Monday, November 6, 2017 ~ Brian Thomas

Theme: GRANDPA - Gr and Pa start the starred answers.

17A. *Degree earner's celebration: GRADUATION PARTY

27A. *Math student's pad: GRAPH PAPER

39A. Pop's pop ... or, divided into three parts, what the answers to starred clues have in common: GRANDPA. GR and PA

48A. *Lawn repair piece: GRASS PATCH

63A. *More promising job, say: GREENER PASTURES

Argyle here with Brian's much simpler puzzle that his debut. Here.

 Grandma already had her puzzle. Here.

Across:

1. Draw forth: EVOKE

6. Vitello __ parmigiana: ristorante offering: ALLA

10. Map out: PLAN

14. Jeans material: DENIM

15. Porky Pig or Elmer Fudd: TOON

16. Hawaiian dance: HULA

20. "Life of Pi" author __ Martel: YANN

21. Cookie containers: TINS

22. Fields of study: AREAS

23. Off base sans permission, in the mil.: AWOL

25. Italian volcano: ETNA

31. Big galoots: OAFS

35. Vermouth bottle name: ROSSI. Martini & Rossi Distilleria.

36. Dazed and confused: IN A WHIRL

38. "Lost" network: ABC

42. Foe of Chiang: MAO

43. '40s coat-and-trousers outfit: ZOOT SUIT

45. Quickly looks over: SCANS

47. Jazz legend James: ETTA

51. Dick Tracy's love __ Trueheart: TESS

53. Thin stream of smoke: WISP

54. Is __: likely will: APT TO

57. Many a freshman: TEEN

59. Triangle ratio: SINE

66. Crowd sound: ROAR

67. Casting-off place: PIER

68. The John B, e.g.: SLOOP

69. Requests: ASKS

70. Tarzan raisers: APES

71. Coin with Lincoln: PENNY. No relation to Shatner.

Down:

1. Like avant-garde art: EDGY

2. Aloe __: VERA

3. __ empty stomach: ON AN

4. Snatches for ransom: KIDNAPS

5. Flightless Aussie bird: EMU

6. Number one Hun: ATTILA

7. Pork cut: LOIN

8. Bit of unfinished business: LOOSE END

9. Cape NNW of Cod: ANN

10. Exodus tyrant: PHARAOH

11. Attract: LURE

12. Opposite of baja: ALTA. In place names, Spanish baja, literally "lower," either in elevation or geography so does ALTA mean higher?

13. Those opposed: NAYS

18. Perched on: ATOP

19. Searing utensil: PAN

24. Taylor and Fillmore, politically: WHIGS. Back in the day.

26. Ensnare: TRAP

27. Enjoy the field, as cattle do: GRAZE, but the bovines are always looking for 63-Across GREENER PASTURES and will break a fence to get to it if they have to.

28. Automaton: ROBOT

29. Neckwear for Fred in "Scooby-Doo": ASCOT

30. Ship of 1492: PINTA

32. Set one's sights on: AIM AT

33. Swiss coin: FRANC

34. Trudge through water: SLOSH

37. Hornets and yellow jackets: WASPS

40. Persians on the floor: RUGS

41. Local landing location: AIRSTRIP

44. Ragged clothes: TATTERS

46. Time-release med: CAPSULE

49. Takes an oath: SWEARS

50. Reasons to repent: SINS

52. Waiting time at the DMV, seemingly: EON

54. Taj Mahal city: AGRA

55. Golf instructors: PROs

56. Shipbuilding wood: TEAK

58. Sport with swords: ÉPÉE

60. Cold War curtain material?: IRON

61. Bright sign: NEON

62. Catch sight of: ESPY

64. UV index monitor: Abbr.: EPA. (Environmental Protection Agency)

65. Sugar amt.: TSP. (teaspoon)

Argyle

Tuesday, October 31, 2017 ~ Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: P*TT - Three constant consonants with five progressive vowels.

18. "Evita" Tony-winning actress: PATTI LUPONE. "New Argentina"(5:16) More morons at 0:40.

25. Coast Guard rank: PETTY OFFICER

37. Roberto Clemente, notably: PITTSBURGH PIRATE

48. Ceramics shaper: POTTER'S WHEEL

59. Tinker in the workshop: PUTTER ABOUT

BOO! Argyle here. A diagonal solvers puzzle, but upper right to lower left. Maine to California. Washington and Florida are isolationists with just a one square connection to the rest of the puzzle.
FLASH: Husker Gary pointed out that the first vowel of the second word is regressive, U thru A. Coincidence, I think not.

Across:

1. Capital of Poland: WARSAW

7. Actress Moore: DEMI. IMDb

11. Dick and Jane's dog: SPOT

15. Tropical lizard: IGUANA

16. Large-scale: EPIC

17. Vagrant: HOBO

20. __-ran: ALSO

21. Diminutive suffix: ETTE

22. Fort full of gold: KNOX

23. Guitarist Clapton: ERIC

24. Spanish king: REY

29. Prefix with sol: AERO CAN

30. Flight height: Abbr.: ALT. (altitude)

31. Ambient music pioneer Brian: ENO

32. Rural road surface: DIRT

34. Carpal or tarsal lead-in: META. Bones of the hands or feet.

36. Prilosec target: ACID. Prilosec is made by AstraZeneca.

41. "__-daisy!": UPSY

42. Approximately: OR SO

43. Small fishing boat: DORY

44. D.C. United's org.: MLS. (Major League Soccer)

45. Sweetie pie: HON

46. Urge: PROD

52. 34-Down, in Toledo, Sp.: SRA. 34-Down. 52-Across, in Toledo, OH: MRS.

55. Naturalist John: MUIR

56. "__ Lang Syne": AULD

57. Truant GI: AWOL

58. Fatherly nickname: PAPA

62. Move a bit: STIR

63. "__, Brute?": ET TU

64. Not inclined (to): AVERSE

65. Meat safety org.: USDA. ( United States Department of Agriculture)

66. Loch with a mystery: NESS

67. Blowtorch user: WELDER

Down:

1. Windshield cleaner: WIPER but sometimes 17-Across.

2. Striped quartz: AGATE

3. Like old wagon trails: RUTTY

4. Appease, as hunger: SATE

5. Smart game-show vowel purchase for "F_LM CR_T_C": AN 'I'. It would be smarter to solve it unless the player wanted to gamble on one more spin.

6. "The Color Purple" author Alice: WALKER

7. Bus terminus: DEPOT

8. Modeling glue: EPOXY

9. 60 secs.: MIN.

10. Devils' playing surface, ironically: ICE. The New Jersey Devils are a pro ice hockey team in Newark, NJ. Ironic in the sense devils come from a very hot place. Watch out for little devils tonight!

11. Puppeteer Lewis: SHARI, with Lamb Chop, puppet.

12. Patrol vehicle: POLICE CAR. {One Adam Twelve, see the man...}

13. Target of captioning censorship: OBSCENITY

14. "That's __ bad": TOO

19. "Do __ others ... ": UNTO

23. Young salamander: EFT. Crossword and Scrabble staple.

25. Caresses, as a dog: PETS

26. Inaugural recitation: OATH

27. Envelope part: FLAP

28. Used a bike: RODE

29. Superficially cultured: ARTY

32. Embassy workers: DIPLOMATS

33. "What a harebrained idea!": "IT'S STUPID!"

35. Self-esteem: EGO

36. Retired Yankee slugger, to fans: A-ROD

37. Gas station machine: PUMP

38. Crude dude: BOOR

39. Catering coffeepots: URNS

40. Big screen star: IDOL

45. Ship's pronoun: HER

46. One-named soccer great: PELÉ

47. Change, as map details: REDRAW

49. Sparkly crown: TIARA

50. Light bulb units: WATTS

51. Many Rwandans: HUTUs

52. See 59-Down: SWORD

53. Shake awake: ROUSE

54. Change: ALTER

57. Brother of Cain: ABEL

58. Nittany Lions' sch.: PSU. (Pennsylvania State University)

59. It's mightier than the 52-Down, so they say: PEN

60. 4 x 4, for short: UTE. (utility vehicle)

61. Blvd.: AVE.. Streets.

Argyle

Monday, October 30, 2017 ~ Jake Braun

Theme: Watch Your Back! - Target word added behind the second word of the starred entries.

17A. *Palestine, to many: HOLY LAND. Landfall.

28A. *Slam-dance area: MOSH PIT. Pitfall.

51A. *What "blows no good": ILL WIND. Windfall;.

66A. "Spring forward" partner (a reminder for November 5th) ... and what the last word of each answer to a starred clue can literally have: FALL BACK

11D. *Jam on the brakes: STOP SHORT. Shortfall.

35D. *Regular dinner-and-a-movie evening: DATE NIGHT. Nightfall.

Argyle here. I've got your back. This puzzle has no unique words; that's unique. Diagonal solver's delight.

Across:

1. Press (down), as pipe bowl ash : TAMP

5. Life-saving proc.: CPR. (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation)

8. Collect $200 in Monopoly: PASS GO

14. Top poker pair: ACEs

15. Feel remorse for: RUE

16. Brewpub fixture: ALE TAP

19. Soccer game shout: ¡OLE! ¡OLE!

20. St. plagued by wildfires in 2017: ORE. (Oregon) Just one of many.

21. Leaves out: OMITS

23. Colorado resort: ASPEN. 73-Across. Enjoys 23-Across: SKIs

24. Other side in a fight: ENEMY

26. Monterey County seat: SALINAS

30. Spontaneous notion: WHIM

33. Classic Ford: MODEL T

36. One of eight Eng. kings: EDW. (Edward)

37. Cola, e.g.: SODA

38. Actress Longoria: EVA

39. Vienna's country: Abbr.: AUS. (Austria)ISO code: AUT

41. Gobble up: EAT

43. Do sales work (for): REP. (representative)

44. Baseball glove: MITT. 46-Across. Baseball throw: PEG,. 40-Down. Former MLB commissioner Bud: SELIG

48. Multi-room accommodations: SUITES

50. Praiseful verses: ODEs

53. More geeky: NERDIER

55. V-shaped carving: NOTCH

59. Happy expression: SMILE

61. "Six __ a-laying ... ": GEESE

63. Yokohama yes: HAI

64. Descartes' "I think": COGITO. "Cogito ergo sum" is Latin for "I think; therefore, I am".

68. From boat to beach: ASHORE. (adverb)

69. Island strings: UKE. (ukulele)

70. Pre-deal wager: ANTE

71. Poker player, e.g.: BETTOR

72. '60s hallucinogen: LSD. (Lysergic acid diethylamide)

Down:

1. Nevada border lake: TAHOE

                          Tahoe Keys, who knew?

2. Bit of a squirrel's stash: ACORN. (@1:25)

3. Messy fight: MELEE

4. Future therapist's maj.: PSY. (Psychology)

5. Study at the last minute: CRAM

6. Say "You're grounded" to, say: PUNISH

7. Administrative complications: RED TAPE

8. Kung __ chicken: PAO

9. Edgar __ Poe: ALLAN

10. Up-and-down playground fixtures: SEESAWs. 22-Down. Playground fixture: SLIDE

12. More than a breeze: GALE

13. Ready for customers: OPEN

18. Common Jesuit school name: LOYOLA

25. Sra., on the Seine: MME. (Señora/Madame)

27. Formal "My bad": "IT WAS I"

29. Dumb: STUPID

31. Camille's concept: IDÉE

32. Route providers: MAPS

33. Note to the staff: MEMO

34. Exiled Roman poet: OVID

42. Way under a river: TUNNEL

45. "Cats" poet: TS ELIOT

47. Full of joy: GLEEFUL

49. About-to-be spouse's words: "I DO"

52. Inflicts, as havoc: WREAKS

54. Nostalgically trendy: RETRO

56. Say "Much obliged" to: THANK

57. Desert plants: CACTI

58. Walks with backpacks: HIKES

59. Picket line violator: SCAB

60. Jazzman Allison: MOSE. Died: November 15, 2016.

62. Word with bob or dog: SLED

65. Poetic "above": O'ER

67. Eng. majors' degrees: BAs. (Bachelor of Arts)

Argyle

Monday, October 23, 2017 ~ Jeff Stillman

Theme: Reveal Monday - B-B-B, three word and only three word phrases with all words starting with 'B'.

20. *A little bit at a time, to a mason: BRICK BY BRICK. Video(2:51)

32. *Next step up after a crib, for some toddlers: BIG BOY BED. A tad forced? Clip(0:52)

40. *Hit by *NSYNC about the end of a relationship: "BYE, BYE, BYE". Video(6:42)

50. *Iconic refrain from the Trammps' 1976 hit "Disco Inferno": BURN BABY BURN! Video(3:43)

59. Consumer protection org., and a hint to the answers to starred clues: BBB. (Better Business Bureau)

Argyle here. So no Bed, Bath, and Beyond; no Best Buy bargain. Mostly solid entries but still some fill that might raise questions. We'll see.

Across:

1. Eydie who sang with Steve Lawrence: GORMÉ 4-Down. Did a Cuban dance: MAMBOED

6. Began a typical triathlon: SWAM, then bike and finally, run.

10. Went lickety-split: SPED

14. Construction girder: I-BEAM

15. Prefix with legal: PARA

16. Epitaph starter: HERE

Here lies

Johnny Yeast.

Pardon me

For not rising.

17. Six-inch putt, say, in golf lingo: GIMME

18. Distinctive flair: ELAN

19. Eye part: IRIS

23. Heavy favorites: SHOO-INS

26. Those women, in Spain: ELLAs

27. Shabby homes: HOVELS

28. Huge: LARGE

31. Surprise police action: RAID. "Cheese it! The cops."

36. Grecian vessel of verse: URN

37. What "is yet to come," in a Sinatra classic: THE BEST

39. Shogun stronghold: EDO. The former name of Tokyo.

42. When repeated, a Samoan city: PAGO

43. Sleep clinic study: APNEA

44. Got via hard work: EARNED

46. Chicago airport: O'HARE

49. Diplomatic office: EMBASSY

54. Playground retort: "AM SO"

55. Shapeless mass: BLOB

56. Biting: ACERB

60. Space Race destination: MOON

61. Theater level: LOGE. Best seats.

62. Cygnus' brightest star: DENEB. Deneb lies at one vertex of a widely spaced asterism called the Summer Triangle. Wiki

63. "Rule, Britannia" composer: ARNE. Thomas Arne (1710 – 1778)

64. "Goodness gracious!": "EGAD!"

65. Founded: Abbr.: ESTAB. (established)

Down:

1. Jazzman's job: GIG

2. Japanese sash: OBI

3. Sleep stage: REM. (rapid eye movement)

5. TV chef Lagasse: EMERIL

6. Contractor's details: SPECS. specifications.

7. Base on balls: WALK

8. Spirited horse: ARAB

9. Scads of: MANY

10. Child star Temple: SHIRLEY. Heidi.

11. Danger: PERIL

12. "All My Children" vixen: ERICA. The anti-Heidi.

13. Newsroom fixtures: DESKS

21. Helpful connections: INs

22. Fathered, biblically: BEGOT

23. Landscaper's planting: SHRUB

24. White with age: HOARY

25. Sheeplike: OVINE

28. Tripoli's country: LIBYA Update: This Tripoli is the second largest city in Lebanon.

Here is the Libyan Tripoli.

29. 1958 Pulitzer-winning author James: AGEE. "A Death in the Family"

30. Football carriers: Abbr.: RBs. (running back)

32. "Cheers" actress Neuwirth: BEBE. She portrayed Lilith Frasier.

33. Spilled the __: told all: BEANS

34. Barely beats: EDGES

35. Puppet Howdy __: DOODY. If you were around when this was new ....

37. Easygoing sort: TYPE B

38. Egg layer: HEN

41. Without exception: BAR NONE

42. Struts like a horse: PRANCES

44. Australian runner: EMU

45. Use sandpaper on: ABRADE

46. Trump predecessor: OBAMA

47. Funny stuff: HUMOR

48. Felonious flames: ARSON. Alliteration.

49. Subsided: EBBED

51. Ready, willing and __: ABLE

52. Modern diary: BLOG. I read, "Modern dairy". Oops.

53. Discipline with mats: YOGA

57. Tolkien tree creature: ENT

58. Stephen of "The Crying Game": REA

Argyle

Monday, October 16, 2017 ~ Frank Virzi

Theme: Splitter - Start the answer with the first part of the target word and end the answer with the last part.

17. Source of valuable metal: GOLD MINE

25. Early record player: GRAMOPHONE

37. Beatles song used as wake-up music on the last Space Shuttle mission: GOOD DAY SUNSHINE. Paul McCartney - Good Day Sunshine(2:05) The Beatles version unavailable.

45. Revolving blade sharpener: GRIND STONE

58. Extinct since way back when ... and, in a way, what each set of circles represents: LONG GONE

Argumentative style here. And for the sake of argument, this seems like a C.C. puzzle. The split is GO-NE or G-ONE, alternating. The circles seem superfluous.

Across:

1. Baseball putout, often: TAG

4. Digital readouts, for short: LCDs. (liquid crystal display)

8. No more than: AT MOST

14. 401(k) kin: Abbr.: IRA. (individual retirement account)

15. Settled on a rail: ALIT. Hope it's a fence rail and not a train rail.

16. Abs exercise: CRUNCH

19. Holy __: brat: TERROR

20. Isaac's eldest: ESAU

21. Golden State wine region: NAPA. Devastated.

23. One World Trade Center topper: SPIRE

24. Sales team: REPS

27. Give it __: make an effort: A TRY

29. Work's opposite: PLAY

30. Fibber or Molly of old radio: MCGEE

32. Rationale: BASIS

34. Repair: FIX

40. Mariner's "Help!": SOS

41. Tear to pieces: RIPUP

42. Makes, as money: EARNS

43. "Buona __": Gino's "Good evening": SERA

44. Former trans-Atl. fliers: SSTs. (supersonic transport)

50. Thing to scratch: ITCH

53. Cut again, as grass: REMOW

54. Bring into the firm: HIRE

55. About 66.5 degrees, for the Arctic Circle: N LAT. (north latitude)

56. Musician Keys: ALICIA

60. Poland Spring competitor: DASANI. H²O

61. Words to Brutus: "ET TU?"

62. Dist. you can see: VIS. DISTance/VISibility, usually in miles. Important for pilots.

63. The "S" in GPS: SYSTEM. (Global Positioning System)

64. Pest-control brand: d-CON

65. Md. summer hrs.: EDT. (Eastern Daylight Time)

Down:

1. Striped big cat: TIGER

2. Got up: AROSE

3. Islands visited by Darwin: GALÁPAGOS

4. On the __: at large: LAM

5. Like Saran wrap: CLINGY

6. Bahraini money: DINAR

7. Assembly instructions start: STEP A

8. Put-on: ACT

9. Violates a "private property" sign: TRESPASSES

10. Brown played by Candice Bergen: MURPHY. (TV Series 1988–1998)

11. "Blame It __": 1984 film set in Brazil: ON RIO

12. Disdain: SCORN

13. Little pigs number: THREE

18. Looked for prints: DUSTED

22. Intensifies: AMPS UP. 11

26. Actress Lena: OLIN

28. 1967 Neil Diamond song title line preceding "Go to my head": "RED, RED, WINE"

30. British sports cars: MGs

31. Pigeon sound: COO

32. Less-traveled way: BYPATH

33. Sch. with a Phoenix campus: ASU. (Arizona State University) Most students are on the Tempe campus.

34. Grade school crush, often: FIRST LOVE

35. Quaint quarters: INN

36. Kisses, in romantic letters: X'es

38. Hoity-toity manners: AIRS

39. Detesting: HATING

43. Polar expedition vehicle: SNO-CAT

44. Taken care of: SEEN TO

45. Mortarboard tossers: GRADS

46. Race with batons: RELAY

47. "What'd __?": returning traveler's query: I MISS

48. Lubricated: OILED

49. Campus midshipmen's prog.: NROTC. (Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps)

51. Dog or coyote: CANID

52. Nuclear trial, briefly: H-TEST

57. "Ready, __, fire!": AIM

59. Staple or nail driver: GUN

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear CrossEyedDave & Blue Hen! Thank you for the endless joy you've brought to our life, Dave! Thank you for the tasty food hacks you've brought to our blog as well, Blue Hen!

Tuesday, October 10, 2017 ~ Samuel A. Donaldson

Theme: Homophones. Five of them; enough for a limerick, eh?

17A. Legendary terror of the deep: SEA MONSTER

36A. Honor roll student's disappointment: C-PLUS

54A. "Doesn't matter to me": "SEE IF I CARE"

11D. "Forget You" singer who was a coach on "The Voice": CEE LO GREEN

27D. "Aye, lass," in Acapulco: "SI, SENORITA"

Argyle here. That last one; I picture Scotty from Star Trek beamed down into Mexico. A nice mix of wheelhouses in a classic pinwheel grid. Several CSO's.

Across:

1. Pet adoption agcy.: SPCA. (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)

5. West Indies tribe for which a sea is named: CARIB. Doubling the ending 'b' of Carib and adding -ean makes it an adjective, Caribbean Sea, as well as a noun.

10. "Rhyme Pays" rapper: ICE-T. This is the intro to his "Rhyme Pays" album, here.(6:30)

14. Boxers Laila and Muhammad: ALIs

15. Carne __: burrito filling: ASADA

16. Benelux country: Abbr.: NETH. (Netherlands) Benelux is the union Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

19. __ blocker: BETA

20. Action hero Jason in three Ludlum novels: BOURNE. The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum

21. Swedish vodka brand: ABSOLUT

23. Material: CLOTH

25. Prefix with space: AERO

26. "__ the Sheriff": Clapton hit: I SHOT. Live(8:28)

28. Under threat: IN DANGER

32. Like most people: ASIAN

33. Comic's perch: STOOL

34. Label for Elvis: RCA

35. "Supervixens" director Meyer: RUSS. Sexploitation films.

37. Fashion line: SEAM. Easy to overthink it.

38. Author's ending?: IZE. (authorize) Good misdirection.

39. Celebrated chef Ducasse: ALAIN. French.

40. Copycats: APERS

41. Lovers of wordplay: PUNSTERS

43. Get big on Twitter: TREND

44. Gumbo pod: OKRA

45. Sierra Nevada lake: TAHOE

47. Ginger's "Gilligan's Island" hutmate: MARY ANN. (Dawn Wells)

50. Repaired, as a fence: MENDED

53. Awesome, nowadays: EPIC

57. Old film dog: ASTA. (Skippy)

58. "Family Matters" misfit: URKEL. (Jaleel White)

59. Mirror shape: OVAL

60. Quantum movement?: LEAP. It was a TV Series (1989–1993).

61. Body of verse: POESY

62. Sunday benches: PEWS

Down:

1. Airline to Oslo: SAS. (Originally an abbreviation of its former name Scandinavian Airlines System or legally Scandinavian Airlines System Denmark–Norway–Sweden)

2. Working-class Roman: PLEB

3. Padua parting: "CIAO"

4. Even though: AS MUCH AS

5. Lacks what it takes to: CANNOT

6. Equipment, in a ledger: ASSET

7. Lab rodent: RAT

8. Brainstorm: IDEA

9. Rihanna's home country: BARBADOS. Rihanna, is a Barbadian singer, songwriter, and actress.

10. Congenital: INBORN. (existing from birth)

12. Caesar's last question: "ET TU?"

13. The one over there: THAT

18. Lightweight synthetic: ORLON

22. Elite Navy fighter: SEAL. ((SEa, Air, and Land))

24. Names given to an assassin: HIT LIST

26. Rodeo automaker: ISUZU

29. Sentence subject, usually: NOUN

30. Birthday greeting opened with a click: E-CARD

31. Ewes' guys: RAMS

32. Give it __: swing hard: A RIP

33. Prep for fight night: SPAR

36. Tidies: CLEANS UP

37. Radar gun user: SPEED COP. Not a term I'm familiar with.

39. Big name in razors: ATRA

40. Rice-__: A-RONI. The San Francisco treat!

42. Airport porter: SKYCAP

43. 1986 horror film in which a man becomes an insect: THE FLY. I liked the 1958 version better.

46. Female French friends: AMIEs

47. Repast: MEAL

48. Church area behind an altar: APSE

49. Detective Wolfe: NERO

51. Roof overhang: EAVE

52. Sketch: DRAW

55. Just get (by): EKE

56. Golf Hall of Famer Ernie: ELS

Argyle

Monday, October 9, 2017 ~ Janice Luttrell

Theme: This is only a test, so don't be alarmed.

17A. Unwise act that could be dangerous: FALSE MOVE. False alarm.

25A. Time-out for a cigarette: SMOKE BREAK. Smoke alarm.

35A. Dashboard music provider: CAR STEREO. Car alarm.

51A. Pre-talkies movie: SILENT FILM. Silent alarm.

60A. Hot chili designation, and a literal description of the starts of 17-, 25-, 35- and 51-Across: FOUR ALARM

Argyle here. Big beefy corners today, a bit unusual for a Monday. Also, a déjà vu feeling; a lot of recent clues/answers. Or is it just me?

Across:

1. "Death of a Salesman" salesman Willy: LOMAN. 1949 play written by American playwright Arthur Miller.

6. Abysmal grades: EF's

9. "__ Cross": 1949 Lancaster movie: CRISS

14. Friend's opposite: ENEMY

15. Minor point to pick: NIT

16. Convened again: REMET

19. Video game pioneer: ATARI

20. Singing syllable: TRA, La, La...

21. Vicinity: AREA

22. Type of cleansing acid: BORIC

23. Actress Skye: IONE

27. Upper crust groups: ELITEs. Um, not elists.

29. Courage and fortitude: METTLE

30. Done in, as a dragon: SLAIN

31. Swoosh company: NIKE. It takes courage and fortitude to slay one's dragons. Just do it.

34. Cold War state: Abbr.: SSR. (Soviet Socialist Republic)

39. Oral health org.: ADA. (American Dental Association)

42. "Piece of cake!": "EASY!"

43. Real doozies: LULUs

47. Dips for tortilla chips: SALSAs

50. Agree: ASSENT

55. "Please leave your message at the __": TONE. [BEEP!]

56. Illegal lending tactic: USURY

57. Wrath, in a hymn: IRAE. Dies Irae (Day of Wrath) definition: a famous Latin hymn of the 13th century, describing the Last Judgment. Collins English Dictionary.

58. Round green veggie: PEA

59. Helped: AIDED

63. "The Accidental Tourist" actress Davis: GEENA

64. Z, alphabet-wise: END

65. Start of a tennis point: SERVE

66. Opinion piece: ESSAY

67. Part of GPS: Abbr.: SYS. (Global Positioning System)

68. Passover feast: SEDER

Down:

1. Southpaws: LEFTIES. Also, LEFTYs.

2. Winning at craps, say: ON A ROLL

3. First lady after Michelle: MELANIA

4. Wee hrs.: AMs. (from the Latin, ante meridiem, meaning before midday)

5. PBS "Science Guy" Bill: NYE

6. Huge, in verse: ENORM

7. "Hawaii __": TV cop show: FIVE-O

8. T-bone, for one: STEAK

9. Buster who played Flash Gordon: CRABBE. Got to go back in the archives for this one. "Embedding disabled by request" No trailer, just a pic.

10. Sharp comeback: RETORT

11. Turkish travel shelters: IMARETS. Pretty fancy shelter! Learn more at Wiki.

12. Continuing stories: SERIALS. Like Flash Gordon.

13. Place for a new-car price: STICKER

18. Sunday service: MASS

24. Suffix with diet: ETIC. An adjective, pertaining to regulation of the use of food. Add an S on the end and it becomes a noun.(dietetics)

26. 911 situation: Abbr.: EMER. (emergency)

28. Disney doe: ENA. Bambi's aunt.

31. CIA cousin: NSA. (National Security Agency)

32. "__ not up to me": IT'S. "Go ask you mother/father."

33. Vitally important: KEY

36. Relax: REST

37. Overhead trains: ELS. (elevated)

38. Kick out of office: OUST

39. Appease: ASSUAGE

40. Yellow-disked flowers: DAISIES

           Daisies by Ernst Arnold

41. Refers casually (to): ALLUDES

44. Spotted wildcat: LEOPARD. Their spots can't be changed.

45. Rattle: UNNERVE

46. Soft-shell clam: STEAMER

48. Williams of tennis: SERENA. Sister of Venus.

49. Very soon: ANY DAY

50. From the States: Abbr.: AMER. (American)

52. Small winds paired with drums: FIFEs

                       Old Sturbridge Village

53. Literary twist: IRONY

54. Heaps praise on: LAUDS

61. Beast of burden: ASS

62. Golfer Trevino: LEE. "Pressure is playing for ten dollars when you don't have a dime in your pocket."

Argyle