Welcome back, puzzlers! Today we're mixing it up with a "What Connects These?" round — five groups of clues, each hiding a common thread. Figure out what links the items in each set. No googling required (but no judgment if you do).
Big Ben, Cinderella's coach, a metronome, and a broken record — what do these have in common?
Pluto, a Snickers bar, and the word "OK" — what connects these three?
A rook, a rolling pin, and the Washington Monument — what shape or feature links them?
A dalmatian, a domino, and a ladybug — what's the shared trait?
Venus, "Happy Birthday to You," and a Rubik's Cube — what's the surprising connection?
Take your time, jot down guesses, and check your answers below once you're confident (or thoroughly stumped).
Answers
They all relate to time or rhythm — Big Ben tells time, Cinderella's coach turned back into a pumpkin at midnight, a metronome keeps musical time, and a broken record repeats endlessly (like a "loop" of time).
They're all surprisingly disputed/uncertain "firsts" or oddities of naming — Pluto was demoted from planet status, Snickers is named after a horse (not a sound), and "OK" is one of the most-used words on Earth but its true origin is debated. (Bonus fact: all three are subjects of long-running trivia debates!)
They're all cylindrical, tower-like shapes — a rook (chess piece) has a cylindrical body, a rolling pin is a cylinder, and the Washington Monument is a tall, narrow tower.
They're all covered in spots — a dalmatian has spots, a domino has pips (dot spots), and a ladybug has spots on its shell.
They're each linked to a specific, surprising number — Venus's day is longer than its year (it takes about 243 Earth days to rotate once, but only about 225 Earth days to orbit the sun), "Happy Birthday to You" was under copyright for decades (until 2016), and a Rubik's Cube has 43 quintillion possible combinations.
How many did you connect? Come back tomorrow for another round!