Sunday's New York Times crossword puzzle solved: November 4, 2018

My time: 21:15.

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This is a rarity for a Sunday puzzle, unthemed.  Patrick Berry is the constructor, and he got some very long Across answers in, plus a lot of interesting fill.

"Early reel-to-reel devices" is WIRE RECORDERS.  I'd never heard of these.  Wire recording was the first early magnetic recording technology, an analog type of audio storage in which a magnetic recording is made on thin steel wire. The first crude magnetic recorder was invented in 1898 by Valdemar Poulsen, who called it the Telegraphone.

Marriage Italian Style is a 1968 movie starring Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia LOREN.  He plays a rich man and she is a penniless prostitute.

Tommy DORSEY was a jazz trombonist and band leader.  Jimmy DORSEY,  jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer and big band leader, was his older brother.

Farfalle is the Italian word for BOWTIE pasta.  In Italian it means butterflies.

I knew KATIE HOLMES was on "Dawson's Creek," but I didn't know her character's name was Joey Potter.

"Copa América cheer" is of course OLE, but the Copa América is an international football championship, traditionally for South American teams, but today including teams from North America and Asia.

I did not know the slogan for COLGATE, "cleans your breath while it cleans your teeth."

I've never heard of a FIGEATER, "shiny beetle disliked by fruit growers."  A member of the scarab family, it is bright green and feeds primarily on fruits from gardens.

I'm a BEAVIS and Butt-head fan from Day One, literally.  But I could not have told you that they attend Highland High.

I couldn't have told you that Lorenz HART wrote the lyrics to "The Lady is a Tramp," either.  It is from their 1937 musical Babes in Arms.

Most tires are BELTED these days.  Also called radial tires, it is opposed to ply tires.  With bias-belted, there are cords or fiberglass set diagonally to the tread.

"Sister of Tiffany" is IVANKA.  Tiffany, the forgotten Trump.

I've seen the movie Moulin Rouge! but had forgotten the character of Satine, a COURTESAN who dies of consumption.  She is played by Nichole Kidman, who is Aphrodite reborn.

I knew that "copper wheels?" was some kind of pun, probably about police, but I didn't think of the term RADIO CAR meaning police car.

"Torch carrier's announcement" is a terrific clue for I'M IN LOVE.

Julius Caesar's first was was CORNELIA, mother of his daughter Julia.  After thirteen years of marriage, she died, and he married again, to Pompeia, granddaughter of Sulla.

For "US Naval Academy mascot" I put *MULE but it's GOAT.  Bill the Goat!  They are on their 33rd Bill the Goat.  The mule is the West Point mascot.

Apparently a Ford Mustang is a COUPE.  Or a convertible.  You decide which is best.

TD GARDEN came up on September 9.  Today's it's clued as "home arena of the Bruins and Celtics."

A whole truckload of clever clues today:  "Goes to grab a bite, say" is BOBS FOR APPLES.  "Expired IDs?" is TOE TAGS.  "Give mouth to mouth to?" is KISS.  "Case workers?" is PORTERS.  "Travel on-line?" is PARASAIL.  "Party of 13?" is BAR MITZVAH.  "Trunk fastener?" is CORSET.  "You can't go back on them" is ONE-WAY STREETS.  "You should avoid feeding on them" is FAST DAYS.  "Shade in the woods" is FOREST GREEN.  "It may be open for business" is LAPTOP.  "Its shell doesn't crack" is SOFT TACO.  "Pan resistant to aging" is PETER.  "Round units?" is BEERS.

That is a lot!  Whoa!  That's enough to SATE any fact-lovin' scholar.  Well, BYE.