Four by Four hints ·
Hints for the Four by Four puzzle
Open one hint at a time for each group. Hints go from a vague nudge to nearly naming the category, and each group stays hidden until you choose to reveal it. Play this puzzle.
The sixteen words
MAY · DEAR · BORE · FIRE · SAMBA · WAIL · BUTTER · HONEST · TANGO · CANINE · LISTEN · HAIR · WALTZ · RUMBA · FREIGHT · DRAGON
Group 1
Hint 1: A nudge
Something you might learn with a partner.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
Best done on a polished floor, in time with music.
Hint 3: Nearly there
Four dance styles, several with Latin American roots.
Group 2
Hint 1: A nudge
Each of these is complete on its own, but can grow a little tail.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
Add the same short ending to all four and you get things that hover over a summer meadow.
Hint 3: Nearly there
Each pairs with the same three-letter word to name a winged insect.
Group 3
Hint 1: A nudge
Look closely: something small is tucked inside each one.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
What is buried is the same sort of thing every time, and you could count on it.
Hint 3: Nearly there
Each word conceals a number spelled out within its letters.
Group 4
Hint 1: A nudge
Reading these is less useful than saying them.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
What they mean on paper links them not at all: one is a term of endearment, another a mournful cry.
Hint 3: Nearly there
Out loud, every one of these turns into a creature.