New Delhi, July 4 -- the puzzle dropped on the Fourth of July, and the game's designers made sure no one would miss the connection.

If you want to work through the grid yourself before seeing the full solution, three hints are below. Skip past them for the complete answer.

Hints for NYT Strands #853

Hint 1: Every theme word in the grid is an adjective.

Hint 2: Think about words that describe something visually spectacular, particularly a light display.

Hint 3: The spangram is nine letters long and the single most recognizable symbol of Independence Day.

Still stuck? One more: the spangram physically spans the full grid from one side to the other, as spangrams always do. If you can identify a long word associated with July 4 celebrat...