Friday's New York Times crossword puzzle solved: August 10, 2018

My time: 14:41.

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Damon Gulczynski constructed today's themeless.  I enjoyed seeing some unusual and fresh fill, such as SPLITSVILLE ("where a rocky relationship might end"), ARE YOU BLIND ("angry shout to an umpire"), PUT PEN TO PAPER, LUMMOX ("stumblebum"), and FILE MENU.  Also "least believable" is a good clue for LAMEST.

I was slowed by a few tricky ones.  I put *SASS at first for "insolent talk" but it's GUFF.  Likewise, I thought "inept sort" was *LOSER but it's the more abstruse GOMER (does the military connotation come from the TV show, or the other way around?).   And for "big name in movie rentals" I put *REDBOX confidently, but it's ITUNES.

The brachialis muscle is located on the upper ARM and flexes the elbow joint.

What's so special about GLEN Rock, NJ?  Why is it a crossword clue?

We've all heard of HANK AARON, but I didn't connect him with setting a record on 4/8/1974.

I've never heard, however, of "multi-time Pro Bowl tight end" Greg OLSEN.  He played for the Chicago Bears and the Carolina Panthers.

Crossword mainstays ELO seem to also have a song called "Do Ya."  Ugh.

Actor EMIL Jannings is the only German to have won a Best Actor Oscar; he won in 1929 for The Last Command.

Did you know the network TBS had the slogan "Very funny?"  Me neither.

"Southwestern tree with needles" is NUT PINE.  The information I've found says they come from Korea though?

"La Loge" is an 1874 painting by RENOIR, depicting a Parisian woman in her theater box.

Chervil is a European HERB related to parsley, used often in French cooking.

AYLA is the heroine of Clan of the Cave Bear, by Jean Auel, played by Darryl Hannah in the film.

"Pacific capital" APIA appeared on June 15.

Clever clues: "It's no six-pack, ironically" is BEER BELLY.  "Black-and-white" is POLICE CAR.  "Wind sources" is GASBAGS.  "One who arrives around Halloween" is SCORPIO.  "It was launched with Sputnik" is SPACE RACE.

And that's it.  A lot of one-liner notes today because none of the referents seemed to require extensive explanation or lead to an interesting tangent.  Also, I'm tired.  Well, ALBA going now.