NY Times Crossword
January 25, 2018
Alex Eaton-Salners
(Title shown below)

This puzzle has two parts. First, try to answer the clues below. The first four answers can then be parsed according to an ingenious pattern that is revealed by the answer to the final clue. Clue #3 uses a British spelling. Can you answer the clues and spot the pattern?

1. Skin diver's need
2. Sidewalk material (plural)
3. Put into words
4. Capital of Maryland
5. What a trip to Hawaii might involve

Answers to clues:

1. SCUBA TANK
2. CONCRETES
3. VERBALISE 
4. BALTIMORE
5. ISLAND HOPPING

Explanation of the pattern:

Each answer contains the name of an island - surrounded by letters that make up a common word. You have to "hop" over the island name to connect the letters that make up the surrounding word.

1. sCUBA tank - stank
2. conCRETEs - cons
3. verBALIse - verse
4. balTIMORe - bale