Probably no better than you did, Judy. I think I needed hints for the first five. LOL

I've missed the past couple days ... will give today's a look....

Once I figured out the first word that broke the code the rest came easy. It did take me a couple of minutes longer to get started.

I needed one hint to see where they were going with it.

I got all of them with no hints.

I got them with no hints, but I worked backward. I tried to find words, and they happened to solve the puzzle.

I could not find the common ground for the words.....I have to say still am confused.

No hints.

What are hints?

Are we all talking about the same game? I have two called seven little words. One is more like a crossword. I don’t like that one. The other one that I did today had a theme of Not Birds. I got through it fairly quickly.

Not sure on the daily puzzle. I play it every day and I also play on the app. On the app you can click on hints and you get 3 choices, like first letter or first tile or solution of one. If you use three hints total you have to pay to get more. I don't ever use the hints. I think on the daily one, you may find them under the light bulb.

Often there is a theme and when you get one, it is easier to tell the direction they are going.

I hadn’t played it in a while so it took me a minute to find the ”key”. I think I typically work back and forth on the clues. But this time I started working from the letter boxes, and but got tricked by the LYA and RD.

I arrived at one through the process of elimination and it still makes a word I would never have chosen for an answer. That's happened a few times lately, I think my vocabulary is good but I'm left scratching my head over the odd (to me) association.

Hard to get this one started. And even when I figured out the theme it was still hard to find words. One technique I use when stuck is randomly choosing letter groups, then looking for pieces of words. Sometimes you can see combinations that can go together to solve a clue.

Spoiler alert if you haven’t done it . Scroll no further.

Doesn’t everyone see the theme posted at the top? This is what I saw today. Right under the date is the theme. I’m confused why people are figuring out the theme when it’s right there. What am I missing?

@dedtired, no clue shown on my IPad.

Oh how strange! I’m on my iPad, too. I wonder why there are two versions.

You have to click/touch the light bulb to get a hint.

marilyn_c, the hints don't work that way on my iphone app or pc, wish they did. Now I automatically get the first three letters, instead of a choice.

I can't remember how many hints I used in today's game. It was fairly hard, but I figured out it wasn't birds quickly, even though my game had no theme given ( it looked the same as jrb451's).

I thought it was pretty difficult. I got right away that it wasn't "birds" but I think I only got one and then the last one left without getting the hints. I agree with you, Judy!

Woodrose, you only get 3 total for all the games. I am up to over 600 out of 5,000 games. There are 2 different apps. One had a blue background pic and the other is brown. I used to play the brown one also, but it is too easy. I just play the app with the blue background now. Sometimes when I have touble getting a word, I will come back to it later. Then seems like the solution will jump out at you.

BTW, I play on an Android phone, if that makes a difference.

Once you said it was hard, i decided it had nothing to do with birds. That made it a lot easier. I thought the one several days ago that was all names of people in pop culture which I don't really follow. Somehow or other I managed to get it done.

I knew you were my friend Murraysmom. LOL

I thought the whole thing was stupid.

Mine doesn’t show a theme, but I figured it out anyway. I usually start with one that jumps out as obvious, and today’s didn’t have one that jumped out at me at first. It did take a minute, but I got them all without clues.

Huh, I did it without much issue and without seeing the theme, though I'm used to doing a lot of crossword puzzles with misdirection, so I'm always looking for that...and especially since I saw the words had double meanings.

I started with cower and worked my way up.

I play on my phone, and I don’t see the theme. There isn’t always a theme, is there? Showing the theme would be a hint, I think.

I thought today's was hard too. I don't usually have to have hints, but I did 2 of them today.

I thought it was exceptionally hard today. I'd never heard of a millstone.

Nicole, that makes me feel quite old. Now get off my lawn! (kidding).

Spoiler alert for those who haven’t done it . Scroll no further.

Really, you've never come across milling corn or wheat into flour or millers or windmills or "better he have a millstone hung around his neck..."? The latter is how I tied albatross to millstones, by way of the Monty Python sketch. "Albatross!" (although googling reveals a different connection).

Albatross from "The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner." I saw the comment that it was hard today before I tried. So I skipped the discussion and tried it. It was harder than usual, but I got them. Being forewarned helped me keep trying.

Needed lots of help with it but my brain is a fuzzy mess right now.

My favorite day is when I can start at the top and work my day down. Not today but still do able. The tough ones for me are the celebrity names. I have very occasionally resorted to google for possibilities but I have never used hints except once by accident. I wish I could remember who it was here who put up the link. I start my day with seven little words. Thanks. Cryptic crosswords is good training for seeing words from another point of view. I can take the leavings and rearrange them till they work when I get down to the nub. Good brain exercise.

I think I had 4 without the hints

I never knew that there were hints or themes mentioned! I did it without any.

Nickel.....albatross = millstone. That stumped me to the end. I had to look it up after I punched the light bulb 3 times. ☺ ☺ Things I "know" about....I have to research and practice, practice, practice. So I'm limited ......and....I know it. ☺

Dedtired, I see what jrb451 sees - no date and no theme. I play on my laptop or desktop PC, depending on where I am. I only have a laptop here in Cathedral City.

I rarely need to hit the light bulb, but had to yesterday to get me started.

Oh nicole, you're good, I was just kidding -- we ALL have things we've not come across before. The day a person "knows it all" is the day they need to go back to the library and start again :-)

Today I saw the date but no theme. Pretty much whipped through it.

Isn’t that the way, dedtired? Sometimes they just come to you, and sometimes they play games with you!

nope no themes on my kindle or PC

Red Herring is the one that drives me nuts. Some of their categories are a real stretch.

I remember seeing this a few times several months ago.

It isn't often that I make this offer but ... can anyone "tell me where to go?".

Thanks.

ole joyful