Today's Connection No. 626 Hints and Answer for February 26, 2025

At first glance, there are a lot of possibilities here. Some words seem related by meaning, while others might require a bit of creative thinking. Let's break them down and find the connections!

Green: One-Time

This group consists of words that all indicate something that happened once or in the past. Whether it's referring to time, status, or position, these words share a common theme:

• Past – Something that has already happened or existed.

• Prior – Something that comes before another in time or order.

• Former – A reference to something that was once true but is no longer the case.

• Late – Often used to describe someone who has passed away but also refers to something that existed before.

These words all hint at things that were relevant in an earlier time but are no longer current. A solid connection!

Blue: Horizontal Line Symbols

This category is all about symbols you’ll find on a keyboard, each of which consists of a simple horizontal line. They may be used in different ways, but their visual similarity is what connects them:

• Dash ( - ) – Commonly used to separate words or indicate a break in thought.

• Hyphen ( - ) – Similar to a dash but specifically used to connect words.

• Underscore ( _ ) – Often used in usernames, filenames, or coding as a space substitute.

• Minus ( − ) – The mathematical symbol for subtraction, which is also a straight line.

Even though these symbols serve different functions, their appearance as horizontal lines is what ties them together!

Yellow: Words Related to Payment

These words all relate to financial transactions. Whether it’s a fee, a price tag, or a general cost, they all describe something that requires money:

• Charge – An amount billed to someone for a product or service.

• Cost – The general expense required to obtain something.

• Price – The specific monetary amount assigned to an item or service.

• Rate – Often refers to pricing based on units, time, or conditions (e.g., hourly rate, interest rate).

Each of these terms describes how much something is worth or how much someone needs to pay. If you've ever looked at a receipt, you've probably encountered all of these!

Purple: The Simpsons Wordplay!

This one was a clever trick! At first, these words didn’t seem to have much in common, but after a bit of thinking, I saw the pattern—they’re all one letter away from a famous Simpsons character. Here’s how they connect:

• Pisa → Lisa (Lisa Simpson)

• Baggie → Maggie (Maggie Simpson)

• Comer → Homer (Homer Simpson)

• Barge → Marge (Marge Simpson)

By changing just one letter in each word, you get the names of the four main members of The Simpsons family. This was a brilliant category and a fun challenge for fans of the show!

Wrapping It Up

This was a fun and satisfying round! The Simpsons category was particularly tricky, but once the pattern clicked, it felt like an "aha!" moment. If you grew up watching The Simpsons, you probably had an easier time spotting it. If not, no worries—this one was definitely a curveball.

Thanks for playing along! See you tomorrow for another round of Connections!