My time: 19:05, three minutes slower than average. I really DOGGED IT ("underperformed, colloquially"), today. Just awful clues, awful answers, and awful solving by me. A perfect storm of not doing well and not enjoying it. THAT'S A SHAME. I couldn't SKATE BY on this one! ...And so forth.
"Place to get a variety of views" is OP-ED PAGE. I put *OPEN PAGE, because I don't know what I'm doing anymore and I clearly have no business trying to get quick times on crossword puzzles.
Deep in the recesses of my mind came ZAGNUT, a candy bar with a crunchy peanut butter center surrounded by toasted coconut flakes, made since 1930.
The clue "sent" was very tough for ON CLOUD NINE. It's "sent" like in the Sam Cooke song. Similarly, "hard to let go of, in a way" is extremely tricky for TENURED. No fouls here; they're just tough.
Mary Barra is the CEO of GM. Now that you know that, you're set.
"Murmur" is a poor clue for COO. "Creatures whose males barely eat or drink during incubation" is a poor clue for EMU; I mean, who is that ringing a bell for?
ELEA (today known as Velia) has come up a few times before, but as the home of Zeno. Today they sprung it as "birthplace of Parmenides."
Speaking of the ancient world, the first-century Roman poet Martial is known for his EPIGRAMS. It's full of cutting barbs toward his friends and associates. For example, he notes that his friend Cotta only socializes in the bath, and snidely, sadly adds that he isn't invited because Cotta must not want to see him naked. Riveting stuff.
"Broadway hit, informally" is... BOFF? Do people say that? They say boffo, as an adjective. But yes, definition 2.3 of BOFF: something that is conspicuously successful, a hit.
Recently I learned or was reminded that the OPAL is mined predominantly in Australia. Thus I sbould have guessed quicker that "the Olympic Australis" is the world's largest discovered" OPAL. It's in Coober Pedy!
The clue "and so..." leads itself inexorably to *THUS but it's THEN. Joke's on you! My mistake meant that at its crossing I put the tenuously-related *FUNDS for "stokes, say" instead of TENDS. It also made me miss ZEN for "totally relaxed," since I was looking for three-letter word ending in S.
"High-risk bond rating" is CCC, which is the rating for junk bonds. This isn't my field and I was lost here in the southeast corner.
Don't know anything about baseball, never heard of the Freeway Series; apparently it's an intercity match between the two LA teams, Dodgers and ANGELS.
I had to go letter by letter to get North African spice HARISSA.
"Game played on dirt court" is BOCCI, a little-used variant of bocce. This clue should at least have noted the variant spelling. Bad clue!
I have seen the movie ZELIG and I even knew that it was a mockumentary, but to distract us with the first name clue is devious. Who knows his name is Leonard??
For "____ bag (fashion accessory)" I put *TOTE, of course. It's HOBO. What in the seven hells is a HOBO bag?
"Sporting, with in" is CLAD. The entire time I thought of sporting as "fair." It means "wearing." Jeez Louise.
And "dermatological concern" had me putting *ACNE, *RASH, and *WART until CYST finally revealed itself.
White wine aperitif KIR has appeared before.
Clever clues: I must reluctantly doff my cap to "drink that's hard on the stomach?" as BODY SHOT. "Some bridges connect them" is TEETH. "Choice" is very tricky for PLUM — not the verb meaning to opt, but an adjective, as in a choice job.
Today's performance combined with yesterday's purblind refusal to see the theme makes me wonder if I shouldn't give up. Ugh.
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