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Today’s Strands theme: “That’s putting it mildly!”
If you opened the puzzle and immediately thought “mild oaths” or “old-timey curses,” congratulations — you’re already cooking with gas. The New York Times gave us another delightfully cheeky theme on January 17, 2026, and the board is packed with those adorable, G-rated exclamations your grandma uses when she’s really mad but refuses to say anything stronger than fiddlesticks.
Today’s Strands Answers (Full Spoilers)
Spangram: FOILEDAGAIN
(The classic cartoon villain lament — reaches left to right, usually in row 3 or 4, depending on your board layout)
Theme words (mild expletives/euphemisms):
- DRAT
- CURSES
- PHOOEY
- TARNATION
- FIDDLESTICKS
That’s it — only six words today (five blue + one spangram), which is on the shorter side for Strands lately. Every letter gets used, as always.
How the Theme Ties Together Perfectly
“That’s putting it mildly!” is the clue, and every word is a comically understated way to express extreme frustration. These are the things you shout when you’re absolutely livid… but still want to keep it PG for the church picnic.
- “Drat!” → What you say instead of the word that rhymes with “duck”
- “Curses!” → Straight out of a 1940s comic book
- “Phooey!” → Pure Golden Age cartoon energy
- “Doggone tarnation!” → The cowboy-approved swear
- “Fiddlesticks!” → Peak British granny rage
- “Foiled again!” → Every Saturday-morning villain’s catchphrase
It’s honestly one of the most satisfying themes in weeks — instantly gettable once you spot the pattern, yet still clever enough to make you smile.
Quick Solving Tips If You Were Stuck
The spangram FOILEDAGAIN usually jumps out pretty fast because it’s long and uses high-value letters (F, O, I, L, E, D, A, G, N). Once you lock that in, the remaining clusters almost solve themselves. “TARNATION” and “FIDDLESTICKS” are the longest blue words and tend to snake around the edges.
If you only found three or four words and got stuck, try hunting for “PH” or “CKS” clusters — those letters rarely appear outside PHOOEY and FIDDLESTICKS.
Final Thoughts
January 17, 2026 delivered an absolute banger of a Strands puzzle — fun theme, clean grid, zero red-herring nonsense. Easily an 8.5/10 day.
Want more daily NYT puzzle help?
→ Check today’s Connections (Jan 17, 2026) here
→ Yesterday’s Strands solutions (Jan 16)
→ Live Strands answers updated daily at Shrinke.online
Now go forth and brag to your group chat that you solved it in 42 seconds. You’ve earned it. 🏆