My time: 6:53, only 40 seconds faster than average.
Theme: THIS TOO SHALL PASS. The themed answers are all things that pass, like a BRIEF MOMENT, a BIPARTISAN BILL, or — ha! — a KIDNEY STONE.
The first fill that gave me pause was "base on balls." I had no clue what that referred to. I imagined someone setting up the base of a polygon on little spheres. It's WALK, from baseball. This occurs when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls, and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. Well, I knew that, but I never retained the phrase.
I was slowed down when I went with *ALSO for "not to mention..." when it required PLUS.
"Well, alrighty..." is OK NOW. Hmm. Weak clue, weak fill.
Also, IT'S A LOT for "vague comment akin to 'More than you might think.'" Do the young people say IT'S A LOT as a phrase? Or is that cap?
I was unaware that the córdoba is the monetary unit of Nicaragua, so was initially unable to complete the analogy with Cuba's PESO. Currently one Nicaraguan córdoba equals 0.029 United States Dollar.
MOONFISH, "so named for its roundish, silvery body," was in the puzzle as its other name, opah, on December 20, 2020.
I got basketball play alley-OOP right off from its previous displays in the puzzle, most recently on September 25, 2020.
Likewise, my sports-not-knowing head remembered the oddly-spelled Pistons point guard ISIAH Thomas, from his appearance way back on April 21, 2018.
The USS Intrepid, now a museum, was explained on February 13, 2019.
I had a hard time remembering the beginning of T-BAR, "transport up a bunny slope," even though it's been showcased in the blog many times.
Clever clues: "Queen's realm?" is ANT COLONY, although I really hoped it would be rock opera. "Bit in a horse's mouth?" is OAT. "Santa's coat?" is SOOT. "Paper you take to go on a trip?" is LSD TAB.
Weirdly, although there was very little new material to me, this felt like a tough Tuesday. It played more like a Wednesday in my opinion. I thought one of the theme answers was a little contrived: PRO QUARTERBACK. The PRO part is possibly extraneous. Also, the cross of MTV with TV HOSTS is, I believe, a crossword no-no to people who care about that sort of thing. (However, I would have been delighted to see EDDY cross with ice cream brand EDYS.)
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