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
CUP · STRAIT · CHANNEL · TOUCH · RAKE · MILK · NUT · SPECK · SCOTCH · PINCH · TROWEL · LAGOON · DASH · SPADE · INLET · SHEARS
Group 1
Hint 1: A nudge
These come out when the yard finally needs attention.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
You would probably find them hanging in a shed or leaning by the back door.
Hint 3: Nearly there
Handheld implements for digging, tidying and trimming around the garden.
Group 2
Hint 1: A nudge
Look closely at a map and you will spot all four.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
Some are narrow passages between land masses, others are sheltered and calm.
Hint 3: Nearly there
Geographic features that are filled with water.
Group 3
Hint 1: A nudge
These four all work as nouns, though you may think of them as verbs first.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
A cook might add one of these when exact measuring hardly matters.
Hint 3: Nearly there
Each one names a very small quantity of something.
Group 4
Hint 1: A nudge
Each of these is only the tail end of a longer word.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
Put the same six letters in front of every one and you get four familiar words.
Hint 3: Nearly there
The shared opening is the yellow spread you put on warm toast.