Monday's New York Times crossword puzzle solved: October 8, 2018

My time: 4:13, near the record!

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Today's puzzle comes to us courtesy of Jacob Stulberg, whose hands must have positively flown across the drawing board as he constructed the grid.  The theme centers on the AIRPORT, or rather where to find your flight.  Four themed answers narrow down where you might be found if you have a ticket: BATTERY TERMINAL, GOLDEN GATE, CANNERY ROW ("Steinbeck novel set in Monterrey"), and TAKING A BACK SEAT.  There!  Now stow your luggage in the overhead bin, relax, recline back a quarter of an inch, and try to believe in the Bernoulli principle.

I filled the grid before I'd really digested the theme, but the capper in the middle is a help for those who might have been more stuck than I was this time.

Speaking of terminals, remember the handy mnemonic for anodes and cathodes.

"Land for O'Connor or O'Casey" is ERIN.  O'Connor could be Sinead, but who's O'Casey?  Maybe this socialist playwright?

Did you know ADELE had a song called "Water Under the Bridge"?  I didn't!  It's from her album 25.

OVID wrote Ars Amatoria, or "The Art of Love."  Not a Roman Kama Sutra, It teaches basic gentlemanly male and female relationship skills and techniques.  The first two books, aimed at men, contain sections which cover such topics as "not forgetting her birthday," "letting her miss you --- but not for long" and "not asking about her age'. The third gives similar advice to women, sample themes include: "making up, but in private," "being wary of false lovers' and "trying young and older lovers'. Hot stuff!

I've heard a time or two that John TYLER, that horny old lecher, was known as His Accidency.  This is because he was the first to assume the office of the presidency after the death of his predecessor (William Henry Harrison, the "One-Monther").

In the Bible, Jacob's first wife was LEAH, before he married Rachel.  He was tricked, after working for their father for seven years, into marrying the older girl, whom he didn't want (she squinted).  But he "fulfilled her week" (made sure she doesn't feel rejected?) and then put in another seven years to get the girl he wanted.

Everyone's heard of LIMP BIZKIT, but do they know that they have a seven-time platinum album called Significant Other?  No, and they don't care.  Break stuff!

The Fightin' ILLINI ("Urbana-Champaign students") sure come up a lot.

Fashion maven Geoffrey BEENE last appeared on July 8.

Clever clues: "Something up one's sleeve?" is ELBOW.  "Make a scene?" is ACT.

This was a TIPTOP puzzle.  And I came so close to the record!  RATS.  This one was a WEE bit obscure for a Monday, in my book.  Ovid?  The Bible?  American history trivia?  That's more Wednesday stuff, isn't it?