Sunday's New York Times crossword puzzle solved: November 11, 2018

My time: 25:35.

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No Veteran's Day puzzle on this 11/11.  Instead, Eric Berlin has created an "Escape Room," in which the conceit is that you are locked in the puzzle and need to find your way out.  In order to do this, the solver must find four rebus squares.  Once these rebus squares are identified, the solver reads instructions within the grid.

The rebus squares contain the word [KEY] reading one way, but ignoring this rebus on the corresponding crossing word.  So, for example, LAC[KEY] is crossed with NASTINESS.  Here, therefore, one "key" is the letter A.  Next, "fine with me" is O[KEY]DOKE.  This is crossed with SWEET ("awesome!"), which makes this key a W. 

A "native Iowan" is a HAW[KEY]E.  This is crossed with IMARET, a "Turkish inn."  I wanted to put caravanserai, but it didn't fit!  An IMARET is a soup kitchen from the Ottoman Empire.  That's a new word to me!  But anyway, here this key is T.

Last we have "symbol of fire prevention" SMO[KEY], crossed with SNOW DAY, making the final key a Y.

"What's needed in order to escape this crossword" is LETTERS ON THE KEYS.  As shown, these are Y, W, A, and T.  Then, "what to do with the items" is PLACE THEM IN THE CORNERS to READ NEW DOWN WORDS.

The corner down words are LOU, ORE, OUR, and NOD.  Use the keys, and [y]OU [a]RE OU[t] NO[w]!

Free at last!  Free at last!  Thank God almighty, I'm free at last!  And now let's SEGUE to the fill.

For "pants material" I wanted to put *DENIM but it's CHINO, a twill cotton cloth.

I'm not sure you need the "in slang" part of "stole, in slang" for PINCHED.  It's hardly some new-fangled outré term.  It's from the 1650s.  Indeed the 'slang" part made me hesitate to put the right answer.

Similarly, "not doing well" doesn't scan the same as BAD AT to me.  You are bad at doing something, but not doing well is a statement of condition.

I now who NEKO CASE is, but never heard of her 2009 album Middle Cyclone.  It was nominated for a Best Contemporary Folk Album Grammy.

IPSO jure is a Latin phrase meaning "by operation of law." For example when a couple is divorced their property can revert ipso jure into a different for of ownership.

Makers of handmade cigars, luxury tobacco items, and other gifts, NAT Sherman is a company that was begun in 1930 by the eponymous founder.  He got his first start running a speakeasy in the 1920s.

A NICAD battery is a type of rechargeable battery using nickel oxide hydroxide and metallic cadmium as electrodes.  It's also referred to as a NiCd battery.

For "constantly fidgeting, say" I put *HYPER but it's ANTSY.

The game RISK appears a lot in this puzzle.  Today we learn that it uses 42 territory cards.

The slogan on Idaho license plates is "Famous POTATOES!"  I said that initially as a joke, but it's real!

Back to Latin!  "Latin 101 word" is usually *AMAS or the like but today it's ESSE, which is the present infinitive of sum.

The Bridge at Narni is an 1826 painting by Jean-Baptiste-Camille COROT.  He is a pivotal figure in landscape painting. His work was a sort of blend of classicism and impressionism. Of him Claude Monet exclaimed in 1897, "There is only one master here, Corot. We are nothing compared to him, nothing."  And yet I've never even heard of him.

The actress SELA Ward has appeared enough times that I now know her name.

"Trig function" COSEC last appeared nearly a year ago, November 22, 2017.

Professional golfer Michelle WIE was showcased on February 12.

Clever clues: "Round fig." is SPH (sphere).  "Second of April?" is PEE.  "Getting to the point?" is TAPERING.

This puzzle was a rather CEREBRAL challenge, which I enjoyed a lot!  And now for A REST.