Welcome to today's brain teaser! Below are five sets of clues. Each set of three items shares something in common — a hidden theme, category, or wordplay link. Figure out what connects each trio, then see how you did at the bottom.
1. What connects: Apple, BlackBerry, Orange?
2. What connects: Mars, Snickers, Milky Way?
3. What connects: Great Dane, Boxer, Bulldog?
4. What connects: Jupiter, Mars, Saturn?
5. What connects: Queen, Bishop, Rook?
Hint: Most of these sets have a "sneaky" double meaning — think beyond the obvious category before you settle on an answer.
Answers
Tech companies / fruit — Apple, BlackBerry, and Orange (the telecom brand) are all named after fruits (or in BlackBerry's case, a berry) while also being well-known technology/communications companies.
Candy bars / planets & space — Mars, Snickers, and Milky Way are all candy bar brands (all three made by Mars, Inc.), but Mars and Milky Way are also astronomical names — a planet and our galaxy.
Dog breeds / other meanings — Great Dane, Boxer, and Bulldog are dog breeds, but each name also means something else: a boxer is a fighter, a bulldog can describe a tenacious person, and "Great Dane" plays on nationality.
Roman gods / planets — Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn are all planets in our solar system, each named after a Roman god.
Chess pieces / everyday words — Queen, Bishop, and Rook are all pieces on a chess board, but each also has a life outside the board: a queen is a monarch, a bishop is a clergy member, and a rook is both a crow-family bird and old slang for swindling someone.
How many did you get? Share your score with a fellow puzzler and come back tomorrow for another Daily Brain Teaser from The American Times!