Answer deskVerified edition · 2026-09-16
Bracket City Answers – September 16, 2026
Final sentenceThe first photocopier is introduced
This walkthrough resolves the puzzle from the inside out, showing how each nested clue supplies a word that completes the next layer. The verified final sentence is "The first photocopier is introduced," and the supplied completion text is "September 16, 1959:".
The answer key
Clue by clue
- 01
Quarter in Paris that is home to the Sorbonne 🏛️
latin
The official answer is "latin." In Paris, the Latin Quarter is the historic district around the Sorbonne, named for the Latin language once used by medieval students there. The clue uses that cultural place-name directly.
- 02
a fun one (e.g. wombats poop cubes) will surprise and delight your companions
fact
The official answer is "fact." A fun fact, such as wombats producing cube-shaped droppings, is a small piece of trivia shared to surprise and delight companions. The clue supplies the example and the social effect.
- 03
creature smelled by a suspicious mob boss
rat
The official answer is "rat." A suspicious mob boss might smell a rat, meaning he suspects betrayal or a trap. The clue turns that idiom into a literal creature smelled by the boss.
- 04
factory sometimes threatened by disappointed racehorse owners
glue
The official answer is "glue." Racehorse owners disappointed by a poor performance might threaten to send the horse to the glue factory, where animal parts were once rendered. The clue uses that dark idiom.
- 05
glue temperature for a crafter's gun
hot
The official answer is "hot." A crafter's glue gun melts solid adhesive sticks and applies the adhesive while it is hot. The clue asks for the temperature state of glue in that tool.
- 06
latin version of the prefix "tetra" 🦵
quad
The official answer is "quad." The Latin-based prefix "quad-" corresponds to the Greek prefix "tetra-" and means four. The clue asks for the Latin version of that prefix.
- 07
locus for a bear or a plasma TV
den
The official answer is "den." A bear lives in a den, and a plasma TV is often placed in a den, a cozy room in a home. The clue uses both meanings of the same location word.
- 08
one of four in a regulation NBA game 🪙
Quarter
The official answer is "Quarter." A regulation NBA game has four quarters, each a period of play. The coin emoji points to the same word as a U.S. twenty-five-cent coin.
- 09
sometimes-gummy hibernator
bear
The official answer is "bear." A bear is a hibernator, and gummy bears are a sometimes-gummy candy. The clue uses the animal and the candy in one phrase.
- 10
squad car occupant 🚓
cop
The official answer is "cop." A squad car is a police car, and its occupant is a police officer, commonly called a cop. The clue uses the vehicle to point to the officer inside.
- 11
word before voyage 👋 or appétit 🍕
bon
The official answer is "bon." The French word "bon" appears in "bon voyage," a farewell wish for a good trip, and "bon appétit," a wish for a good meal. The emojis match those phrases.
- 12
word hollered by erstwhile-hidden partygoers 🥳
surprise
The official answer is "surprise." Partygoers once hidden from a guest shout "Surprise!" when the guest arrives. The clue describes that custom and the word hollered at the reveal.
Working notes
How the brackets resolve
- 1
The innermost clue asks for a sometimes-gummy hibernator. A hibernating animal is a bear, and gummy bears are a candy. This supplies "bear," which completes the phrase "locus for a bear or a plasma TV" in the next layer.
- 2
With "bear" in place, the clue asks for a locus for a bear or a plasma TV. A bear lives in a den, and a den is also a cozy room where a plasma TV might be placed. The answer "den" completes the phrase about hidden partygoers.
- 3
The clue describes a word hollered by erstwhile-hidden partygoers. When hidden guests reveal themselves, they shout "Surprise!" The answer "surprise" completes the phrase "a fun one will surprise and delight your companions."
- 4
The clue gives an example of a fun one: wombats poop cubes. A fun fact is a piece of trivia that surprises and delights companions. The answer "fact" completes the phrase "factory sometimes threatened by disappointed racehorse owners."
- 5
The clue asks for a factory sometimes threatened by disappointed racehorse owners. Owners may threaten to send a poor racehorse to the glue factory. The answer "glue" begins the phrase "glue temperature for a crafter's gun."
- 6
The clue asks for a creature smelled by a suspicious mob boss. A mob boss who suspects betrayal might smell a rat. The answer "rat" completes the phrase "glue temperature for a crafter's gun" as "temperature."
- 7
The clue asks for glue temperature for a crafter's gun. A glue gun heats adhesive until it is hot. The answer "hot" completes the outer phrase "photo" by supplying the letters after "p" and before "o."
- 8
The clue asks for one of four in a regulation NBA game. A basketball game has four quarters, and the coin emoji points to a quarter coin. The answer "Quarter" begins the phrase "Quarter in Paris that is home to the Sorbonne."
- 9
The clue asks for a word before voyage or appétit. The French word "bon" forms "bon voyage" and "bon appétit." The answer "bon" completes the phrase "Sorbonne" by supplying the middle letters.
- 10
The clue asks for the Quarter in Paris that is home to the Sorbonne. The Latin Quarter is that historic district, named for the Latin language. The answer "latin" completes the phrase "latin version of the prefix tetra."
- 11
The clue asks for the Latin version of the prefix "tetra." The Greek prefix "tetra-" means four, and its Latin counterpart is "quad-." The answer "quad" completes the phrase "squad car occupant" by supplying the first four letters.
- 12
The clue asks for a squad car occupant. A squad car is a police car, and its occupant is a police officer, commonly called a cop. The answer "cop" completes the final sentence: "The first photocopier is introduced." The supplied completion text is "September 16, 1959:".
Puzzle source: official game page · Historical source: September 16, 1959:. Explanations on this page are independently written.