Kate Hawkins opens our solving weekend and asks us to stay in touch.
FRIDAY PUZZLE — Kate Hawkins returns with her eighth New York Times crossword puzzle, and she has clearly missed us. Just take a look at 7D.
I don’t know about you, but there is something thrilling to me about writing in these 15-letter grid spanners. It’s usually easier to get the shorter answers first and build from there, but when you are able to zip from one end of the grid to another with confidence — and are rewarded with a fun entry such as DON’T BE A STRANGER — it’s very satisfying. For reasons known only to my therapist, the crossing of DON’T BE A STRANGER with FRESH MEAT made me laugh out loud.
Ms. Hawkins’s puzzle has many lively answers, and it makes a nice entry into our solving weekend. Nicely done, and 7D.
Tricky Clues
5A. I don’t know why this surprised me, but RADIO SHACK makes its New York Times Crossword debut, 100 years after the first store opened in 1921.
25A. A snapback is a baseball cap with a flat BRIM. It gets its name from an adjustable strap in the back of the cap that snaps together. Note to those of us who are accustomed to wearing caps with curved brims: Do not try to bend the brim on a snapback. Snapback wearers will make fun of you.
38A. From the Department of Overthinking Things: At first, I thought that the answer to “Duo in an ellipse” might be “ells,” because there are two Ls in the word “ellipse.” The answer is much simpler (I think). There are two FOCI in an ellipse.
49A. This is a compelling new clue for the entry ALA, which is typically clued as “___ mode,” or some such. It is an acronym for the American Library Association, which runs Banned Books Week to draw attention to attempts to challenge freedom of speech.
61A. I had “speeding up” at first for “Going from 99 to 100, say,” which may tell you something about my driving. In this case, however, the clue was about ROUNDING UP.
67A. This one required an online search, even after I had solved it, because my knowledge of the game of pool is limited. POOL SHARKS are “experts in English” because they know how to put sidespin on the balls.
12D. Some of you may have a T-shirt or mug that says “#1 Dad,” but with that question mark in the clue, we’re supposed to be thinking of the first dad in the Bible, ADAM.
31D. “The art of politics?” is PROPAGANDA.
35D. The word “order” in “Emperor’s order in ‘Star Wars’” could be interpreted as a command, but we are supposed to be thinking about his being a member of the SITH order.
Constructor Notes
Looking back at this puzzle, I feel like it has the vibe of a 1970s thriller — gritty, heist-y and possibly starring Harrison Ford.
When I started writing crosswords, my wife and I took guesses as to which would come first, my first published puzzle or our first baby. My first New York Times puzzle ran in August 2020. (This puzzle is my eighth.) Our daughter, Margot, was born six weeks ago. Turns out making puzzles isn’t as hard as making babies!
I’ll leave you with some clues that still make me smile but didn’t end up making the cut.
Organ-ic waste? (5)
Rising up dough? (9)
They rack and ruin (10)
(Answers: OFFAL, STRIKE PAY, POOL SHARKS)
The Tipping Point
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NYT Crossword Answers: Free Battery Club - The New York Times
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