Saturday April 20th 2019, NY Times Crossword

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Time: 31:08
Saturday Average: 35:50
Best Saturday: 10:34

I have no BARBED for critiques for this puzzle. I won't IDEALIZE it, but there were quite a few legitimately tricky Saturday-type clues. some of which I was keyed into and others that gave me a bit more trouble. I took a quick glance at this puzzle last night while DOG TIRED and quickly determined that I could not ASPIRE to get through this puzzle in such a state.

In terms of what I was wholly unfamiliar with, I'd have to go with the Kansas state motto of AD ASTRA Per Aspera, which means "to the stars through difficulty." It's basically "To infinity and beyond" with a touch of that midwestern work ethic. The cross with TIVOLI, home Villa d'Este, was brutal and I was briefly CRITICAL about whether I should know what either of those things are. But now that I've looked at photos of that particular World Heritage Site, I'm planning my next European vacation.

I'm annoyed that it took me so long to get O'TOOLE for #1 Greatest Performance of all time and I'm just going to assume that it's for Lawrence of Arabia and not bother to look that up.

One day, I'll remember that crosswords love cluing SAILOR as "Salt." 

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