Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Jan. 27 #695

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Jan. 27, No. 695.

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 is super fun, especially if you love dogs. 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: Canine classics.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Sit! Speak! Roll over!

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:

HEART, HEAR, COVE, COVER, COVET, CURD, SPUD, DINT, TOPS, RUFF, SCRUFF, BAND

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:

BLUE, SPOT, BUDDY, ROVER, SCOUT, CHAMP, SCRUFFY, BANDIT

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is HEREBOY. To find it, start with the H that is five 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.

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

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

#3: Off the hook. Again, it helps to know a lot about sea creatures. Sorry, Charlie. Toughest word: BIGEYE or SKIPJACK.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Jan. 27, #491

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Jan. 27, No. 491.

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

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is pretty challenging. But if you have a sharp eye for pro-sports uniforms, you might solve the tricky purple category. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Zzzz…

Green group hint: Think Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Blue group hint: (Former) leader of the Pack.

Purple group hint: On hockey attire,

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Grow exhausted.

Green group: Weight exercises.

Blue group: Aaron Rodgers teams.

Purple group: Found in NHL team logos.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is grow exhausted. The four answers are fade, fatigue, tire and weaken.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is weight exercises. The four answers are bench, curl, deadlift and squat.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Aaron Rodgers teams. The four answers are California, Green Bay, New York and Pittsburgh.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is found in NHL team logos. The four answers are Long Island, musical note, oil drop and wheel.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Jan. 27

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Jan. 27.

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? I will say, 8-Across was a geographical fact I didn’t know. Read on for all the answers. 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: Bit of clothing for a snowman
Answer: SCARF

6A clue: «___ is just another defense against the universe»: Mel Brooks
Answer: HUMOR

7A clue: Say without saying
Answer: IMPLY

8A clue: River whose basin spans 11 countries
Answer: NILE

9A clue: Opposite of WSW
Answer: ENE

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Excel
Answer: SHINE

2D clue: Spice in curry powder
Answer: CUMIN

3D clue: More than enough
Answer: AMPLE

4D clue: Queen Elizabeth I or II, for Helen Mirren
Answer: ROLE

5D clue: Cook in oil
Answer: FRY

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Technologies

Google’s Gemini AI Will Now Generate Meeting Suggestions in Your Calendar. How It Works

Google Calendar will now surface suggested meeting times based on your availability, working hours and existing commitments.

Google has announced a new way to schedule and reschedule meetings in Google Calendar, with one-click suggestions powered by its Gemini AI assistant. The update is designed to reduce the time spent coordinating availability by automatically identifying times that work for everyone invited.

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When creating an event, Calendar will now surface suggested meeting times based on the participants’ availability, working hours and existing commitments. If invitees later decline or conflicts arise, Gemini can prompt the organizer with a new recommended time directly inside the event, allowing the meeting to be rescheduled without leaving Calendar.

The feature builds on Google’s broader push to weave generative AI more deeply into its Workspace tools, shifting routine tasks like scheduling, drafting and summarizing toward automated assistance.

Calendar already uses AI for features such as smart event creation and time insights, but this update gives Gemini a more active role in managing changes after a meeting is created.

Google said the new meeting suggestions are rolling out gradually to eligible Workspace users, with broader availability expected in the coming weeks.