@lproven @stephenjjohnson @bencurthoys

Having a good puzzle day

Strands #738
“Survival mode”
🟡🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵

@markslater @lproven @bencurthoys

Strands #738
“Survival mode”
🔵💡🔵🟡
🔵🔵🔵

@stephenjjohnson @markslater @bencurthoys

Strands #738
“Survival mode”
🔵💡🔵🟡
🔵🔵🔵

Got stuck for the first time in _ages_...

@lproven @stephenjjohnson @bencurthoys

Strands #739
“Out-and-out”
🔵🔵🔵🟡
🔵🔵

@markslater @lproven @stephenjjohnson Strands #739
“Out-and-out”
🔵🟡🔵🔵
🔵🔵

Today is the first one I have noticed where the letters in a word can be entered in two different valid orders.

@bencurthoys @markslater @lproven

Strands #739
“Out-and-out”
🔵🟡🔵🔵
🔵🔵

@stephenjjohnson @bencurthoys @markslater

Strands #739
“Out-and-out”
🔵🔵🟡🔵
🔵🔵

Multiple unusually long red herrings there, such as DETAINEE

@lproven @stephenjjohnson @bencurthoys

Strands #740
“Mountain band”
🔵🔵🟡🔵
🔵🔵

@markslater @lproven @bencurthoys

Strands #740
“Mountain band”
💡🔵💡🔵
🟡🔵🔵🔵

@stephenjjohnson @markslater @bencurthoys

Strands #740
“Mountain band”
🔵🔵🟡🔵
🔵🔵

That theme took a lot of time to find...

@lproven @stephenjjohnson @bencurthoys

Strands #741
“A math teacher's favorite dessert”
🔵🔵🔵🔵
🟡🔵🔵🔵

@markslater @lproven @bencurthoys

Strands #741
“A math teacher's favorite dessert”
💡🔵💡🔵
🔵🟡🔵🔵
🔵🔵

@stephenjjohnson @markslater @bencurthoys

Strands #741
“A math teacher's favorite dessert”
🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🟡🔵

Very American themed today. Not at all obvious to me.

@lproven @stephenjjohnson @bencurthoys

Easy

Strands #742
“Best of all”
🟡🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵

@markslater @lproven @bencurthoys

Strands #742
“Best of all”
🟡🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵

@stephenjjohnson @markslater @bencurthoys

Strands #742
“Best of all”
🔵🔵🟡🔵
🔵🔵🔵

Quite a quick one.

@lproven @stephenjjohnson @bencurthoys

Nope. Don’t understand that one.
Must be something U.S. centric.

Strands #743
“The Big Dance”
🔵💡🔵💡
🔵🟡🔵💡
💡🔵

@markslater @lproven @bencurthoys

Strands #743
“The Big Dance”
💡🔵🔵💡
🔵🟡🔵🔵

March Madness is an annual nationwide college basketball tournament. Impossible to miss if you live here (the US in general, but especially Lawrence, KS where the first coach at the University of Kansas was the inventor of the game and they have the original rules in a purpose-built museum).

I still didn't know all the terms, though!

@stephenjjohnson @lproven @bencurthoys

I knew March Madness was an American sports thing, but couldn’t say for sure which American sport it was. Now I do know which sport, I’m still none the wiser as to how any of the words relate (except maybe ‘overtime’).

@markslater @stephenjjohnson @bencurthoys

Strands #743
“The Big Dance”
🔵🔵🟡🔵
🔵💡💡🔵

Absolutely baffling. Cinderella? WTF?

@lproven @stephenjjohnson @bencurthoys

Strands #744
“Happy Saint Patrick's Day!”
🟢☘️🟢🟢
🟢🟢🟢🟢
🟢

@markslater @lproven @bencurthoys

Strands #744
“Happy Saint Patrick's Day!”
🟢🟢🟢🟢
🟢☘️🟢🟢
🟢

@stephenjjohnson @markslater @bencurthoys

Strands #744
“Happy Saint Patrick's Day!”
🟢🟢🟢🟢
🟢☘️🟢🟢
🟢

Took me ages to work out the theme there.

@lproven @stephenjjohnson @bencurthoys

Ok - I have zero clue what that was supposed to be all about ?! 🤷🏻‍♂️

Strands #745
“It follows”
🔵🔵🟡🔵
🔵💡🔵🔵
🔵

@markslater @stephenjjohnson @bencurthoys

Strands #745
“It follows”
🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🟡🔵🔵

Yep, same. I still have no idea what the actual linking theme means.

@lproven @stephenjjohnson @bencurthoys

No patience for it today.

Strands #746
“Bring a plate”
💡🔵💡🔵
🔵🟡💡🔵
🔵

@markslater @lproven @bencurthoys

Strands #746
“Bring a plate”
🟡🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵

@stephenjjohnson @markslater @bencurthoys

Strands #746
“Bring a plate”
💡🔵🔵🔵
🟡🔵🔵

Found about 50 words, some 8 to 9 letters, and just gave up. 1 hint and was done in a minute.

@lproven @stephenjjohnson @bencurthoys

Needed a starter - felt the theme was a little loose.

Strands #747
“Spring fever”
💡🔵🔵💡
🔵🔵🔵🟡
🔵

@markslater @stephenjjohnson @bencurthoys

Strands #747
“Spring fever”
🔵🔵🔵🔵
🟡🔵🔵

That gave me a hard time. Took 2 clues to get the theme at all.

@lproven @stephenjjohnson @bencurthoys

Strands #748
“Sniff sniff”
🔵🔵🔵🔵
🟡🔵🔵

@markslater @lproven @bencurthoys

Strands #747
“Spring fever”
💡🔵🔵🔵
💡🔵🔵🟡
🔵

@markslater @lproven @bencurthoys

Strands #748
“Sniff sniff”
🔵🔵🔵🔵
🟡🔵🔵

@stephenjjohnson @markslater @bencurthoys

Strands #748
“Sniff sniff”
🔵🔵🔵🟡
🔵🔵🔵

Fairly straightforward once I worked out the theme via an Americanism. 😅

@lproven @stephenjjohnson @bencurthoys

Strands #749
“Trademarked no more”
🔵🔵💡🔵
🔵🟡🔵

@markslater @lproven @bencurthoys

Strands #749
“Trademarked no more”
🔵🔵🟡🔵
🔵🔵

@stephenjjohnson @lproven @bencurthoys

Strands #750
“In pieces”
🔵🔵🟡🔵
🔵🔵🔵

@markslater @stephenjjohnson @lproven is the setter ok?

Strands #750
“In pieces”
🔵🔵🟡🔵
🔵🔵🔵

@bencurthoys @markslater @lproven

Strands #750
“In pieces”
🔵🔵🟡🔵
🔵🔵🔵

@stephenjjohnson @bencurthoys @markslater

Strands #750
“In pieces”
🔵🟡🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵

Ben was right. WTF?