NYT Connections Serves Up “Nonsense,” “Up” Verbs, Spies and Cat Phrases in Monday Puzzle

New York City, Sept. 8, 2025 - The New York Times challenged word-game enthusiasts Monday with Puzzle #820 of its popular Connections feature, offering four thematic groups: nonsense words, verbs that take “up,” pop-culture spies and common “cat ___” phrases.

Puzzle Sparks Early Interest Drawing thousands of daily players, Connections tested participants’ vocabulary and lateral thinking by presenting a 4x4 grid of 16 words. Monday’s categories ranged from playful (“nonsense”) to clever (“verbs that form new meanings when paired with ‘up’”), ensuring broad appeal.

Hints to Guide Solvers

• Yellow group: terms meaning nonsense
• Green group: verbs completed by adding “up” to mean increase
• Blue group: fictional spies from film and TV
• Purple group: words that follow “cat” to form familiar phrases

Solutions in Descending Order Yellow (Nonsense)

• BALONEY
• BULL
• BUNK
• RUBBISH

Green (Increase with “up”)

• CRANK
• HIKE
• JACK
• RAISE

Blue (Fictional Spies)

• ARCHER
• HUNT
• PEEL
• POWERS

Purple (Cat ___)

• FISH
• NAP
• TAIL
• WALK

With Monday’s puzzle solved, Connections enthusiasts are already eyeing tomorrow’s grid, anticipating fresh wordplay and mental agility tests.