The New York Times Connections
The New York Times Connections

The New York Times' Connections puzzle for Monday, Nov. 2, offered players a gentle start to the week, with a grid built around hiking gear, irritation, misty effects and everyday objects that reflect.

One TechRadar reviewer rated puzzle No. 1240 as easy, calling it a straightforward way to begin the week without major traps or trickery. Still, a few words with double meanings could catch careless solvers.

Below are hints, the full answers and tips for future puzzles.

How Connections works

Connections, edited by Wyna Liu, gives players 16 words to sort into four groups of four that share a theme. Groups are color-coded by difficulty: yellow is easiest, followed by green, blue and purple, which is usually the hardest. Players can make up to four mistakes.

Monday's grid

The 16 words were: MEDICINE CABINET, COMPASS, FOG MACHINE, INCENSE, WATERFALL, DISCO BALL, NETTLE, HIKING BOOTS, DRESSING ROOM, DRY ICE, WATER BOTTLE, WIND UP, PIQUE, KALEIDOSCOPE, HUMIDIFIER and BACKPACK.

Hints for each group

Players who want a nudge can start here.

Yellow: Think of equipment you would want on a long walk through difficult terrain.

Green: Think of ways to annoy someone or make them angry.

Blue: Think of things that create water vapor or a misty effect.

Purple: Think about where you might catch your own reflection.

The category names

For one more push without the full solution:

Yellow: THINGS TO BRING ON A TREK

Green: ANGER

Blue: MIST MAKERS

Purple: THINGS WITH MIRRORS

Warning: Answers below

Players who want to keep trying should stop reading here.

Yellow (THINGS TO BRING ON A TREK): BACKPACK, COMPASS, HIKING BOOTS, WATER BOTTLE

Green (ANGER): INCENSE, NETTLE, PIQUE, WIND UP

Blue (MIST MAKERS): DRY ICE, FOG MACHINE, HUMIDIFIER, WATERFALL

Purple (THINGS WITH MIRRORS): DISCO BALL, DRESSING ROOM, KALEIDOSCOPE, MEDICINE CABINET

Breaking down the puzzle

The yellow group collected essential hiking supplies. A backpack carries gear, a compass helps with navigation, hiking boots protect the feet and a water bottle keeps hikers hydrated.

The green group gathered words for provoking anger. To incense someone is to make them furious, to nettle or pique someone is to irritate them, and to wind someone up is a common British expression for teasing or annoying them.

The blue group featured things that create mist or fog. Dry ice produces a dramatic fog as it turns from solid to gas, a fog machine is used in theaters and concerts, a humidifier releases moisture into the air, and a waterfall throws off a fine spray.

The purple group focused on objects and places that feature mirrors. A disco ball is covered in small mirrored tiles, a dressing room typically includes a full-length mirror, a kaleidoscope uses mirrors to create its patterns and a medicine cabinet often has a mirrored door.

Where players could stumble

Although the puzzle was considered easy, a few words carried double meanings.

INCENSE is best known as a noun, referring to fragrant material burned to produce a scent, which might tempt players to link it with smoke or mist. In this puzzle, however, it served as a verb meaning to enrage.

COMPASS can also refer to a drawing tool used to make circles, not just a navigation device.

Water-themed words such as WATER BOTTLE and WATERFALL could also have caused momentary confusion, since both contain "water" but belonged to different groups.

Tips for future Connections puzzles

Watch for words that work as both nouns and verbs. Monday's INCENSE showed how a familiar word can take on a completely different meaning.

Don't group by shared words alone. Two words containing the same term, such as "water," may not belong together.

Start with the most certain group. The hiking gear group was a strong anchor Monday, since its items clearly fit together.

Think about function. Both the blue and purple groups relied on what objects do or contain, rather than what they are called.

Use elimination. Once three groups are solved, the remaining four words automatically form the final category.

More puzzles to try

After Connections, players can try other New York Times games, including Wordle, Strands, Pips, the Mini Crossword and Connections: Sports Edition.

Tuesday's Connections puzzle, No. 1241, unlocks at midnight local time with a fresh grid of 16 words.