Buss Meaning: The Old Word For A Kiss Hiding In Modern Slang
Wondering what Buss means in the July 13, 2026 NYT Connections puzzle? This plain-English guide explains the clue, the group it belongs to and the tempting wrong interpretation.
Nora BennettSenior language and word-games editor3 min read
This FluentSlang explainer covers Buss as it appeared in the NYT Connections hints and answers for July 13, 2026. Use it for the quick meaning, the puzzle trap, and the related same-day clues.
Buss meaning in this puzzle
Buss means a kiss. As a verb, to buss someone is to kiss them. It’s an older word, but it still turns up in books, songs, and word games.
Why it showed up in Connections
This clue came from the NYT Connections hints and answers for July 13, 2026. In that grid, it pointed toward starting with smooches.
It sounds surprising because most people today know only the slang word bussin, which means tasty. That gap is exactly what a puzzle used recently, and you can see it in the NYT Connections hints and answers for July 13, 2026.
Why buss mattered in today’s Connections
The July 13, 2026 puzzle had a group called “Starting With Smooches.” Every word in it began with a word meaning kiss: buss, kiss, peck, and smack.
Buss was the trickiest root, because it hides inside bussin, which most people read as delicious. Once you know buss means a kiss, that whole group clicks.
What buss actually means
A buss is a light, friendly, or affectionate kiss. It’s a bit old-fashioned and playful.
- “He gave her a quick buss on the cheek.”
- “She bussed the baby’s forehead.”
- “They bussed goodbye at the door.”
It’s the kind of word you’d find in older novels or a crossword clue, not usually in a modern text.
Examples in plain English
Think of buss as a gentle kiss with a vintage feel.
- A grandparent gives you a buss on the cheek: a small, warm kiss.
- Two friends buss hello in an old story: a light greeting kiss.
- A character bussed a letter before mailing it: kissed it sweetly.
If you’d say “a little kiss,” buss usually fits.
Common mistake
The biggest confusion is mixing buss with bus, the vehicle, or with bussing tables. Bussing a table means clearing dishes, which has nothing to do with kisses.
Another mistake is thinking buss is only found in bussin. Bussin is modern slang for tasty, and it just happens to start with the same letters. The kiss meaning of buss is the older, separate word.
Wrong guess note
In Connections, the trap was reading each purple word by its modern meaning. Players saw bussin as tasty, peckish as hungry, and smackdown as wrestling. The real link was the kiss word hiding at the start of each one, and buss was the hardest to spot.
A quick kiss word list
- Buss: a light, old-style kiss.
- Kiss: the everyday word.
- Peck: a small, quick kiss.
- Smack: a loud, playful kiss.
All four opened words in that tricky group.
Related terms
- Peck: a small kiss, and the root inside peckish, explained in the peckish meaning guide.
- Bussin: modern slang for delicious, unpacked in the bussin meaning breakdown.
- Smooch: a slangy word for a kiss, close in spirit to buss.
To see how the whole smooch category came together, the July 13, 2026 Connections breakdown walks through every group. When you’re ready for the next challenge, the July 14, 2026 Connections hints and answers is where the chain continues.
Quick recap
Buss means a kiss, especially a light, old-fashioned one. It matters because it hides inside bussin and was the key that unlocked the trickiest group in the NYT Connections puzzle for July 13, 2026.
Nora Bennett
Nora Bennett is FluentSlang’s senior language and word-games editor. She writes spoiler-conscious daily puzzle guides and plain-English explainers for slang, idioms and tricky clue patterns, helping readers understand why an answer works, not just what it is.
More NYT Connections help
Return to the full puzzle, then compare this clue with other explainers from the same grid.