LinkedIn Pinpoint Answer for February 28, 2026
LINKEDIN PINPOINT CLUES
February 28, 2026
Sea
Mountain
African
Cowardly
March comes in like a
Clue Meanings Explained
Sea
This refers to the vast body of saltwater that covers most of the Earth's surface, often used as a prefix for various marine life.
Mountain
This refers to a large natural elevation of the earth's surface rising abruptly from the surrounding level; a prominent geographic feature.
African
This is a proper adjective relating to the continent of Africa, its people, or its specific wildlife species.
Cowardly
This is a descriptive adjective used to characterize someone or something that lacks courage or is easily frightened.
March comes in like a
This is the opening fragment of a traditional English proverb used to describe the transition of weather during the month of March.
As an analyst of the daily LinkedIn Pinpoint puzzles, I’ve seen some tricky ones, but today’s challenge was a beautiful exercise in linguistic pattern matching. The game usually rewards players who can pivot from literal meanings to compound words or common phrases. Today’s set of clues starts quite broad but narrows down into a very specific category of "pre-words." Let’s break down exactly how this puzzle functioned and how we arrived at the final connection.
The Solve: A Tale of Wrong Turns
When I first saw the clue "Sea," my mind went in a dozen different directions. I was thinking about "Salt," "Water," "Shells," or even "Breeze." At this stage, the puzzle is a total blank slate. I briefly considered "Level" or "Shore," but nothing felt concrete enough to make a guess.
Then the second clue, "Mountain," popped up. Now I had "Sea" and "Mountain." My first instinct was to look for a shared noun. I thought about "Range"—as in a mountain range or a sea range—but that didn't quite fit. Then it clicked: animals. A "Sea Lion" is a well-known marine mammal, and a "Mountain Lion" (also known as a cougar or puma) is a major land predator. This gave me a working hypothesis: the word "Lion" was the missing link.
To be sure, I waited for the third clue, "African." This was the clincher. The "African Lion" is the most iconic species of the cat, often called the king of the jungle. At this point, I was 90% certain the answer involved the word "Lion," but I wanted to see how the game would handle the remaining clues to see if there was a twist.
The fourth clue, "Cowardly," shifted the focus from biology to literature. It immediately brings to mind the "Cowardly Lion" from L. Frank Baum’s *The Wonderful Wizard of Oz*. This confirmed that the connection wasn't just about real animals, but also famous fictional characters.
Finally, the clue "March comes in like a" sealed the deal. The old weather proverb says, "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb." This used the word in a metaphorical sense regarding weather patterns. By combining the biological (Sea, Mountain, African), the fictional (Cowardly), and the proverbial (March), it was clear that the common thread was the word "Lion."
Lessons Learned From Today's Pinpoint Solution
* Think in Compound Words: Often, the clues in Pinpoint aren't synonyms for the answer, but rather the first half of a compound word or a two-word phrase (e.g., Sea + Lion).
* Bridge the Gap Between Genres: This puzzle successfully jumped from geography and biology to classic literature and folklore. To win consistently, you have to be willing to look past the literal definition of the first clue.
* Watch for Idioms: The last clue was a "fill-in-the-blank" style. When you see a fragment of a sentence, it's almost always a famous quote or a common proverb.
* Don't Guess Too Early: While "Sea" could mean anything, waiting for the second or third clue allows you to find the "intersection" where two different concepts meet, which is where the answer always hides.
Expert Q&A
Why is "Mountain" used when we usually call them Cougars or Pumas?
While "Cougar" and "Puma" are scientifically common, "Mountain Lion" is a widely recognized regional name in North America. Pinpoint often uses common vernacular rather than strictly scientific terminology to ensure the clues are accessible.
Is "Sea Lion" actually related to the land lion?
No, they are biologically very different. Sea lions are pinnipeds (related to seals and walruses), while land lions are felines. The name "Sea Lion" was given to them simply because of their manes and loud roaring sounds, which is why they work so well as a linguistic clue rather than a biological one.
What does the "March comes in like a lion" proverb actually mean?
It’s an old weather lore suggesting that if March begins with stormy, "roaring" weather (like a lion), it will end with mild, "gentle" weather (like a lamb). It’s a classic example of how "Lion" is used to symbolize strength or ferocity.
Can the answer be a plural word?
In Pinpoint, the answer is usually the root word or the specific word that fits the phrase. In this case, "Lion" is the singular link that fits every clue perfectly, though "Words that come before lion" is the descriptive category for the relationship.
Does "Cowardly" always refer to the Wizard of Oz in these puzzles?
Almost always. In the context of word games and trivia, "Cowardly" is so strongly associated with the character from Oz that it serves as a primary "anchor clue" for the word "Lion."