Today's Strands puzzle celebrates the thrill of 'Eureka!' moments
The New York Times Strands puzzle for February 19 centres on moments of sudden insight. Players will find words tied to thinking and discovery, with a spangram that captures the excitement of a breakthrough news. The theme highlights those flashes of clarity often called 'Aha moments'.
The word list for today's puzzle includes Idea, Hypothesis, Concept, Postulate, Theory, and Notion. These terms all relate to different stages of thought and discovery. The spangram, running horizontally, is Eureka—a word famously linked to one of history's most well-known moments of news.
The exclamation Eureka dates back to around 250 BCE. According to legend, the ancient Greek scholar Archimedes shouted it in Syracuse after solving a tricky news. While bathing, he realised how to measure the volume of the king's crown by observing water displacement. His sudden understanding of buoyancy led to the cry Eureka!, meaning I have found it!
Today's Strands puzzle connects modern wordplay with an ancient story of discovery. The theme and spangram both reflect the thrill of solving a news or uncovering a new idea. Players can expect a mix of familiar and historical references as they work through the game.
