Tuesday's New York Times crossword puzzle solved: September 11, 2018

My time: 5:00 even.

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A moment of silence for those who gave their lives to rescue others.

Timothy Polin let his imagination bloom and cultivated this puzzle, which celebrates FLOWERY LANGUAGE.  Not the Shakespearean kind, but idioms about flowers.  Two of the themed answers are grid-spanning: AS FRESH AS A DAISY and SHRINKING VIOLET.  There's also GILD THE LILY and ENGLISH ROSE, which I did not know is a description, associated with English culture, that may be applied to a naturally attractive woman or girl of traditionally fair complexion.  Goodbye, English rose.

There's some good fill here as well, like DEFANG, OXYMORON, MOSHES, EXHORT, and SATYRS.

I was slowed down dome by putting *AIMS FOR for "places in one's cross hairs" when it's actually TARGETS.

The book WOE IS I, by Patricia T. O'Conner, is a 1996 Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English.

TYRESE Gibson is an actor and rapper who is best known for his roles in The Fast and the Furious series and The Transformers series, both of which I have zero interest in watching.

The last name of elevator innovator Otis is a crossword mainstay, but I don't think I've ever learned that his name is ELISHA Otis.  He was a very clever and original thinker with an amazing beard.

I've never heard of NEAL Boortz, who is a libertarian radio host who seems to enjoy antagonizing everyone from liberals to anti-gay zealots to Confederate-flag waving Southerners.

"Game of Thrones" actress OONA Chaplin appeared on October 24, 2017.

Clever clues: "Broke ground?" is HOED. "Opening on Broadway?" is ACT I.

This was a good, fun, quick Tuesday, just the right level of difficulty, with an admirably executed theme.  Am I in AWE?  Do I GAWP?  No, but am LOKI impressed.