Thursday's New York Times crossword puzzle solved: August 9, 2018

My time: 8:00, a new Thursday best by 35 seconds and the second record in two days!

--

Patrick Merrell regales us with the puns today, constructing lengthy questions for clues to the theme phrases which change their meaning from declaration to answers.  For example: "Can I write both a poem and an essay?"  NO, RHYME OR REASON.  (It works best with the comma, and a slight stress on the OR.)  Also, "Is that snack bar known for good burgers?"  NO, GREAT SHAKES.  And finally, "Should you call that stopover between Liverpool and Belfast a peninsula?"  NO, MAN IS AN ISLAND.

In the fill area...

"Sounds of surrender" is SIGHS?  Do people sigh when they surrender?

I filled in HODA as Matt's replacement on "Today" immediately!  She finally sunk in.

We've all heard of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Reese's Pieces, but did you know the man, the legend, Harry Burnett H.B. REESE?

Speaking of names, did you know ICE-T was born Tracy Lauren Marrow?  When you have two first girl's names, you gotta be tough.  And he's cold to the bone.  Ha!  Bone.

In the olden days, vintage car makes were indicated on a car's HUBCAP.

I'm not sure than anyone needs to know (or cares to remember) that "77 Sunset Strip" aired mostly on FRI.  That's a ridiculous clue.

An ISObar is a line on a map connecting points having the same atmospheric pressure at a given time or on average over a given period.

I've never heard the term SLO-pitch (it seems to be spelled with a W in the US and without in other countries).  It refers to a version of softball often played with ten players and in which each pitch must have an arc 3 to 10 feet high and base stealing is not allowed.

Fascinating fact: the KIWI, although tiny, is a close relative of the enormous and extinct elephant bird.

"On-demand flier" AIR TAXI appeared way, way back on September 2, 2017.

Clever clues: "Part of a pickup line?" is CAB.  "Fiddler on the reef?" is CRAB.

Whew!  I rushed through that ASAP and broke my speed record, NUN the worse for wear.  GOGH me!