Kate Hawkins author page
12 puzzles by Kate Hawkins
with Constructor comments
| U | N | F | I | T | M | Y | O | B | A | B | L | E | ||
| P | E | R | N | I | C | I | O | U | S | M | E | O | W | |
| D | O | E | S | D | O | N | U | T | S | A | L | O | E | |
| O | N | E | B | A | S | S | I | Z | I | T | S | |||
| H | I | T | T | H | E | B | O | O | K | S | ||||
| M | A | M | E | T | R | O | S | A | N | N | E | |||
| I | R | O | N | P | E | U | S | I | S | T | E | R | ||
| S | I | R | B | A | L | L | P | I | T | H | A | Y | ||
| C | A | E | S | A | R | D | I | S | S | A | V | E | ||
| T | A | R | T | A | N | S | C | I | T | E | S | |||
| T | O | U | R | I | S | T | T | R | A | P | ||||
| F | A | C | T | C | H | O | I | R | F | A | B | |||
| O | B | O | E | R | E | A | L | M | A | T | U | R | E | |
| R | O | M | E | I | N | V | E | S | T | M | E | N | T | |
| T | O | E | D | O | D | E | S | S | I | L | O | S |
| C | H | I | C | G | A | R | A | G | E | A | S | H | ||
| R | A | G | U | O | N | E | T | O | N | B | E | E | ||
| A | U | N | T | S | T | E | E | R | C | L | E | A | R | |
| B | L | O | T | C | H | E | D | G | H | E | T | T | O | |
| R | O | U | N | D | B | E | A | T | ||||||
| R | E | T | R | O | M | O | O | N | S | H | O | T | ||
| B | A | T | H | E | G | O | O | U | T | S | I | D | E | |
| A | C | H | E | T | U | N | E | S | E | T | E | S | ||
| B | E | A | C | H | R | E | A | D | B | E | S | O | T | |
| A | R | T | H | O | U | S | E | S | U | S | A | N | ||
| A | W | E | S | R | E | C | O | N | ||||||
| M | A | I | S | E | L | P | I | C | K | M | E | U | P | |
| B | E | N | E | V | O | L | E | N | T | E | R | S | E | |
| A | R | K | E | V | E | N | S | O | I | V | A | N | ||
| S | O | Y | R | E | N | D | E | R | D | E | F | T |
This puzzle was my first themeless puzzle to be accepted for publication. I submitted it (by mail!) with a note cautioning that "while the grid may look a bit more like that of a M-Th puzzle, I hope you'll see beyond that..." The fill that delighted me nearly three years ago still delights me today — I'm particularly fond of 19D, 4D, and 45A and their clues.
In the intervening years, I've moved across the country, and I've started learning the accordion (see the glimmers of an idea in my cluing for 7D). Sadly, though, Janelle [26D] hasn't yet received her EGOT. Thanks to the editorial team for keeping both Booty clues and my shoutout to my mom in the final clue of the puzzle!
| J | U | M | P | Y | M | A | D | A | M | M | O | W | ||
| A | P | O | L | O | G | Y | T | O | U | R | A | V | A | |
| N | O | T | A | K | E | B | A | C | K | S | R | E | V | |
| N | O | N | E | T | H | I | S | P | A | R | E | |||
| A | S | T | R | A | L | F | A | S | T | S | ||||
| A | S | M | R | H | O | L | E | P | U | N | C | H | ||
| T | W | O | W | E | S | T | H | E | E | H | E | E | ||
| V | I | R | G | I | N | S | J | O | L | L | I | T | Y | |
| S | T | E | R | E | O | S | I | N | S | N | O | R | ||
| C | O | U | L | D | I | T | B | E | T | O | P | E | ||
| S | H | R | E | D | N | A | S | C | A | R | ||||
| H | E | L | L | D | A | M | A | T | E | A | M | |||
| O | R | E | P | I | P | E | C | L | E | A | N | E | R | |
| E | O | S | E | V | E | N | A | L | I | T | T | L | E | |
| S | O | S | P | A | T | S | Y | N | Y | E | T | S |
This is my 10th puzzle in the New York Times and my first Saturday puzzle. Is it harder than my previous Friday themelesses? You tell me!
I really love the longer phrases in this one. Hope you enjoy solving it!
(p.s. San Franciscans might be able to guess what neighborhood name I originally had at 39A before the editors zhuzhed up — and East Coasted up — that section...)
| S | E | A | R | C | H | O | W | L | A | M | P | |||
| U | M | P | I | R | E | P | O | U | T | F | E | E | ||
| Z | I | P | P | E | R | M | E | R | G | E | F | T | C | |
| I | L | L | W | E | I | R | D | A | G | O | R | A | ||
| E | Y | E | S | S | N | A | P | D | R | A | G | O | N | |
| P | A | Y | R | A | Y | B | A | N | ||||||
| A | S | S | A | D | E | T | E | S | T | O | E | |||
| B | U | T | T | O | N | M | U | S | H | R | O | O | M | S |
| S | S | E | E | O | N | S | A | S | S | E | T | |||
| H | I | S | S | A | T | A | W | L | ||||||
| P | I | N | S | T | R | I | P | E | S | O | T | T | O | |
| U | M | B | R | A | O | A | T | H | S | R | O | B | ||
| D | E | E | F | I | N | D | C | L | O | S | U | R | E | |
| G | N | C | F | R | A | U | E | D | I | C | T | S | ||
| Y | U | K | A | L | A | Y | A | N | K | E | E |
If you're looking for some bonus fun after solving this puzzle, might I recommend guessing what year each of these featured fasteners was invented? You might also enjoy perusing their respective Wikipedia entries: I didn't previously know about the connection between snaps and Western wear, nor did I previously have so many unanswered questions about adhesive tape.
Also, I'm thrilled about the crossword debut of ZIPPER MERGE, which is, of course, the most efficient way to deal with lane closures.
P.S. Happy birthday to my wife, Tory!
| P | E | S | T | R | A | D | I | O | S | H | A | C | K | |
| A | R | I | A | I | R | O | N | M | A | I | D | E | N | |
| T | R | A | P | D | E | N | T | A | L | C | A | R | E | |
| H | O | M | E | R | S | T | E | N | O | M | A | W | ||
| R | E | S | I | N | B | R | I | M | ||||||
| O | P | S | C | U | B | E | S | E | M | P | L | E | ||
| F | R | E | S | H | M | E | A | T | A | R | E | A | ||
| F | O | C | I | B | E | S | O | T | D | O | G | S | ||
| A | N | A | T | S | T | R | I | K | E | P | A | Y | ||
| L | E | T | H | A | L | R | O | L | E | A | L | A | ||
| B | A | B | A | L | E | T | G | O | ||||||
| D | N | A | I | V | A | N | S | P | R | A | W | N | ||
| R | O | U | N | D | I | N | G | U | P | A | N | N | E | |
| O | N | T | H | E | S | C | E | N | T | I | D | E | A | |
| P | O | O | L | S | H | A | R | K | S | T | A | R | T |
Looking back at this puzzle, I feel like it has the vibe of a 1970s thriller — gritty, heisty, 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 8th). 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)
| V | A | M | P | S | T | O | O | A | F | R | O | |||
| I | D | I | O | T | R | U | M | I | S | L | A | W | ||
| R | A | C | E | R | U | T | A | H | S | T | A | T | E | |
| U | G | H | O | P | S | N | A | T | I | V | E | |||
| S | E | A | G | L | A | S | S | V | I | N | O | |||
| E | E | L | S | H | E | E | L | R | O | B | ||||
| U | N | L | E | S | S | A | R | N | E | O | N | O | ||
| R | O | C | K | T | Y | P | E | O | R | F | I | D | ||
| N | O | R | S | H | O | E | C | H | A | T | T | Y | ||
| S | K | I | M | E | N | U | L | U | S | H | ||||
| C | R | I | B | P | L | U | M | P | E | S | T | |||
| S | H | U | T | U | P | O | E | D | W | O | E | |||
| H | O | T | S | E | C | O | N | D | R | E | E | F | S | |
| A | L | O | E | K | N | E | E | U | S | E | I | T | ||
| D | E | N | S | Y | E | S | M | C | K | A | Y |
A pretty straight-forward theme today, but hey, once you notice that the name MICHAEL CRICHTON has the word CIRCLE in it backwards, the only thing to do is to make a puzzle.
Thanks to the editorial team for keeping so many of my clues — love to see those references to The Little Mermaid, Mario Kart, The Lorax, Audre Lorde, and crusty bread — and for sending me on a journey to answer the very important question "What can be plump, anyway?" A non-scientific sample of my friends concluded that things that can be plump include seals, beanbags, dumplings, and lips. We all agreed that apples cannot be plump. My friends could not reach consensus on whether peaches can be plump, but I'm glad the editorial team sided with me. What do you think?
And though it's spelled differently, I hope this puzzle will give some solvers cause to start thrashing and singing: "Her boyfriend / He don't know / Anything about her / He's too stoned / Nintendo / I wish that I could make her see / She's just the flavor of the weak."
Enjoy peach season, northern hemisphere solvers!
| V | A | S | E | D | R | E | S | S | S | H | O | E | S | |
| I | P | O | S | B | A | S | I | C | C | A | B | L | E | |
| T | O | U | T | A | U | S | T | R | A | L | I | A | N | |
| A | L | L | A | H | L | I | E | I | N | E | N | D | ||
| L | O | S | T | O | N | E | V | E | N | T | ||||
| G | E | E | S | E | I | S | E | E | N | O | W | |||
| B | E | A | S | O | D | A | S | D | R | O | N | E | ||
| I | T | R | Y | N | I | P | I | N | M | I | E | N | ||
| B | I | C | E | P | A | T | T | I | C | S | A | T | ||
| S | C | H | W | I | N | N | G | R | E | E | T | |||
| S | K | O | A | L | H | E | R | M | A | N | ||||
| E | R | A | A | C | R | I | D | E | R | A | T | O | ||
| L | A | N | E | C | L | O | S | E | D | A | K | I | N | |
| S | I | D | E | H | U | S | T | L | E | N | E | M | O | |
| A | N | Y | G | U | E | S | S | E | S | T | R | E | S |
I kicked off this puzzle with LANE CLOSED. I've always been a fan of street signs, and it made me smile to include a ubiquitous phrase that most people would recognize but wouldn't often have cause to write down. From there, I built out the SIDE HUSTLE/ANY GUESSES/DIANA ROSS corner, then worked my way around the rest of the grid.
I'm grateful that the editors saw the fun in some entries that aren't explicitly "fun" –– looking at you APOLOGETIC, ONE AT A TIME, SITE VISIT, and DRESS SHOES. (Speaking of DRESS SHOES, I'm glad that more of the world has caught on to sneakers as formalwear these days, not that I've had anything to dress up for in a year...)
Thanks to the editorial team for the fun clue for GEESE and for keeping my true-to-life clue for VASE. I hope you enjoy solving this rules-and-regulations-heavy puzzle!
| A | S | A | P | C | A | F | T | A | N | P | B | S | ||
| G | A | G | A | S | I | L | E | N | T | H | O | C | ||
| E | M | I | R | I | R | O | N | T | H | R | O | N | E | |
| T | A | U | O | D | E | O | N | U | P | |||||
| D | E | A | D | H | E | A | D | W | A | I | S | T | ||
| A | R | T | I | S | A | N | F | I | A | N | C | E | E | |
| B | E | E | S | S | T | E | A | M | S | S | S | R | ||
| E | L | T | O | N | J | O | H | N | ||||||
| O | K | C | S | E | N | D | I | N | A | C | T | S | ||
| C | A | L | G | A | R | Y | T | I | N | R | O | O | F | |
| T | R | A | I | T | W | A | T | E | R | L | O | O | ||
| O | A | T | S | E | G | O | T | A | B | |||||
| P | O | T | T | Y | M | O | U | T | H | T | E | R | M | |
| U | K | E | E | M | I | N | E | M | E | R | I | E | ||
| S | E | R | T | A | N | D | E | M | S | T | O | W |
I'm thrilled to have another puzzle in The New York Times, and less than two weeks after my last one to boot.
My favorite clues that I wrote: 39 Down and 40 Down.
My favorite clue from the editorial team: 11 Down.
My favorite NYTimes debut answer: 57 Across (I mean...).
My favorite rendition of the national anthem of the United States: see 14 Across.
My family finds it hilarious that this particular puzzle has found a home with The New York Times. I hope you're not too grown-up to enjoy it.
| C | H | I | C | K | S | C | A | B | D | A | T | A | ||
| H | A | N | O | I | C | O | M | E | I | R | I | S | ||
| A | R | S | O | N | U | M | P | S | P | E | E | C | H | |
| P | L | O | P | C | L | A | M | O | R | |||||
| E | E | L | T | R | A | P | T | O | M | C | A | T | ||
| L | Y | E | E | N | T | E | R | V | A | L | V | E | ||
| O | C | T | N | A | P | O | L | E | O | N | ||||
| R | A | N | G | E | B | E | D | F | E | L | L | O | W | S |
| A | V | E | R | S | E | T | O | D | O | S | ||||
| C | O | R | E | S | A | W | M | A | N | M | A | Y | ||
| E | N | D | S | I | T | A | L | E | M | A | T | E | ||
| O | B | S | E | S | S | A | R | E | A | |||||
| I | C | K | Y | N | O | T | E | S | E | L | M | O | S | |
| L | E | I | A | N | I | N | E | S | T | O | U | T | ||
| L | O | A | M | D | R | Y | S | C | A | T | T | Y |
I love this puzzle and hope you do too!
When my grandmother was in the hospital last year, I visited her with a draft of this puzzle. Watching my dad and grandmother solve this puzzle together — him reading the clues and her dictating most of the answers — was one of the highlights of my crossword construction journey so far. Much love to them both!
Thank you to Andrea Carla Michaels for suggesting this puzzle's revealer and for being an enthusiastic first test solver. I started writing crosswords a little over a year ago thanks to encouragement from a constructor's note: If you belong to a group that's underrepresented in crosswords, I encourage you to check out the Crossword Puzzle Collaboration Directory or to reach out on Twitter (@kateshawkins) for help getting started.
Some notes about the grid:
- A few years ago, I encountered a population of 46-Downs that hangs out at the top of Half Dome in Yosemite. They're fearless and will rip through any unattended packs while nearby hikers take pictures of the view. Cute? Yes. Ruthless? Also yes. Squirrels? Apparently.
- Some b-squad themer options left on the cutting room floor: RING THEORY, AMP COLLECTOR, INK BUGS, RANGER DANGER...
- I hope solvers get as much of a kick out of 37-Across as I do!
| F | I | N | D | A | P | P | S | A | F | T | R | A | ||
| O | C | E | A | N | V | I | E | W | C | O | R | E | R | |
| R | A | W | S | I | E | N | N | A | E | R | E | C | T | |
| A | R | E | C | R | Y | S | T | A | L | B | A | L | L | |
| G | U | S | E | S | O | M | A | I | S | I | E | |||
| E | S | T | E | N | O | N | O | D | U | N | S | |||
| R | A | H | S | O | R | E | R | E | S | |||||
| G | R | A | H | A | M | C | R | A | C | K | E | R | ||
| F | R | O | A | R | E | A | L | O | G | |||||
| L | E | A | H | B | A | R | B | B | I | R | D | |||
| I | N | D | I | G | O | A | P | R | F | E | W | |||
| P | O | R | T | E | R | H | O | U | S | E | O | S | E | |
| O | B | A | M | A | U | N | B | A | L | A | N | C | E | |
| U | L | C | E | R | B | I | L | L | Y | C | L | U | B | |
| T | E | E | N | S | S | T | E | M | E | Y | E | S |
The process of coming up with crossword themes is often rather random and serendipitous. (When I'm in crossword-writing mode, it's hard to hear Billy Graham's name without thinking "BILLY GRAHAM CRACKER".) That being said, words, even when twisted to find new meanings, aren't neutral. I probably wouldn't write this same puzzle today: I'm not sure whether the delight of being able to feature Mr. Ocean and Mr. Porter in the grid outweighs the fact that the revealer makes light of a weapon that has been used to cause great harm.
I'll be donating the payment I receive for this puzzle to The Bail Project.
Happy New Year, and wishing everyone safety, shelter, and warmth.
| P | A | W | R | O | A | M | S | G | E | A | R | |||
| U | S | A | E | N | T | O | M | B | O | L | G | A | ||
| P | A | L | L | B | E | A | R | E | R | E | L | O | N | |
| I | D | E | A | S | E | L | A | P | S | E | ||||
| L | A | S | S | P | E | L | L | G | R | A | N | T | ||
| I | R | A | N | S | H | O | P | P | E | R | ||||
| C | O | C | K | A | P | O | O | N | E | A | T | O | ||
| A | N | O | P | I | L | L | B | U | G | G | O | O | ||
| S | T | R | I | P | E | A | S | E | M | E | N | T | ||
| H | A | P | L | E | S | S | L | E | D | E | ||||
| P | O | L | L | T | A | K | E | R | T | O | T | E | ||
| R | E | S | O | L | E | M | O | T | H | S | ||||
| S | W | A | G | P | U | L | L | Q | U | O | T | E | S | |
| I | O | T | A | S | T | P | A | U | L | E | R | A | ||
| P | E | E | L | E | S | T | E | E | R | E | Y |
I wrote the first draft of this puzzle while eating lunch with my mom by the water in San Francisco. While explaining how one might come up with a crossword theme, I rattled off these theme answers by means of example — I was redesigning the appearance of 59A on our website at work that day — and was delighted to realize that the answer lengths were symmetrical. Given her incredible support for my puzzle-making — and how tasty the sandwiches were — I'd like to give my mom an advisory credit. Thanks, mom!
In my day job, I build digital news products for the Bay Area public media organization KQED. Looking back at this puzzle a year later, it makes me smile to notice how apt the clues and answers for 48A, 49A, 51A, 59A, and 39D are given my line of work.
Some of my other favorite answers: I'm delighted to have written some queer representation into 10D. And where I grew up, we called a 37A a roly-poly.
I wrote my first crossword for my wedding in 2018. This is the second crossword I constructed and my first NYTimes acceptance. I submitted it a year and a week ago today.
| A | P | S | E | T | T | O | P | S | P | T | A | S | ||
| T | O | O | T | R | A | M | E | N | D | O | C | K | ||
| A | L | B | A | U | N | I | T | E | A | N | T | I | ||
| L | I | S | B | E | E | T | R | E | D | S | U | N | ||
| O | S | T | R | I | C | H | A | R | A | B | I | A | N | |
| S | H | O | E | P | R | I | N | T | R | A | L | L | Y | |
| S | U | R | F | I | S | O | I | T | S | |||||
| P | Y | R | A | M | I | D | S | C | H | E | M | E | ||
| A | L | E | T | A | E | T | E | S | T | |||||
| S | P | O | I | L | G | O | L | D | T | E | E | T | H | |
| W | A | N | N | A | B | E | E | L | A | N | T | R | A | |
| I | R | E | Y | E | L | L | S | A | T | C | O | T | ||
| T | R | A | M | S | P | U | R | T | R | U | G | S | ||
| C | O | C | O | T | E | N | E | T | I | T | E | M | ||
| H | T | T | P | S | N | A | P | E | G | E | N | E |
When I started constructing crosswords at the end of 2019, I certainly didn't expect my New York Times debut to be a themeless puzzle! For one thing, I only started solving themelesses a few years ago. And anyone who knows me knows that my memory for trivia and names is terrible. However, I fell in love with constructing themeless puzzles once I realized that the whole game is to cram the grid with maximum fun. And I love fun.
I chose to build this grid around the central PYRAMID SCHEME while listening to "The Dream," a podcast about multi-level marketing organizations. Some of my favorite clues were rearranged in the final edit — WANNABE's clue originally contained the lyrics "zig-a-zig-ah," and I still refer to this puzzle in my mind by GOLD TEETH's original clue, "Grill bits" — but I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Thanks to the editors for toughening it up.
Some very heartfelt shoutouts to Erik Agard for helping unblock me when I was just getting started, to Andrea Carla Michaels and all the other cruciverbalists who have been such enthusiastic cheerleaders, to my wife Tory for patiently solving all my drafts, and to my amazing family for fostering my love of questions, puzzles, and games for the past 31 years.