Tuesday's New York Times puzzle solved: January 23, 2018

Today's time: 5:36, a new record!!

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Jim Holher's puzzle has a theme that is really only apparent after the puzzle is completed, so it doesn't help with the solving.  Playing off the word SPREAD, six rows have circled letters that spell out words that come before that word.  They are, from north to south: W/I/N/G, C/HE/ES/E, MA/GAZ/I/NE, MI/D/DLE/AGE (I resemble that remark), P/O/I/N/T, and B/E/D.

"Counterparts of compressions," in physics" is TENSIONS. The non-existent plural is irritating.

"Fire and fury" for RAGE is timely and amusing.  Not only are they synonyms, one causes the other.

New to me: LOD, city in Israel.  Inhabited for nearly seven thousand years, it is southeast of Tel Aviv.  It is a hub of El Al because Ben Gurion Airport is located on its outskirts.

The interstate I-10 is the southernmost cross-country interstate in the US.  It starts in Santa Monica, California, though New Mexico and Texas, then Louisiana and Georgia to Jacksonville, Florida.  Phoenix, El Paso, San Antonio, Houston, Mobile, and New Orleans are all on its route.  What a famous road!

Richard GERE, an actor I once took a vow never to see on screen again, stars in the 2002 thriller Unfaithful.  I don't think I need to see that.

"Coins of ancient Athens" are OBOLI, the plural of obolus, the original term for the obol, which I was aware of.  Interesting fact: they were originally rod shaped.  Six made a handful, or drachma.

An ITER is a passage or canal in anatomy.  There are some in the tympanic cavity, for example.

It's Pac-12 teams the UTES again.

Clever clue: "It doesn't get returned" is ACE.

Wow!  I'm so impressed I was able to do a Tuesday in five and a half minutes ORZO.