LinkedIn Pinpoint Answer for January 17, 2026
LINKEDIN PINPOINT CLUES
January 17, 2026
Fruit
Vampire
Cricket
Baseball
Blind as a
Clue Meanings Explained
For each clue, we need to look at the literal meaning to see how they eventually converge.
Fruit
This refers to the sweet, fleshy, edible product of a tree or other plant that contains seed. In a broader sense, it can also mean the result or reward of work.
Vampire
This points toward a mythical creature of folklore that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living.
Cricket
This is a popular bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the center of which is a 22-yard pitch.
Baseball
A ball game played between two teams of nine on a field with a diamond-shaped circuit of four bases.
Blind as a
This is a very common idiomatic expression used to describe someone who has very poor vision or is completely unable to see.
Hey there, fellow puzzle lovers! If you jumped onto LinkedIn today to flex your brain muscles with Pinpoint, you might have found yourself scratching your head for a second before that "aha!" moment kicked in. Today’s puzzle was a classic example of how the game uses a mix of nature, sports, and common idioms to lead us toward a single, versatile word. Let’s break down exactly how this puzzle worked and how we can use these clues to sharpen our lateral thinking skills for the next one.
The Solve: A Tale of Wrong Turns
When I first saw the word "Fruit," my mind went in a dozen different directions. I thought about "Salad," "Fly," or maybe even "Cake." At this stage, the puzzle is wide open. You’re looking for a common denominator, but with just one word, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. I actually hovered over the keyboard thinking about "Apple" or "Orange," but held back because Pinpoint likes to be a bit more clever than that.
Then the second clue, "Vampire," popped up. This changed the game immediately. What connects a piece of fruit and a mythical blood-sucker? My first thought was "Sucker"—like a fruit sucker or a vampire sucker—but that felt a bit weak. Then it hit me: the animal kingdom. A fruit bat and a vampire bat. This was a much stronger connection, but I wasn't 100% sure yet because I wanted to see if the sports clues would back it up.
When "Cricket" appeared as the third clue, the "Bat" theory went from a possibility to a certainty. In the world of sports, a cricket bat is the essential tool used by the batsman to hit the ball. Seeing "Cricket" right after "Vampire" and "Fruit" perfectly bridged the gap between biology and athletics. It’s a great example of how the game uses homonyms (words that sound the same but have different meanings) to keep you on your toes.
By the time "Baseball" and "Blind as a" showed up, it was just a victory lap. "Baseball bat" is perhaps the most common association for the word in North America, and "Blind as a bat" is the definitive idiom that seals the deal. The progression moved from the natural world to the sporting world and finally into everyday language. It was a satisfying solve that required shifting gears from science to sports mid-way through.
Lessons Learned From Today's Pinpoint Solution
Embrace the Homonym: Always remember that a word can mean an animal, a piece of sports equipment, and a verb all at once. If your first thought (like "Fruit Salad") doesn't fit the second clue, immediately look for a different definition of the word.
The Idiom is the Anchor: Often, the most helpful clues in Pinpoint are the "fill-in-the-blank" idioms. "Blind as a..." is a massive giveaway. If you're stuck on the first three clues, wait for the phrase; it usually provides the most clarity.
Categorize the Clues: In this puzzle, we had two biology-based clues and two sports-based clues. When you see a pattern like this forming (2+2), start looking for a word that exists in both of those distinct worlds.
Don't Guess Too Early: It’s tempting to fire off a guess after the first clue, but Pinpoint rewards patience. Waiting for the second or third clue to confirm your "category" saves you from wasting attempts on outliers like "Fruit Fly."
Expert Q&A
Why does the game use "Fruit" and "Vampire" together when they seem so different?
The game designers love to use biological classifications to create distance between clues. While a fruit bat and a vampire bat are both bats, they occupy very different spaces in our cultural imagination—one is a harmless herbivore and the other is a spooky legend. This contrast makes the puzzle more challenging and rewarding.
Is "Cricket" a more difficult clue for players in the United States?
It can be! While cricket is the second most popular sport in the world, it isn't as mainstream in the U.S. as baseball. However, the term "cricket bat" is still widely recognized globally, and when paired with "Baseball," it helps clarify that the answer relates to sports equipment as much as it does to animals.
How does "Blind as a" function as a clue compared to the single words?
Phrases or incomplete idioms serve as "contextual clues." Unlike "Fruit" or "Baseball," which are nouns that modify the answer, "Blind as a" is a linguistic structure that can only be completed by one specific word to make sense in common English. It acts as a final "check" for the player.
Can "Bat" be used as a verb in this context?
While "bat" can be a verb (meaning to hit or to flutter one's eyelashes), all the clues provided today specifically pointed toward "bat" as a noun. In Pinpoint, the answer usually maintains a consistent part of speech across most, if not all, of the clues provided.
What should I do if the first two clues don't seem to have any connection at all?
Stay calm and wait for the third clue. Often, the first two clues are designed to be the "extremes" of the word's meaning. The third clue is usually the "bridge" that connects