Daily Brain Teaser: What's the Connection?
A five-clue connections puzzle to sharpen your mind this Tuesday morning
What Connects These?
Below are five clues. Each answer is a single word or short phrase, and all five answers share something in common. Figure out the five answers first — then see if you can spot the connection before checking below!
One of only two planets in our solar system that rotate clockwise (retrograde) when viewed from above the north pole — the other being Uranus, tipped on its side at roughly a 98-degree axial tilt.
The hardest naturally occurring substance on Earth, often used in jewelry and cutting tools.
A card game term for a hand with no cards higher than a nine, often considered worthless in poker terms.
The chemical element with the symbol "C" and atomic number 6, the basis of all known life.
A playing card game also known as "patience" in British English, typically played alone.
Bonus challenge: What single word ties four of these together, with one answer standing apart as the twist?
Tip: Think about the words themselves, not just the facts behind them.
Answers
Venus
Diamond
Nine (a "nine-high" hand)
Carbon
Solitaire
The connection: Diamond, Carbon, and Solitaire are the tightest cluster here — a diamond is made of carbon, and a "solitaire" is the name for a single diamond set alone in a ring. "Nine" is the looser, playful link: a nine-high poker hand is nearly the weakest hand you can hold, a nice contrast to the diamond's status as the hardest, most prized natural material.
Venus is the twist, and we'll be straight with you about why it's here: it's not a diamond, and it has no rings. What earns it a place in this puzzle is that Venus is the brightest planet in our night sky — the third-brightest natural object after the Sun and Moon — thanks to its thick, reflective cloud cover. That brilliance is why people have long described it as jewel-like, even though "Diamond Planet" isn't an established nickname the way "Morning Star" or "Evening Star" are.
In short: four of the five — Diamond, Carbon, Solitaire, and Nine — connect directly through the chemistry, rating, and setting of a diamond. Venus is the odd one out, included for its reputation as the sky's brightest, most jewel-like sight rather than any real link to diamonds themselves.