidding… or am I?). Typically found on pots, jars, and mugs, it’s also a slang term (keeping a lid on something = staying chill). For teapots, the lid is key to steeping, and popping it to add loose leaf is a ritual for many of us. It keeps you from spilling everywhere—like when I try to pour fancy and end up on the table instead. Okay, that’s why I’m getting better at mindful pouring. 😅

• AIR

  • Air is everywhere, but sometimes it feels like you’ve got too little in a stuffy room (hello, winter office!). For words or music, you might ‘drop’ a track or ‘let it hit the air.’ In physics, it’s a gas we rely on without noticing. Metaphorically, it’s the ‘space’ or ‘context’ your mind needs to think. Can you imagine? Like the idea behind ‘take a breather’—fresh air can bring fresh outlooks.

• FLOW

  • Flow is the smooth movement—like how tea pours, words dance, or thoughts stream in your head. In systems, flow implies a consistent path; in art, it’s the vibe that makes something feel effortless. As a noun, it refers to quantities moving; as a verb, it sets a scene of ease: ‘the conversation just flows.’ It’s also used figuratively for inspiration dropping into your mind—like when a melody catches you and just... flows. 🎶✨

• EAVES

  • Eaves are the lower edges of a roof that guide rainwater away from your house walls. If you ever thought your home looked ‘sad’ in the rain, it’s the eaves that keep it perked up. The term also appears in poetic language for the edges of places—like tucked moments under someone’s eaves when it’s raining and you feel safe. I love how that sounds—like the world has a little shield for you. ☔️

• CIRCULATION

  • Circulation is the heart of a library—the desk where books flow out and back in. It’s also how the blood moves in your body (a little science throw-in). As a broader idea, think about movement: “circulation of ideas” means sharing thoughts around a community, like when a good book moves from friend to friend through the stacks. You know it’s vital, maybe because you’ve had to recall your due date—oops. 📚

• ISSUE

  • Issue can feel tricky: it’s a problem, an edition (like a magazine issue), or the act of giving out something (to issue tickets). In puzzles, words show up in multiple senses—so when looking for group fits, think broad. And to issue a thing is to let it ‘come out’ physically, like tea pouring from a pot. Basically, issues pop up everywhere—like the moment you spot the teapot. 😄 I definitely learned that the hard way!

• STACKS

  • Stacks are rows of books in libraries—sometimes towering, sometimes seemingly endless. The phrase ‘in the stacks’ means going deep into the collection, walking between shelves, and hunting for treasures. In tech, stacks are arrays of data; in music, stacks are layered instruments. In puzzles, think about ‘where books live’—and that’s stacks! The name brings the library to life, just like the hush that settles when you pass them. 📖

• SPOUT

  • Spouts pour liquids—like the long ‘nose’ you need to direct tea where you want it. In teapots, spouts are designed to avoid spills, and a good one can make the whole pouring ritual smoother. In broader senses, anything that lets something flow—like a whale spout or a mountain spout of water—has a spout. The word lets you imagine the exact moment tea arcs and lands in your cup. It’s such a little hero!

• GUM

  • Gum is sticky, cozy, and surprising. As gum drop candy, it’s sweet and tiny; as chewing gum, it’s your post-meal friend that keeps your breath nicer (or tries to). There’s gum around your shoes (oof) or gum that grows on trees (the rubbery natural stuff), so the word swings between playful and practical. GUMDROP? That’s just gum plus a sweet, chewy twist—one reason candy lovers end up with ‘sticky fingers’ more than they’ll admit. 🍬

• REFERENCE

  • Reference is your quick get-of-fact tool—like dictionaries, encyclopedias, or the librarian at the desk. It’s where you go when you need a direct answer fast. As a verb, to reference means to point to a source; as a noun, it’s the source itself. Libraries have_reference sections for good reason—you can’t remember that river length? You flip to reference. It’s like the ‘cheat sheet’ of knowledge you hope will have your back when you’re stuck. 😅

• HANDLE

  • Handles let you grip things safely—like teapots, pots, and bags. In everyday life, you might ‘get a handle on’ something to master it, which shows how the word spreads beyond just objects. In terms, a handle can be a username, and in British slang, it’s a title for someone’s nickname. Physically, a handle reduces spill risk—like how a teapot handle keeps your fingers from meeting the heat. Because nobody wants tea-burned fingertips. ☕️🔥

• PERIODICALS

  • Periodicals are publications that come out regularly—journals, magazines, newsletters. You can check them out from the library or read them online, especially if you’re tracking trends or doing research. The word covers anything with a recurring schedule, like weekly newsstand titles or monthly academic journals. There’s something satisfying about walking through the periodicals section and seeing the fresh issues stacked up—like the library itself breathes with time. 🌬️

• RESULT

  • Result is the outcome—when all the steps lead you to an answer. You can talk about immediate results (like tea done steeping) or long-term results (like a plan coming together). Synonyms like outcome and effect slide into the same space. In science, a result is your experiment finding; in everyday life, a result can be small or big—like noticing your focus improving this week. Sometimes chasing good results is all about simple steps adding up. 📈

• STRAINER

  • Strainers keep the big stuff out—like tea leaves or fruit pulp. They can be metal mesh, silicone, or fabric, and they’re such small champs for kitchen rituals. Without a strainer, pour a cup and get leaf bits—yikes! In figurative use, ‘strainer’ can hint at something that filters out the unnecessary, like a step that separates good ideas fromnoise. For tea lovers, that infuser or strainer near the spout is like your secret teapot superpower. ✨

• EMERGE

  • Emerge means to come into view, like thoughts surfacing in a conversation or creatures surfacing from hiding. It’s not an explosion; it’s a gentle reveal. Think about a puzzle where the answer finally emerges in your mind—like when you spot a teapot trio, or the library words fall into place. In nature, fish emerge from water, butterflies from cocoons; in life, opportunities emerge when you keep exploring. It’s a ‘soft reveal’ that feels rewarding. 🌿

Theme Hints

1. FEATURES OF A TEAPOT

   • Think about objects you’d need to pick up, pour out, or keep sealed on a teapot. What makes them work together?

2. LIBRARY SECTIONS

   • Picture yourself in a library. What separate areas or zones pop up, especially when you’re navigating the stacks or the desk?

3. ARISE

   • Think of verbs or nouns about ‘showing up’ or ‘coming to be.’ What pops in your mind when something emerges, spills out, or comes to pass?

4. ___DROP

   • Think of compound words or phrases where the second half is ‘drop’—like gum DROP—and metaphorical drops where things ‘hit the air’ or ‘fall,’ including slang for raining or words dropping into a stream.

Answers Explanation

What a ride! Teapot parts, library corners, rising actions, and drops—all wrapped in a neat little puzzle box. Honestly, I love how this one blends cozy daily objects with library vibes. My sweet spot? Finding the teapot trio first; just felt right. The ___DROP category was like that final tricky piece that clicks into place—like knowing your coffee mug well enough to trust your grip. Hope you had fun with it and maybe learned a little about library anatomy today. See you tomorrow—same time, same puzzle, same caffeine-fueled adventure! ☕️✨