‘What a Stud’ NYT Strands Hint — Theme, Spangram & Answers

NYT Strands — the free daily word puzzle from The New York Times Games — used the hint ‘What a stud!’ for Strands #197 on September 16, 2024. This guide decodes the wordplay, reveals the piercing theme, gives you the spangram, and lists all seven answers.

About this guide: Based on direct daily play of NYT Strands. For the full rules of how theme hints work, see our complete beginner’s guide to NYT Strands. To understand how hint phrases decode, see what the Strands hint means.

Quick answer: ‘What a stud!’ uses ‘stud’ in its jewellery sense — a stud is a type of body piercing. The theme is body piercing locations. The spangram is PIERCING. The seven theme words are CHEEK, NOSE, EARLOBE, EYEBROW, SEPTUM, NAVEL, and TONGUE.

What Does ‘What a Stud’ Mean as a Strands Hint?

‘What a stud!’ has several common meanings in everyday English. It can refer to a virile or impressive person (slang), a type of wall framing used in construction, a male horse kept for breeding, or — and this is the key — a stud earring, which is a simple, post-style piece of jewellery that sits flat against the ear or skin.

In body piercing, a stud is one of the most common types of jewellery used: a straight post with a decorative front and a backing that holds it in place. Stud piercings are used for earlobes, noses, septums, navels, eyebrows, tongues, and cheeks. The hint ‘What a stud!’ is pointing directly at that jewellery type — and from there, at the body locations where piercings are worn.

Players who chase the slang meaning (‘what a studly person’) or the construction meaning (‘wall studs’) will find nothing in the grid. The jewellery decode is the correct path. For more on how multi-meaning misdirection works in Strands hints, see our guide to how NYT Strands picks its daily theme.

Theme Category — What Words to Expect

The theme is body piercing locations — the parts of the body where people commonly have piercings. Seven words to find:

• CHEEK — a facial piercing placed through the fleshy part of the cheek; often symmetrical, worn in pairs
• NOSE — one of the most common piercings; typically a nostril stud or ring
• EARLOBE — the classic, most common piercing location; the soft lower part of the ear
• EYEBROW — a surface piercing through the eyebrow ridge; usually a curved barbell
• SEPTUM — a piercing through the thin wall of cartilage between the nostrils; increasingly popular and very distinctive
• NAVEL — a belly button piercing; one of the most popular body piercings globally
• TONGUE — a piercing through the centre of the tongue; typically a straight barbell

SEPTUM is the word that most commonly trips up players — it’s the correct anatomical term for the nasal divider but not always the first word people reach for when thinking about nose piercings. If you’ve found six words but can’t locate the seventh, SEPTUM is almost certainly it. For more on specialist vocabulary themes, see common NYT Strands theme categories.

Finding the Spangram — Strategy for This Puzzle

The spangram PIERCING is a single 8-letter word running horizontally across the grid. Here’s how to find it:

• Verified solutions confirm PIERCING runs horizontally, starting on the left at the 4th row and ending on the right at the 5th row — one of the more straightforward spangram paths.
• Look for P near the left edge, 4th row down, and trace rightward — PIERCING is a familiar word that runs in a relatively direct horizontal path.
• Find NOSE or TONGUE first — both are short and distinctive, and locating either one quickly clears grid space to trace the spangram.
• Don’t confuse PIERCE (a non-theme word) with PIERCING — the spangram always includes the full form and touches both edges.

For the full edge-scanning technique, see our guide to how to find the spangram every time.

SPOILER WARNING: Full answers below. To keep solving, stop here. For strategies without spoilers, see how to solve NYT Strands without using hints.

‘What a Stud’ — Full Answers

The Theme

Body piercing locations — parts of the body where people commonly have piercings.

The Spangram

PIERCING — a single 8-letter word running horizontally from the left edge (4th row) to the right edge (5th row), naming the practice that unifies all seven theme words.

The Theme Words

• CHEEK — facial piercing through the fleshy cheek
• NOSE — nostril piercing; one of the most common
• EARLOBE — the classic first piercing for most people
• EYEBROW — surface piercing through the eyebrow ridge
• SEPTUM — piercing through the cartilage between the nostrils
• NAVEL — belly button piercing; one of the most globally popular
• TONGUE — central tongue piercing; typically a straight barbell

Why This Hint Works the Way It Does

‘What a stud!’ is one of Strands’ most satisfying hints because the key word — stud — has three strong alternative meanings that all feel more immediately relevant than the jewellery connection. Most people think ‘impressive person’ first, ‘wall framing’ second (if they’re in construction), and ‘stud earring’ third or not at all.

The hint also works because it’s genuinely complimentary in tone. ‘What a stud!’ sounds like someone is impressed or excited — which gives it an emotional register that distracts from the physical, body-related decode. The puzzle rewards players who can set aside both the flattering slang and the construction imagery, and reach for the jewellery meaning that unlocks the whole theme.

Once PIERCING appears as the spangram, the theme words become easy — most players find body piercing locations quickly once the category is clear. SEPTUM is the exception, as it requires the specific anatomical vocabulary rather than the colloquial ‘nose ring’ phrasing. For more on difficulty patterns in Strands, see our best strategies to solve NYT Strands faster.

Difficulty note: ‘What a stud’ rates easy to medium. The stud-to-piercing decode is the main hurdle; once cracked, the body location words come quickly. SEPTUM is the likely sticking point for players who think ‘nostril’ rather than ‘septum.’ Use one hint if stuck — see how do hints work in NYT Strands for details.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does ‘What a stud’ mean in NYT Strands?

It uses ‘stud’ in its jewellery sense — a stud is a flat-backed body piercing. The theme is body piercing locations: CHEEK, NOSE, EARLOBE, EYEBROW, SEPTUM, NAVEL, and TONGUE. The spangram is PIERCING.

What is the spangram for ‘What a stud’?

The spangram is PIERCING — an 8-letter word running horizontally from the left (4th row) to the right (5th row), naming the practice that all seven theme words relate to.

How many theme words are in this puzzle?

Seven theme words plus the spangram: CHEEK, NOSE, EARLOBE, EYEBROW, SEPTUM, NAVEL, and TONGUE.

What is a septum piercing?

A septum piercing goes through the thin strip of cartilage that separates the two nostrils — not through the fleshy part of the nose but through the septum itself. It’s one of the most popular facial piercings and typically wears a curved horseshoe barbell or a circular ring. SEPTUM is the anatomically precise term that makes it a tricky theme word in this puzzle.

Where can I find today’s NYT Strands hint?

Visit thestrandshint.com for today’s hint with layered reveals — surface meaning first, theme decoded second, full answers last.

Is the ‘What a stud’ puzzle hard?

Easy to medium. The stud/piercing decode is the main challenge, but the spangram PIERCING appears horizontally and is easy to find once you’re looking. SEPTUM is the word most likely to slow players down. See why is NYT Strands harder on some days for more.