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

My time: 4:57, just forty seconds too slow.

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Kathy Wienberg has her mind on the humble protective sportswear known as the ATHLETIC CUP.  Four themed answers end with words that are kinds of athletic cups --- trophies, that is, not the kind you wear.  Tricked you!  Psych!

We have FLAT STANLEY (a personal favorite of mine, read to my classes several times); GEENA DAVIS (also a personal favorite of mine for other reasons), referring to the tennis award; WINONA RYDER, referring to the golf trophy; and SMALL WORLD.

There are no roads to NOME.

I have encountered but bothered to look up this word: COULEES are ravines or valleys.  This word is used in different regions of the United States to refer to different landforms.

I paused at CROSSE, "stick in a field game."  I didn't know that the net stick in lacrosse was called that.

GALENA, lead-bearing ore, was last seen on this blog on September 19, 2017.

Here's TOG as a verb again.

The word for a cleric's house, MANSE, last appeared on January 7.

Clever clues: "Band at a royal wedding" is TIARA, not a music group. "It's not free of charge" is ION.  "Slide presentation?" is AMOEBA.

Well, it wasn't a record breaking solve this time, but WE TRY.  Me and my brain, I mean.  Us.