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Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
Technology
Alan Martin

NYT Strands today — hints, spangram and answers for game #165 (Thursday, August 15 2024)

NYT Strands on a cellphone.
Strands today: Quick menu

Need a bit of help with NYT Strands today? Today's puzzle theme — "Is this some kind of joke?" — is a little cryptic, but not too challenging once you figure out what it's getting at.

Below, we've compiled some useful hints for Strands #165, as well as the answers, should it come to that. We'll start off with some clues, before building up to the full answer for Strands #165, so read on if you need a little help.

Warning: Spoilers lie ahead for Strands #165.  

Today's NYT Strands answer — Today's theme and hints

The official theme for NYT Strands #165 is... "Is this some kind of joke?"

And here's an unofficial hint from me: "Funny people."

If you're still in the dark, here are some useful words to give you those valuable clue tokens:

  • JOKER
  • NOTES
  • GIRL
  • RAKES
  • RANKS
  • RIDES

Still struggling? The spangram will give you a hint about the connection word. Today, it both starts with 'Y' and ends with 'G'.

Scroll down to find out what it is...

It's YOUREKIDDING.

Today's Strands answers

So, what are today's Strands answers for game #165?

Drumroll, please...

  • COMIC
  • FOOL
  • CLOWN
  • PRANKSTER
  • BUFFOON
  • JESTER
(Image credit: Alan Martin)

...and the spangram was YOUREKIDDING.

Strands #165

“Is this some kind of joke?”

🔵🔵🔵🔵

🔵🔵🟡

Hi Strands fans. This one isn't too tricky, once you figure out what it's getting at. At first, I thought the theme of "Is this some kind of joke?" might be about comedians, but it's actually far more general. It relates to funny kinds of people, rather than specific personalities.

Fortunately, I cottoned onto that quite quickly when I found COMIC in the bottom right-hand corner. FOOL and CLOWN followed above it, and I was then primed to spot PRANKSTER in the top-right corner.

BUFFOON and JESTER - in the bottom right and middle left respectively - were slightly harder to find, but there was no way I was getting the spangram without them. Not only is YOUREJOKING a phrase you're unlikely to find on its own merits, but it actually starts three rows down, requiring to double back on itself to touch both the top and bottom of the board.

A fiddly one today, then - hopefully tomorrow's will be a bit easier.

Yesterday's Strands answers

Reading this in a later time zone? You can find the full article on yesterday's Strands answers for game #164 right here.

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