This Is My Grandfather's Oldsmobile

There is a rupture in the space-time continuum located precisely where the K-Mart stands in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. No matter what the calendar says, in that spot the year is always 1982. Anyone who enters is guaranteed to hear at least one song by Christopher Cross.

I have discovered another entry point into that time warp: today’s Times crossword, which featured these hits from an even earlier yesteryear (several yesteryears, in fact):

Parlor pieces = DIVANS

Citrus-y drink = TOM COLLINS

Nonconformists = BEATNIKS

Bunk = APPLESAUCE (a double whammy, as both clue AND answer are long extinct)

Emphatic negative = NOSIREEBOB

Awesome = RAD (a noble effort at keeping up with the youth of today 1982)

There's an important lesson to be learned here: maintaining a competitive edge in generational warfare requires more than just knowing what's new and hip (or, in the universe of this puzzle, hep). When it comes to crosswords, this war is fought on two fronts.