February 23, 2026

NYT Connections Hint - February 23, 2026

Hey word nerds! 🎊 Ever tried solving a puzzle while half-asleep and fully craving pancakes? That was me this morning—staring at a grid packed with kisses, volcanoes, and party hats like some fever dream of holidays past. My cat judged me from the windowsill as I muttered, 'Can you BLT a salad or just BOLT it?' Total breakfast brain. Grab your coffee (or leftover birthday cake—no judgment) and let’s nibble through today’s quirky clues together!

Word Explanations

  • MISTLETOE

    • The doorway freeloader of flora. Fun fact: it’s actually a parasite—romantic, right? Still, I hang it every year and pray my crush ‘accidentally’ wanders underneath.

  • GORGE

    • Verb version: to devour like a starving raccoon. I once watched my cousin GORGE an entire Thanksgiving plate in 4 minutes— awe and mild horror.

  • CHRISTMAS TREE

    • O tannenbaum, o tidy triangle! In my family we name it—last year’s was Carl, he shed needles like a golden retriever sheds fur.

  • NEW YEAR'S EVE

    • The ultimate countdown kiss—sparkly ball drop, off-key Auld Lang Syne, and suddenly everyone’s smooching strangers. I once missed it because I was hunting for a confetti popper; still low-key traumatized.

  • VOLCANO

    • Nature’s lava lamp. My fifth-grade science fair volcano used too much baking soda—eruption reached the gym ceiling. Instant legend, permanent record.

  • MASQUERADE

    • Mystery, masks, and mistaken identity—basically prom night for grown-ups. I love the drama, hate the feathers in my eyes afterward.

  • PARTY HAT

    • Party royalty perched on your head. Pro tip: don’t wear the elastic under your chin in photos—you’ll look like an overgrown toddler, ask me how I know.

  • BLUFF

    • Call it a poker face or a tall cliff—either way, you’re pretending. I tried to BLUFF my way through yoga class, my trembling tree pose betrayed me instantly.

  • POSTURE

    • How you sit, stand, or fake confidence in Zoom meetings. Mine currently says, ‘hunched over laptop with cookie crumbs,’ but I’m working on it.

  • CONE

    • Traffic guardian, ice-cream holder, dog fetch toy—multitasker of the century. My dog thinks it’s a megaphone for barking, neighborhood disagrees.

  • WEDDING

    • Cake, vows, and mandatory lip-lock in front of Aunt Linda. I cried so hard at my sister’s wedding my program turned into origami.

  • BOLT

    • Sprinter’s start or single swallow of food bigger than your fist—your call. I may or may not have BOLTED a burrito between subway stops.

  • SCARF

    • Yes, it keeps your neck warm, but today it means inhaling snacks. I once SCARFED popcorn so fast I inhaled a kernel—romantic, huh?

  • BLARNEY STONE

    • Irish smooch roulette. Legend says kiss it, gain eloquence; reality says queue 45 minutes, gain cold germs. Bucket-list item regardless.

  • INHALE

    • Technically just breathing, but food-wise it’s zero-to-gone. Competitive eaters INHALE hot dogs like vacuum cleaners—gross, mesmerizing, oddly patriotic.

  • FRONT

    • A façade or weather front—take your pick. I put on a brave FRONT during horror movies, pillow fortress says otherwise.

Theme Hints

  1. EAT VORACIOUSLY

    • Think feeding-frenzy verbs—what do you do when the pizza arrives and your diet ghosts you? 🍕

  2. CONICAL THINGS

    • They start wide, end in a point, and usually steal the skyline—or the birthday photo. 🎩

  3. POSE

    • What do you do when you’re not lying, exactly, but definitely not showing the whole truth? 😉

  4. SETTINGS FOR A KISS

    • Places where lips meet tradition, celebration, or maybe just superstition. 💋

Answers Explanation

Click to reveal answers!

  1. EAT VORACIOUSLY

    :BOLT,GORGE,INHALE,SCARF

    • Picture the speed-eater’s Olympics: BOLT your burger, GORGE on fries, INHALE the milkshake, and SCARF the last brownie before anyone notices. They’re all glorified synonyms for ‘inhale food like there’s no tomorrow.’ My college roommate could SCARF an entire pizza and still ask for dessert—legendary, slightly terrifying.

  2. CONICAL THINGS

    :CHRISTMAS TREE,CONE,PARTY HAT,VOLCANO

    • Mother Nature’s geometry set: volcanoes, pine trees, party hats, and traffic cones all share that classy taper. Christmas trees dress it in tinsel, party hats glue on sequins, volcanoes add lava mood lighting. I once made a volcano cake in this shape—looked epic, tasted like a sugar avalanche.

  3. POSE

    :BLUFF,FRONT,MASQUERADE,POSTURE

    • We’re talking fakery in formation: BLUFF your poker hand, strike a POSTURE of confidence, put on a masquerade mask, or FRONT like you’ve got it all together. Basically, adulting in four words. I once tried to FRONT that I understood crypto—my posture gave me away when I nervously knocked over the display.

  4. SETTINGS FOR A KISS

    :BLARNEY STONE,MISTLETOE,NEW YEAR'S EVE,WEDDING

    • Cue the smooches! Weddings, countdown kisses on New Year’s Eve, stolen pecks under MISTLETOE, and the touristy lip-print on Ireland’s BLARNEY STONE for the ‘gift of gab.’ Fun fact: locals claim the stone is sanitized nightly—romantic until you picture the queue of strangers. I still pucker at the memory of my first NYE kiss—so much confetti, so little coordination.

My final grid looked like a party warehouse exploded—kisses, volcanoes, and snack attacks everywhere. I almost tried to pair SCARF with MISTLETOE (don’t ask, festive fashion is a thing, right?), but the cone connection finally lit up and saved my ego. Favorite moment: realizing the Blarney Stone isn’t just tourist lore—it’s basically Ireland’s official smooching station. If today’s board left you hungry, love-struck, and slightly suspicious of geometry, same. Meet you tomorrow with more caffeine and hopefully fewer cone-related trust issues!