Saturday's New York Times crossword puzzle solved: January 26, 2019

My time: 10:52

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Grant Thackray is the evil genius behind this fairly tough Saturday themeless.  Curse you, Grant Thackray!  Well, that's going too far.  I really enjoyed the inclusion of IT'S-A ME, MARIO; GENIE OF THE LAMP; and "MONSTER MASH."

I was going to start off by crying foul about WORLD BEATERS ("they're better than all the rest"), but it turns out this really is a term, just not in my wheelhouse.

Not being much of a drinker these days, I haven't heard of an ALABAMA SLAMMER.  It contains  Southern Comfort, amaretto, orange juice and sloe gin.

"Lead-in to science" had me a-head-scratchin'.   It's OMNI, like omniscience.  Ha!  The different pronunciation makes it hard to parse.

Here is the Esquires' 1967 #11 pop hit "Get ON UP."  They deserve to be better known.

Czech composer Bedřich SMETANA was investigated on November 10, 2018, during which I discovered that his best known work is "The Bartered Bride."

Never heard of BECCA Fitzpatrick, author of Hush, Hush.

Giovanni RIBISI was in Avatar and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, but I know him as "Sneaky Pete."

Did you know there was a city and county in Missouri called STE Genevieve?  Me neither.   Ste. Geneviève (to use the French spelling) is the oldest permanent European settlement in Missouri.

The Calder Cup is the AHL Championship Award, as explained on January 2, 2018.

Clever clues: "Food that's eaten perpendicularly to how it's usually made" is TOAST.  "Big name in weaponry" is BERTHA.  "Short cut that bypasses a canal?" is CAESAREAN SECTION. "Workers making preparations to retire?" is PIT CREW.  "A sidecar may be added to it" is BAR TAB.

This was a tough one.  Time to BE STILL.