Doubled for Friday, July 5, 2024
One picture, one hidden three-word chain. The first two words make a familiar phrase, the last two make another, and the middle word belongs to both. New to the game? Read how to play first.
Hints
Open them one at a time. Each one gives away a little more than the last.
Hint 1
The answer is 3 words long, with 7, 5 and 3 letters.
Hint 2
The shared word - the one that belongs to both phrases - has 5 letters and starts with A.
Hint 3
The first phrase is 2 words, the second is 2, and they overlap on one of them.
Hint 4
Ten pins at the end of a polished lane, then a stray that lives behind the bins.
The answer
Stuck, or want to check? Opening this reveals the whole answer.
Reveal the answer
Bowling Cat
Bowling alley and Alley cat, joined on Alley.
Bowling alley
A bowling alley is the venue with polished lanes where you roll a ball at ten pins.
Alley cat
An alley cat is a stray cat that lives on the streets.
How players did
Across 2,441 plays, 74% got the whole answer in one guess, 11% solved it without a miss, 7% got there after at least one wrong guess, 7% used a hint or finished on their last chance, and 2% did not get it.
This puzzle ran on July 5, 2024, February 15, 2025, July 5, 2025, February 15, 2026 and July 5, 2026.