Thursday's New York Times crossword puzzle solved: January 21, 2021

My time: 12:07, two and half minutes faster than average, despite this one's tricky theme!  YAY ME!

That theme is the TURN SIGNAL.  At each circled square in the puzzle, the answer going through it must make a 90 degree turn to the right or left.  The remainder of the answer in the fill, going straight across or down as one normally would, is irrelevant to the clue and can be disregarded.

For example, in the northwest corner, the Across clue "not radical" gives us the answer MODERNISTS.  This is not the right answer.  Instead, at the circled square (in this case the R, for right), you must take a right turn (as I have indicated by the green line) and read it as MODER/A/T/E.  And that means "not radical."  The intersecting clue is "feeling on a lo-o-ong car trip," and the grid shows BORATE when filled.  Again, not the right answer.  Instead, take a right turn at the R, and reading backwards down the Across row (along the purple line I drew), we get BOR/E/D/O/M.  Which works!  (By the way, BORATE is a salt of boric acid.)

"Cry from a survivor" may not clue you in to this trick, as the given answer comes out to I'M ALONE, which also fits.  But if you turn left at the L (L for left!), you get the more correct I'M AL/I/V/E.  The intersecting clue?  Turn left at the L and you see "Satan" is the EVIL /O/N/E, not EVIL EYE.

And now let's turn our attention to the fill.  Ha!  I'm so witty.

So, HABIB is an Arabic name, but also an honorific, with the meaning "beloved" or "most loved."

I haven't heard of AMARO, an Italian herbal liqueur.  There are several types of amari, made with grappa, or herbs, or really anything that gives it its hallmark bitter taste.

The Egyptian Temple of Dendur is a structure from 10 BC, currently located in the MET.

CLARA Barton, well known founder of the Red Cross, is in the National Women's Hall of Fame.  It's located in Seneca Falls, New York.

"Many celebrity golf events" are PRO-AMS, which turns out to just mean pro and amateur mixed invitationals.

AUG is one of the months with federal holidays.  Also, March, April, and June. 

STAD means "city" in Swedish and Dutch.  For example, Karlstad, Sweden.

Speaking of cities in the frozen north, SITKA served as the U.S. Government Capital of the Department of Alaska (1867–1884) and District of Alaska (1884–1906). 

I got tricked by "soccer star on a 1999 Wheaties box."  I put *PELE like the Old Person I am, when the year more clearly indicates Mia HAMM. 

The fill contains both the CDC and Dr. Anthony FAUCI.  Did you know the CDC is based in Atlanta?  I shall endeavor to remember that. 

"Classic figure killed off in a 2019 Super Bowl ad campaign" is MR. PEANUT.  First, what?  Why would they kill poor Mr. Peanut?  And second, "classic" figure?  That's weasel wording.  He's a mascot or an advertising figure.  I think they've brought him back as a baby nut, like a sort of Groot thing?

The NYT crossword only ever lists NAS as a rapper.

Clever clue: "Like taxis and Julius Caesar, once" is HAILED.  "Big Apple?" is IMAC.

This was a terrific puzzle!  I loved the extremely clever theme that took a bit to DECODE.  And the fill is fairly impressive to boot: YES OR NO, BIG IFS, FEEDBACK, PURE CHANCE, FAUCI, BAD TAKES.