Happy Birthday, NYT Strands, and How About That Inside Joke Puzzle Today?

(Spoilers ahead, so look away if you haven’t solved today’s puzzle yet.)

(I admit I did not make the connection at first and figured it was just a hair-styling theme.

Here are my three favorites.

#1:Dated slang, Jan. 21.

Maybe you didn’t even use this lingo when it was cool.

Toughest word: PHAT.

#2:Thar she blows!Jan.15.

I guess marine biologists might ace this one.

Toughest word: BALEEN or RIGHT.

#3:Off the hook, Jan. 9.

Similar to the Jan. 15 puzzle in that it helps to know a lot about sea creatures.

Toughest word: BIGEYE or SKIPJACK