Need help with today's NYT strand? Today's theme is “picking up the pieces.”

Below are the hints and what-if answers for Strand #261. We will start with the hints and then lead you to the full answer to Strand #261.

WARNING: There are spoilers for Strand #261.

The official theme for NYT Strands #261 is... “Pickup.”

And here's an unofficial hint from me: “Don't eat with your hands!”

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If you're still not sure, here's a handy word that gives you a valuable hint:

Still having trouble? Spangram gives you a hint on conjunctions. Today it starts with 'U' and ends with 'S'.

Scroll down to see what it is.

UTENSILS.

Now, what's the answer to today's strand?

Drumroll, please.

... Spangram was UNTENSILS.

Strands #261

“Pick-ups”

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Hello Strands fans! I have another simple one for you today. The “pick-ups” theme seems vague, but most answers (with the possible exception of SKEWER) point to others.

Fortunately, I first found SPOON in the upper left corner and FORK below it. Then I found SPORK to the right of that and made a section for SKEWER in the upper right.

The commonality of these words was fairly clear, with four answers on the board and a spangram spelled out directly below them: UTENSILS.

I had to find three answers in the bottom section; CHOPSTICKS took up almost half the area and the left side covered the left side of the building. Then I found TONGS to its right, leaving only KNIFE to complete the puzzle.

Are you reading this late in the day? The full text of Strand's solution to yesterday's game #260 can be found here.