Strands #981, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026: Hints for Five Theme Words and the Spangram

Monday’s Strands is puzzle #981, dated Nov. 9, 2026, and The New York Times (NYT) gives the clue “Idle chatter.” The mood is a long, aimless talk with nothing much to say. Christina Iverson built the grid and Tracy Bennett edited it. A fourteen-letter spangram does the heavy lifting; how it has to stretch is explained on our Strands page. Hints come first, and the answers are held in a marked section at the foot of the page.

Spangram hints

• Hint 1

  An easygoing idiom for passing time in light conversation about nothing in particular.
• Hint 2

  Three words. The first is a verb you might also do at a basketball hoop; the last is a soft wind.
• Hint 3

  Fourteen letters over three words, opening with S.
• Reveal the spangram

  Shootthebreeze
• Letter by letter: the spangram, one more letter per tap.
  Show the first letter

  s_____________ (1 of 14 letters)

  Show letter 2

  sh____________ (2 of 14 letters)

  Show letter 3

  sho___________ (3 of 14 letters)

  Show letter 4

  shoo__________ (4 of 14 letters)

  Show letter 5

  shoot_________ (5 of 14 letters)

  Show letter 6

  shoott________ (6 of 14 letters)

  Show letter 7

  shootth_______ (7 of 14 letters)

  Show letter 8

  shootthe______ (8 of 14 letters)

  Show letter 9

  shoottheb_____ (9 of 14 letters)

  Show letter 10

  shootthebr____ (10 of 14 letters)

  Show letter 11

  shootthebre___ (11 of 14 letters)

  Show letter 12

  shootthebree__ (12 of 14 letters)

  Show letter 13

  shootthebreez_ (13 of 14 letters)

  Show the last letter

  shootthebreeze (14 of 14 letters)

Theme word hints

Every answer is a word for casual talk, shortest to longest:

• 6 letters, starts with B

  playful, teasing back-and-forth between friends.

  Show the word

  Banter
• 6 letters, starts with G

  talk about other people’s private business.

  Show the word

  Gossip
• 7 letters, starts with C

  British slang for a cozy natter.

  Show the word

  Chinwag
• 7 letters, starts with G

  a long, lively talkfest.

  Show the word

  Gabfest
• 8 letters, starts with S

  to chat someone up warmly, often to win useful contacts.

  Show the word

  Schmooze

How the spangram crosses the board

Starting on the left edge three rows down, the spangram cuts a clean diagonal all the way to the bottom-right corner, passing through six cells on a single slant. At the corner it turns and climbs the entire right-hand column, rung by rung, to the top row, then takes one step left to finish. In effect it traces the right side and the long diagonal, which is how it manages to touch all four edges.

The talk words crowd the half of the board the diagonal leaves behind. The six-letter G word runs along the top on the left, with the six-letter B word just under it. Down in the bottom-left the eight-letter S word stretches across five columns of the last two rows, and the seven-letter C word loops above it. The seven-letter G word leans against the spangram on the right. The lower-left quarter is the thickest, with eleven of its twelve tiles spelling theme words.

Solving tips

Show the solving tips

The longest straight stretch runs up the right edge, so follow that climb first to pin the spangram down. With the right side settled, pick apart the crowded lower-left where the talk words overlap most.

Logging your run? The printable weekly calendar and the November 2026 printable calendar both have room.

The rest of Monday’s set: Wordle, Connections and Pips.

Today’s Strands answers (spoilers)

Answers are just below; stop here to keep solving.

• Spangram: Shoot the Breeze
• Theme words: Banter, Chinwag, Gabfest, Gossip, Schmooze

Each theme word is a way to chat idly, and the spangram, Shoot the Breeze, is the idiom for that same aimless talk.

Yesterday's Strands answer

Strands on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026 had the theme clue "Disciplined combat". The spangram was Martialarts, and the theme words were Judo, Karate, Kickboxing, Ninjutsu, Taekwondo. Yesterday's hints and full solution.