Permanent answer & walkthrough (Pinpoint Today archive)
Pinpoint Answer Today asks: what links Lines, Phones, Light, Ache, and First â and what story do they share? Follow the spoiler-safe hints one by one, then reveal the final connection and see how each clue fits together.
Lines Phones Light Ache â What connects Lines, Phones, Light, Ache?
LinkedIn Pinpoint #458 Answer:
Detailed breakdown continues just below - keep scrolling
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Every clue in this setâLines, Phones, Light, Ache, and Firstâultimately circles back to Words that come after 'head'. Lines sparks the pattern, Light reinforces it, and First locks the shared idea in place once you view them through that lens.
Ways to send a signal
This felt very strong at the start. Lines can be 'signaling lines', Phones are for 'signaling', and Light can be used to 'signal'. However, the theory completely fails on Ache and First, which have no obvious connection to sending a signal.
Things you do carelessly
I briefly went down this path, thinking of 'phoning it in' or giving a 'light' answer. This works for Phones and Light, and you could stretch it to 'First' as in 'first draft', but it's a very poor fit for Lines and Ache, making it an unlikely theme.
Parts of a whole
This is a generic thought trap. Lines are parts of a paragraph, phones are parts of a network, and a light is part of a larger lighting system. But this is too broad and ambiguous, failing to create a specific, repeatable connection for Ache and First.
| Word | Origin | In Context (Usage) | Meaning & Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lines | â | âHeadlinesâ | The line at the top of a news article, introducing the story. This directly forms the compound word 'headlines'. |
| Phones | â | âHeadphonesâ | A pair of earphones joined by a band placed over the top of the head. This is a perfect example of 'head' as a prefix. |
| Light | â | âHeadlightâ | The main light on a vehicle, typically at the front. The word is formed by combining 'head' and 'light'. |
| Ache | â | âHeadacheâ | A continuous pain in the head. This is a common and direct compound word from the clue 'ache'. |
| First | â | âHeadfirstâ | An adverb meaning with the head leading, such as in a dive. It combines 'head' and 'first' to create a specific descriptive term. |
When a theory breaks, it breaks for a reason
Notice exactly which clue breaks your idea. For this puzzle, 'Ache' made my 'phoning it in' theory impossible. That specific failure is a huge hint that the connection isn't conceptual but linguistic.
Test a literal connection, not just a thematic one
If your themes feel stretched, try thinking about the words themselves. Is there a prefix, a suffix, or another word that can be physically attached to every single clue? The solution here was a simple word 'head' placed before each one.
Use the outliers to break your assumptions
Clues like 'Ache' and 'First' are the most valuable for stress-testing a theory. If your idea works for the 'easy' clues like 'Phones' but not for the 'outliers', it's a sign you need to abandon it and find something more rigid.
Compound words are a common Pinpoint trap
Always keep simple compound words in your back pocket. Puzzles often hide the answer by forming a new, concrete word from the clue and a shared partner word, just like 'head' + 'ache'.
The connection is that they are all words that come after 'head' to form a common compound word, such as 'headlines' and 'headache'.
No, this is too vague. While we use phones and light daily, you don't use 'lines' or 'ache' in the same way. The connector must fit every single clue perfectly, which a broad theme cannot do.
'Body' is a tempting parallel to 'head', but it fails the test for these clues. While 'headphones' and 'headlight' are common, there are no standard English words like 'bodyphones' or 'bodylight' for this puzzle's set.
After your first two or three clues form a theory, immediately check it against the next clue. As soon as it feels like a stretch, pivot to looking for a more literal or structural connection like a shared prefix or suffix.
