When the first clue "Air" popped up, I’ll be honest—I was a bit stumped. "Air" is such a broad term that it could lead anywhere. I initially thought about things like "Pressure," "Oxygen," or maybe even "Travel" (like airplanes). I even considered "Conditioning." At this stage, the puzzle is usually a shot in the dark because "Air" has a million associations.

Then came the second clue: "Hair." Now, my brain immediately went to rhyming. Air, Hair... maybe the next word is "Fair" or "Care"? But Pinpoint rarely works on rhymes alone; it’s usually about a shared connection. I then shifted my thinking to "Dryer." An "Air dryer" (like the ones in bathrooms) and a "Hair dryer." It seemed like a solid lead, so I held that thought in reserve.

The third clue, "Makeup," completely threw the "Dryer" theory out the window. You don't really use a "Makeup dryer." This is where I had to pivot my strategy. I started looking for a tool that is used with all three. You use a tool to apply air (an airbrush), a tool to style hair (a hairbrush), and a tool to apply makeup (a makeup brush). The word "Brush" started flashing in my mind like a neon sign.

To be absolutely sure, I looked at the fourth clue, "Paint." A "Paintbrush" is perhaps the most iconic type of brush there is. By this point, the connection was undeniable. The fifth clue, "Tooth," was just the victory lap. A "Toothbrush" is something everyone uses every single day.

The logic held up across every single clue. Each of these words serves as a prefix to the word "brush," creating five distinct, common objects. It’s a beautiful example of how the puzzle moves from the abstract (Air) to the incredibly mundane (Tooth).