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
DEFT · WHISTLE · CEDAR · FUSE · WILLOW · HORN · BIRCH · MAPLE · ANTE · SHUFFLE · KISS · GHOST · RAISE · DISCARD · ADOPT · ALMOST
Group 1
Hint 1: A nudge
Four of these have stood in one place for a very long time.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
You might know each by its shape on the skyline or its grain in a piece of furniture.
Hint 3: Nearly there
Any of these four could be planted along a riverbank or in a forest.
Group 2
Hint 1: A nudge
Everything here happens around a table.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
These are steps in playing out a single hand.
Hint 3: Nearly there
What people do with a deck and their chips before and during a round.
Group 3
Hint 1: A nudge
A single verb applies to all four, though they have nothing else in common.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
Three involve breath or lips; the fourth involves too much current.
Hint 3: Nearly there
Whether you puff it, purse your lips for it, or overload it, the same short action word fits.
Group 4
Hint 1: A nudge
Spell each one out slowly.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
Their meanings have nothing in common, so look instead at how they are spelled.
Hint 3: Nearly there
From first letter to last, each one marches forward through the alphabet.