Relative difficulty: Medium
THEME: none
Word of the Day: W. C. HANDY (41A: Father of the Blues) —
William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was a blues composer and musician, often known as the "Father of the Blues". // Handy remains among the most influential of American songwriters. Though he was one of many musicians who played the distinctively American form of music known as the blues, he is credited with giving it its contemporary form. While Handy was not the first to publish music in the blues form, he took the blues from a not very well-known regional music style to one of the dominant forces in American music. // Handy was an educated musician who used folk material in his compositions. He was scrupulous in documenting the sources of his works, which frequently combined stylistic influences from several performers. He loved this folk musical form and brought his own transforming touch to it. (wikipedia)
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Yesterday I said that it seemed like I said the same thing about puzzles all the time, esp. the late-week ones—got off to a slow start! Well, that was *not* true today. Got off to a fast start, demolishing the NW at a Wednesday/Thursday clip. Problem: I couldn't get out of the NW. Threw some feelers out, but nothing. If I'd only surmised at first (as I did later) that the "coach" in 5D: Short coach signified a BUS, 
I'd have gotten into that SW much more quickly. As it was, I had to reboot in the Far SE, and while that little bit went down quickly, the rest did not. It took nearly everything I had to make those long Acrosses behave. Literally had -EA CANISTER before TEA came to me (49A: Its contents may get strained). I steep my tea. I don't even strain my loose leaf green tea. Bah! Stupid me. O'DARK THIRTY (55A: Very early morning, in slang) is completely new to me. Inferred the THIRTY and then ... waited. GET A LICKING feels quite off (53A: Be shellacked)—TAKE A LICKING, sure (via Timex commercials). GET one? You could, of course, but the phrase wobbles. Bigger problem was (embarrassed admission) never having heard of W. C. HANDY (41A: Father of the Blues). When I was done, I actually googled [W. CHANDY]. OREO OS (43A: Former chocolaty Post cereal) were also unknown to me. Forgot CERF completely (feel like he was in the puzzle once before at least—or maybe he was in "You Are Not A Gadget" or "The Shallows," books about the Internet I read recently) (42A: Vint ___, Father of the Internet). Guessed on NORWICH (37D: British home of Cow Tower and Dragon Hall) after I got the -WICH part. So in the end, despite the fast start, the puzzle leveled off at Saturday-normal and pretty much stayed there (though the pace picked up again at the very end, one I got STIPPLE into that NE (24A: Pointed artwork?), which revealed HOLD, PLEASE (12D: Call waiting line?), which pretty much finished things off. "F" in WOLF/CERF was my last letter.
Soooo many question marks today. I find that when that total gets about, say, half a dozen, I start to get annoyed. Today: a full dozen "?" clues by my count, some good (7D: Shell collection? PUMPS — finished the puzzle before I understood that one); some just OK (39D: Way of the world? TAO); some obvious (51D: Runner given the boot? SKI); and at least one a crossword cliché (35A: Is for more than one? ARE). Kind of liked the odd double-Gymnastics school supply / supplies clues (CHALK / MATS), even though my go-to answer, TALC/S, was wrong in both cases. JIVEY is jive (30D: Swinging) and JONGG looks wrong, but isn't (30A: End of a tile game's name). Nursery stuff was new to me in both cases: TREE TAGS (10D: Nursery IDs) and ROSE LEAVES (13D: Bouquet greenery), though the latter wasn't unheard of, just ... not a coherent, crossworthy entity in my mind.Bullets:
- 15A: Bauxite or cryolite (ALUMINUM ORE) — "-ITE" suffixes tell you ORE. A few crosses tell you the rest.
17A: One whose shots reveal lots (BIKINI MODEL) — was thumbing through a beautiful book of Gil Elvgren pin-ups before starting in on this puzzle. An American Treasure, that man. He and Rockwell are the yin/yang of mid-century American illustration. Fantastic.- 25A: Concordia University locale (ST. PAUL) — see, once I finally got BUS, this answer leapt forth. Before I knew it ended -UL, I wanted ... ISRAEL. I know, Concordia is Latin, whatever.
- 32A: Hydroelectricity providers? (EELS) — kind of obvious. The "?" here reveals more than it conceals (anomalous).
- 45A: ___ Poke (candy on a stick) (SLO) — neeeeever heard of it. Before my time, but like much retro candy, available from online specialty shops.
- 48A: Visionary 1921 drama ("R.U.R.") — another short gimme. A 1920s play in three letters. I can think of only two plays in three letters, and TRU is much later.
- 22D: I.B.M. event of 1915 (IPO) — and another short gimme, though I did have the "I" before I saw the clue, so maybe that made it easier than it might have been otherwise.
- 26D: 2003 spy thriller starring Al Pacino and Colin Farrell ("THE RECRUIT") — can't even remember seeing ads for this. "THE ... something FRUIT?"
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