Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle will appeal to literature lovers and English majors (like me). Some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. 

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Shakespearean titles.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Famous plays.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

• MUST, CANT, RANT, RACE, CARE, CHARD, CHANT, HARD, SIDE, HIDE

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

• MERRY, SHREW, TEMPEST, TWELFTH, MERCHANT, MIDSUMMER

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is THEBARD. To find it, start with the T that’s four letters down on the far-left row, and wind across.

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Toughest Strands puzzles

Here are some of the Strands topics I’ve found to be the toughest in recent weeks.

#1: Dated slang, Jan. 21. Maybe you didn’t even use this lingo when it was cool. Toughest word: PHAT.

#2: Thar she blows! Jan.15. I guess marine biologists might ace this one. Toughest word: BALEEN or RIGHT. 

#3: Off the hook, Jan. 9. Similar to the Jan. 15 puzzle in that it helps to know a lot about sea creatures. Sorry, Charlie. Toughest word: BIGEYE or SKIPJACK.

The holidays are nearly here, and that means it’s time to lock in and sort out the gifts you need to get. If you’re looking to buy something the whole family can enjoy, then looking to the best gaming gifts makes perfect sense. There are some amazing deals on right now, and if you’re buying for someone with a Switch, this one is a must-have.

Woot has a deal that knocks the amazing Super Mario Bros Wonder down to $40, which is the lowest price it’s ever been. This is a whimsical and wonderful platform game that’s going to have you all laughing out loud in each level, but the deal is only on until the end of the day. So, if you want it, don’t wait around.

Super Mario Bros Wonder takes the classic platformer and puts an incredible twist on it in every single level. The story has you following Bowser as he causes chaos in a new kingdom, but with Wonder Seeds all over the place, reality itself often ends up changing. It’s a fun and intensely silly affair, and you can even play it with up to four players, making it the perfect game for the holiday season.

This being the lowest price we’ve seen for this amazing game easily makes it one of the best Nintendo Switch deals. It’s going to end tonight, though, so if you want it, get it quickly.

Why this deal matters

Super Mario Bros Wonder is undoubtedly one of the coolest Mario games we’ve had in a very long time, and one of the best games released for the Nintendo Switch. It’s rare to see first-party Nintendo games go on sale with this much off, so this is a very rare chance.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Bullet ___ (insect known for its painful sting)
Answer: ANT

4A clue: Setting for the children’s book «Good Night, Gorilla»
Answer: ZOO

5A clue: Mixed-breed dogs
Answer: MUTTS

7A clue: Language that gave us the words «democracy» and «philosophy»
Answer: GREEK

8A clue: Untidy
Answer: MESSY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Brilliant shade of blue
Answer: AZURE

2D clue: Classroom jottings
Answer: NOTES

3D clue: «100%,» in slang
Answer: TOTES

5D clue: Longtime movie studio now owned by Amazon
Answer: MGM

6D clue: Chicago W.N.B.A. team
Answer: SKY

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