Monday, January 9, 2017 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Limited-time retail offer - Save some moola maybe.

38A. Big sale, where you can find the starts of 18-, 23-, 49- and 60-Across: SHOPPER'S DELIGHT

18A. "Just handle the problem!": DEAL WITH IT

23A. Upstage one's co-stars: STEAL A SCENE

49A. Employ stalling tactics: BUY SOME TIME

60A. Take into account: BARGAIN FOR

Argyle here with GG&BV. Not much to say (except brrr). A nice grid-spanning reveal.

Across:

1. Rides for hire: CABs

5. Rapids transports: RAFTs

10. Toothed tonsorial tool: COMB. Fun alliteration.

14. Treaty partner: ALLY

15. Open courtyards: ATRIA

16. "So that's what you mean": "I SEE"

17. Shakespearean king: LEAR

20. Jam session jammer: MUSICIAN

22. Signs of sadness: TEARS

26. Tavern brew: ALE

27. Some motorcycles and pianos: YAMAHAs. Logo History.

32. Lawn-wrecking pests: MOLEs

36. Sewn edge: HEM

37. __ president: VICE

42. Mongolian desert: GOBI

43. No-frills sleeper: COT

44. Fire pit particles: ASHES

45. '70s-'80s band with a steering wheel on their debut album cover: THE CARS

47. Google success: HIT

55. Pro on camera: ACTOR

59. Like some rays outside the visible spectrum: INFRARED

63. Fill fully: SATE

64. Qatari ruler: EMIR

65. British unit of length: METRE

66. Hall of Famer Musial: STAN.(baseball)

67. Relaxed gait: LOPE

68. Old West search party: POSSE. "Head 'em off at the pass!"

69. Narrow-bodied swimmers: EELs

Down:

1. Brings peace to: CALMS

2. Native Alaskan: ALEUT

3. Having a been-there-done-that attitude: BLASÉ

4. War-torn country since 2011: SYRIA

5. Goodyear offering: RADIAL

6. "Relax, soldier": "AT EASE"

7. Pre-euro Metz money: FRANC

8. Up to, in ads: TIL. Limited-time offer. But if you call in the nexzt five ....

9. Got a look at: SAW

10. Use as a reference: CITE

11. Workplace standards org.: OSHA. (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

12. Israel's Golda: MEIR

13. Puts money (on): BETS

19. To-do list entry: ITEM

21. Envelope fastener: CLASP

24. Looked at closely: EYED

25. Birth certificate datum: NAME

28. "We Try Harder" car rental chain: AVIS

29. Air conditioner setting: HIGH. My air conditioner setting is in the closet.

30. Suffer from overexertion: ACHE

31. Goes below the horizon: SETS. The latest sunrise is for the next few days.

32. Senior NCO: MSGT. (master sergeant)

33. "Oops!": "OH-OH!"

34. Place for an earring: LOBE

35. Grand-scale poem: EPIC

36. Pres. between FDR and DDE: HST. Franklin Delano Roosevelt / Harry S. Truman / Dwight David Eisenhower

39. Sandy shade: ECRU. Slight misdirection.

40. Flushed, as cheeks: ROSY

41. Down the road: LATER

46. Magician's syllables: ABRA. "Abracadabra!"

47. Pays tribute to: HONORS

48. "My schedule is wide open": "I'M FREE"

50. Works with flour: SIFTS

51. Cup for café or thé: TASSE. Le thé is French for tea. Tasse à café - coffee cup / Tasse à thé - teacup

52. Blowing one's top: IRATE

53. Lead or zinc: METAL

54. Blissful regions: EDENS

55. Cain's victim: ABEL

56. Commando garb: CAMO. (Camouflage)

57. Stumble: TRIP

58. Kiddie lit monster: OGRE

61. Mischief-maker: IMP

62. Modernist's prefix: NEO

Argyle

Monday, January 2, 2017 Neville Fogarty

Theme: Fowl Play - And not the cooped-up chicken counting card game.

20. Longtime navigation method: DEAD RECKONING. Dead Duck

36. Rabbit's foot, perhaps: LUCKY CHARM. Lucky Duck

42. Toy sold in eggs: SILLY PUTTY. Silly Goose

56. Kids' game hinted at by the starts of 20-, 36-, and 42-Across: DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE

Argyle here. Nifty Monday from Neville. He is usually later in the week. The four long columns stitch it all together.

Across:

1. Plus: ALSO

5. Kernel-less picnic discards: COBS

9. What judges wear: ROBES

14. In a little while: SOON

15. "Once __ a midnight dreary ... ": UPON. 51-Down. Award named for Poe: EDGAR

16. Kick out of the country: EXILE. Perhaps to end up on the following.

17. Spring break destination, perhaps: ISLE

18. Nevada gambling city: RENO

19. Like thickets: DENSE

23. List of mistakes: ERRATA, in subsequent edtions.

24. Golf scorecard figure: PAR

25. Med. condition with repetitive behavior: OCD. (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)

28. Tries to be heard in a noisy room: YELLs. Because "Psst!" won't cut it.

31. Save: RESCUE. Dogs, cats, winos.

33. Rascals: CADs

38. Geometry calculations: AREAs

40. Small battery: AAA

41. Body part often sculpted: TORSO

45. Paradise: EDEN

46. Et __: CETERA

47. Puts a tight lid on: SEALS

49. First st., alphabetically: ALA.

50. "__ you serious?": ARE

52. "Hold on a second": "NOT YET"

60. Reeves who played "Ted" in "Bill & Ted" films: KEANU. Excellent!

62. High spirits: GLEE

63. Bit of deception: RUSE

64. Clark's exploring partner: LEWIS

65. Author Rice: ANNE

66. Like 2, 4, 6, and so on: EVEN

67. "The Count of __ Cristo": MONTE

68. Charlie Brown's "Phooey!": RATS. Classic.

69. Erotic: SEXY

Down:

1. Parenthetical remark: ASIDE

2. What a two-fingered "L" represents: LOSER. "Let's not be L7." (square)

3. Word with panel or power: SOLAR

4. Limited-time retail offer: [ONE DAY SALE]. But wait! Call in the next 15 minutes...

5. Panacea: CURE-ALL

6. Oil-exporting org.: OPEC. (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries)

7. Hit on the head: BONK

8. Poke around: SNOOP

9. Forward, as mail: REDIRECT

10. Plow-pulling animals: OXEN

11. Church game handout: BINGO CARD

12. Golfer Ernie: ELS

13. Recognize: SEE

21. I-95, e.g.: Abbr.: RTE

22. __ a soul: NARY

26. Evil legacy: CURSE

27. Evil spirit: DEMON

29. Maui party: LUAU

30. Sings like Ella: SCATS

32. Retail outlets with many loafers?: SHOE STORES

33. First to stab Caesar: CASCA. Publius Servilius Casca was the first to strike Caesar with a dagger. (Even Lila Cherry used this on a Monday.)

34. Animated film mermaid: ARIEL

35. 1973 #1 hit for Helen Reddy: DELTA DAWN. Remember?

37. "Kiss Me __": KATE. A musical version of The Taming of the Shrew.

39. New York university city: SYRACUSE

43. Picnic area: PARK

44. Baseball's Bronx Bombers: YANKEES

48. Calculator function: LOG

53. "__ Lost That Lovin' Feelin'": YOU'VE. Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield, The Righteous Brothers.

54. Devereux's earldom: ESSEX. Obscure reference to an opera by Gaetano Donizetti, 1837, maybe? Link

55. So, so small: TEENY

57. Inch or mile, e.g.: UNIT

58. Forearm bone: ULNA

59. Dollar fraction: CENT

60. Merged Dutch airline: KLM. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. Air France–KLM merger.

61. Fair-hiring letters: EEO. (Equal Employment Opportunity)

Argyle

Monday, December 26, 2016 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: No Reveal Monday - Four synonymous words.

20A. Fabric with a slight sheen: POLISHED COTTON

25A. Sophisticated-sounding hair treatment product: SUAVE SHAMPOO

46A. Coffee sweetener: REFINED SUGAR

55A. Plowed ground for crop-raising: CULTIVATED LAND

Argyle here. POLISHED, SUAVE, REFINED, CULTIVATED; so are we all.

Across:

1. Furtive summons: [PSST!]

5. Closes with force: SLAMS

10. See 13-Down: BABA. 13-Down. With 10-Across, "Open sesame" sayer: ALI

14. "It's __ you": "Your call": UP TO

15. Sultan's group: HAREM

16. Carrier to Tel Aviv: EL AL

17. React to a bad pun, perhaps: MOAN

18. BP merger partner: AMOCO

19. Longfellow's "The Bell of __": ATRI. "And this shall make, in every Christian clime, The Bell of Atri famous for all time."

23. Clay pigeon sport: SKEET

24. Tee shots into the hole: ACES

32. Slacks holder-upper: BELT

35. Baker's verb: MIX

36. Like old apples: MEALY

37. "Norma __": RAE

38. Fills with dismay: APPALLS

41. Word in a bride's bio: NÉE

42. The three monkeys' taboos: EVILS. Nikkō Tōshō-gū Shinto shrine.

44. Guernsey greeting: MOO!

45. Completely, after "from": A TO Z

50. Apple or pear: POME

51. "Spider-Man" actor Willem: DAFOE. Green Goblin.

60. Classic clown: BOZO

61. African country whose name is contained in the name of its southern neighbor: NIGER

62. Internet destination: SITE

63. It's a long story: EPIC

64. Porthole view: OCEAN

65. Flair: ELAN

66. Cubicle furnishing: DESK

67. Smells awful: REEKS

68. Once-sacred snakes: ASPs

Down:

1. Tire inflators: PUMPS

2. Frighten, as a horse: SPOOK

3. Like old bread: STALE

4. Most stylish: TONIEST

5. Former Iranian despot: SHAH

6. Unconvincing, excuse-wise: LAME

7. Ex-slugger and Fox Sports analyst, familiarly: A-ROD. (Alex Rodriguez)

8. Major tourist draws: MECCAs

9. Kiss: SMOOCH

10. "I have no clue": "BEATS ME"

11. Voice above tenor: ALTO

12. Rural building with big doors: BARN

21. Early Beatle Sutcliffe: STU

22. Bears and Grizzlies: TEAMS

26. Sound system part: AMP

27. Bigwig: VIP. (very important person)

28. Tests of knowledge: EXAMS

29. Huff and puff: PANT

30. Butterlike spread: OLEO

31. Command from a bailiff: "OYEZ!"

32. Uncle Remus rabbit's title: BR'ER

33. Nesting site, perhaps: EAVE. Nesting site for icicles.

34. Mariner Ericson: LEIF

38. Often ___: about half the time: AS NOT

39. Singer Rawls: LOU

40. Nautical journal: LOG

43. Long kiss: LIP LOCK

45. Shrinking Asian lake: ARAL SEA

47. Key with one sharp: E MINOR

48. Plot mechanism: DEVICE

49. Say further: ADD

52. Totally tanks: FAILS

53. Ready in the keg: ON TAP

54. Blissful regions: EDENS

55. Deal with adversity: COPE

56. Commando weapons: UZIs

57. "A Death in the Family" author James: AGEE

58. Tropical hardwood: TEAK

59. Sea eagles: ERNs

60. Crib or cot: BED

Argyle

Monday, December 19, 2016 Mel Rosen

Theme: Holy Holly- Double up the middle consonant to form the second word and clue appropriately.

20. Pilfered German fruit bread?: STOLEN STOLLEN

32. Evidence of Russia's currency collapse?: RUBLE RUBBLE

42. "Mister Ed" dot?: TITLE TITTLE

54. Final course in the Sahara?: DESERT DESSERT

Argyle here. No reveal Monday; not needed. Small nit; tittle is defined as a point or small sign used as a diacritical mark in writing or printing. MISTER ED doesn't use one; MR. ED does. Still fun.

Update: The dot on the lower-case "i" is also a tittle, at least according to some dictionaries.

Across:

1. Cartoonist Addams: "CHAS". Creator of The Addams Family.]

5. Sour substances: ACIDS

10. Parroted: APED

14. ___-poly: ROLY. May refer to: Link.

15. French painter of café scenes: MANET

16. Smallest American coin: DIME. Smallest in physical size.

17. Mil. no-show: AWOL. (Absence Without Leave)

18. "Fear of Flying" author Jong: ERICA. (1973 novel)

19. Herr's home: HAUS

23. Up until now: SO FAR

24. Timeline start: YEAR ONE

27. Play at the highest volume, as a radio: BLAST

31. Bravery award: MEDAL

37. Sch. in Charlottesville: UVA. (University of Virginia)

38. Words said with a nod: "I SEE"

39. Jeweled headpiece: TIARA

40. Stadium ticket designation: SEAT

41. Harbor puller: TUG

44. Bow and __: ARROW

46. Cotton thread: LISLE. A fine, high-twisted and hard-twisted cotton thread, at least two-ply, used for hosiery, gloves, etc.

47. Tortoni's cousin: SPUMONE

50. Pentathlon blades: EPEEs

58. B-movie safecracker: YEGG

60. Cheering noisily: AROAR

61. "Yes __?": ultimatum words: OR NO

62. Length times width: AREA

63. Infamous skater Harding: TONYA

64. Hall of Fame catcher Carlton: FISK. Nicknamed "Pudge" and "The Commander", Wiki Link.

65. Marries: WEDS

66. After-lunch sandwiches: OREOs

67. Lavish bash: FÊTE

Down:

1. Rude and crude: CRASS

2. Genre for do-it-yourselfers: HOW TO

3. Distant and cool: ALOOF

4. One of two in seven: SYLLABLE. The word, seven, is made up of two syllables.

5. Chorus from the pews: "AMEN"

6. Some "Wheel" prizes: CARS. You are better off on "The Price is Right" if you want a car.

7. "What's __ for me?": IN IT

8. Fake drake, say: DECOY

9. Opposite of fresh: STALE

10. Stick (to): ADHERE

11. Keyboard work for two: PIANO DUET

12. Rhea's Aussie relative: EMU

13. Hôtel __ Invalides: Paris landmark: DES

21. Author __ Stanley Gardner: ERLE. "Perry Mason"

22. Like a weak excuse: LAME

25. Part of USNA: NAVAL. (United States Naval Academy)

26. Make more than merry: ELATE

28. Intro-to-painting course: ART I

29. Exec's three-piece: SUIT

30. Little League precursor: T-BALL

32. Hayworth and Rudner: RITAs

33. Seize illegally: USURP

34. Gave reluctantly: BEGRUDGED

35. Matzo __: Jewish egg dish: BREI

36. Back muscles, in the gym: LATs. (lattismus dorsi)

40. Measures by pacing: STEPS OFF

42. Dance floor units: TWOs

43. Sights in la Méditerranée: ILEs. Here's a nice list of the îles de la mer Méditerranée to look over on those cold winter nights. List

45. Pricey watches: OMEGAs

48. "Gee, cool!": "NEATO!"

49. Mistake in the field: ERROR

51. Creepy: EERIE

52. Dadaist Max: ERNST. Road rage?

53. Tend to the flames: STOKE

55. Musical quality: TONE

56. Belafonte classic: DAY-O

57. Gaslight and Big Band: ERAs

58. Deviate from a course: YAW. (of a moving ship or aircraft) twist or oscillate about a vertical axis.

59. Before, in odes: ERE

Argyle

Monday, December 12, 2016 Michael Dewey

Theme: TWEET! - Those aren't birds tweeting.

20A. Locomotive operators: TRAIN ENGINEERS

25A. Singer for the cops?: POLICE INFORMANT

47A. Gridiron adjudicator: FOOTBALL REFEREE

52A. What 20-, 25- and 47-Across all are, in one way or another: WHISTLE BLOWERS

Argyle here. Unusual; the first three are needed to reveal the fourth, the unifier of the theme. I do like Michael's puzzles. I like the whole answer being theme, not just a part of it.

Across:

1. On the __: broken: FRITZ. Now there's a word to start the week on.

6. Dressed (in): CLAD

10. Quail or turkey, e.g.: FOWL. Ok, there are birds tweeting, sort of.

14. Prefix with economics: MACRO

15. Impulse: URGE

16. "Yeah, sure": "I BET"

17. Do over 60 in Hawaii, say: SPEED. Vermont, too. Any others?

18. Upsurge: BOOM

19. Null and __: VOID

23. Lao Tzu's "way": TAO

24. Republican org.: GOP

34. Flower painted by van Gogh: IRIS

35. Burns with hot liquid: SCALDS

36. Mai __: TAI

37. One who shuns company: LONER. Prefers solitude.

39. Many a Monopoly prop.: AVEnue

40. Kick out: EJECT

42. "Brokeback Mountain" director Lee: ANG. Ang Lee

43. Snoozing: ASLEEP

46. Rank between viscount and marquis: EARL

50. Motor City labor gp.: UAW. (United Automobile Workers)

51. Preacher's msg.: SERmon

60. Billiards triangle: RACK

61. "Garfield" pooch: ODIE

62. Paradises: EDENS

64. Lotion additive: ALOE

65. __ monster: lizard: GILA

66. "Rabbit food" course: SALAD

67. Remain undecided: PEND

68. Staircase part: STEP

69. Sporty sunroofs: T-TOPS

Down:

1. Radio choices: FMs. (frequency modulation)

2. Completely engrossed: RAPT

3. Bakery employee: ICER

4. Dissertation: TREATISE

5. It has a dozen signs: ZODIAC

6. Ice tray unit: CUBE

7. Scientologist Hubbard: L. RON

8. Intensely eager: AGOG

9. Divine-human hybrid: DEMIGOD. List of demigods, if you care to see if your name is there.

10. Quitting hr. for many: FIVE PM

11. Double-reed instrument: OBOE

12. Flow-altering dam: WEIR

13. Former Ford models: LTDs

21. Thumbs-down votes: NOes

22. Like Eric or Leif: NORSE

25. Rice dish: PILAF

26. Home of the University of Maine: ORONO

27. Jargon: LINGO

28. Poker wager-matching response: "I CALL"

29. Bellybutton: NAVEL

30. Baseball card rival of Topps: FLEER

31. On __: rampaging: A TEAR

32. Mother-of-pearl: NACRE

33. Owner's document: TITLE

38. Morocco's capital: RABAT

41. Made heckling remarks to: JEERED AT

44. Snooze loudly: SAW LOGS

45. Mexicali money: PESO

48. Like warthogs and walruses: TUSKED

49. Smallest number: FEWEST

52. Rolled-up sandwich: WRAP

53. In good health: HALE

54. Venerated image: ICON. A religious work of art.

55. Proofreader's change: EDIT

56. Irascibility: BILE

57. Jump: LEAP

58. Move, in Realtor-speak: RELO. (relocation)

59. Go off the deep end: SNAP

63. Vietnam War protest gp.: SDS. (Students for a Democratic Society)

Argyle

Monday, December 5, 2016 Brock Wilson

Theme: Catbird Seat? - I can see Tuesday from here.

17A. What the star gets on a marquee: TOP BILLING

23A. Dejected: CRESTFALLEN

37A. Level of optimal accomplishment: PEAK PERFORMANCE

47A. Meeting of world leaders: SUMMIT TALKS

58A. Honorable ... and like the starts of 17-, 23-, 37- and 47-Across: HIGH MINDED

Argyle here. Not much to say. A couple of clunkers but on the whole, a pleasant Monday.

Across:

1. Poets: BARDS

6. Ocean breaker: WAVE

10. Former Iranian ruler: SHAH

14. From another planet: ALIEN

15. Golfer's club selection: IRON

16. Golfer's target: HOLE

19. Express checkout lane unit: ITEM

20. "__ Haw": HEE

21. Contemptuous manner, in slang: 'TUDE. (attitude)

22. "Pet" annoyance: PEEVE

26. Wrap tightly, as in bandages: SWATHE

30. Poker holding: HAND

31. Charged atoms: IONS

32. Madame of physics: CURIE. Marie Curie, (1867 – 1934)

34. Guy's partner: GAL

41. Bygone jet, briefly: SST. (SuperSonic Transport)

42. Act with passion: EMOTE

43. Caution: WARN

44. Song at the Met: ARIA

45. Like most peanuts: SALTED

52. Name on rented trailers: U-HAUL

53. Lane with a nose for news: LOIS. Reporter for the Daily Planet.

54. Pasta suffix: -INI

57. Dirt road grooves: RUTS

61. Emancipated: FREE

62. Pigmented eye layer: UVEA

63. Watchdog warning: GROWL

64. Part of NIMBY: YARD. "Not In My Back Yard"

65. Swiss capital: BERN. Bern or Berne.

66. Foul, weather-wise: NASTY

Down:

1. It's drawn in a tub: BATH

2. Natural skin soother: ALOE

3. Unlike green tomatoes: RIPE

4. Star of the ball: DEB.(debutante)

5. Tattletale: SNITCH. BLABBY CAT.

6. Witty Oscar: WILDE

7. Astrological Ram: ARIES

8. Maria __ Trapp: VON Sound Of Music. (Today's French lesson.)

9. Subj. with grammar: ENGlish

10. Handheld riot gear: SHIELD

11. Marriott facility: HOTEL

12. Advil competitor: ALEVE

13. Macho guys: HE-MEN

18. Tempt: LURE

22. "The Hunger Games" nation: PANEM

24. Severe pang: THROE

25. Carnival: FAIR

26. Drinks that make a drink last: SIPS. Verb that makes a noun last.

27. Troubles: WOES

28. Vet sch. course: ANATomy

29. Disdainful click: "TSK!"

32. Zagreb native: CROAT

33. N.Y.-based educators' union: UFT. United Federation of Teachers, a New York City affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers. A bit of stretch.

34. Insect in a dusk swarm: GNAT. Males assemble in large mating swarms known as ghosts, commonly at dusk.

35. Realtor's lot unit: ACRE

36. Allow to borrow: LEND

38. Danger: PERIL

39. Give out: EMIT

40. Tapered tool: AWL

44. Tickled: AMUSED

45. Less than 1%?: SKIM. Milk!

46. Give, as homework: ASSIGN

47. Like the beach during a storm: SURFY. Ugh!

48. "Star Trek" lieutenant: UHURA."Oh my!"

49. Alma __: MATER

50. Rags-to-riches author Horatio: ALGER. “Go West, young man” may well have been a paraphrase of advice given by Greeley in the New Yorker.  “If any young man is about to commence the world, we say to him, publicly and privately, Go to the West”

51. Lindsay who played Liz in "Liz & Dick": LOHAN

54. Wedding promises: I DO's

55. Mature eft: NEWT

56. Relaxed way to sit by: IDLY

58. O'Hare, for United Airlines: HUB. Chicago O'Hare Airport (ORD)

59. "__ been thinking ... ": I'VE. but not much.

60. Org. promoting hunter safety: NRA. (National Rifle Association)

Argyle

Monday, November 28, 2016 Jake Braun

Theme: Wide left on four - West coast footballers.

17. *Power source that plugs into a computer port: USB CHARGER. San Diego Chargers

23. *"Airplane!" flight number, to the control tower: TWO-ZERO-NINER. San Francisco Forty Niners

36. *Carl Icahn or Michael Milken: CORPORATE RAIDER. Oakland Raiders

46. *Castle gate-busting weapon: BATTERING RAM. Los Angeles Rams

57. Home of the player at the ends of the answers to starred clues: CALIFORNIA

Argyle here. Jake's back for another Monday. Yes, it is sports related but not obscure. Except for one notable word, a pretty easy Monday.

Across:

1. "Get lost!': "SCRAM!"...and stay off my lawn.

6. Google __: geographical app: MAPS

10. Ruth with bats: BABE. How much for an autographed Babe Ruth bat, C.C.? (From C.C. : If it's authenticated and the autograph is in great condition, 10K-50K I think. I recall one sold for over 100K a few years ago.)

14. Egypt's capital: CAIRO

15. They may clash on a movie set: EGOs

16. Environmental sci.: ECOL. (Ecology)

19. Physics particle: ATOM

20. Andes, e.g.: Abbr.: MTs. (mountains)

21. Against: ANTI

22. Make amends (for): ATONE

26. Boats with double-bladed paddles: KAYAKS

29. Forget to include: OMIT

30. Mosque leader: IMAM

31. Address for Bovary: MADAM. Let the nits begin. When the novel, "Madame Bovary" (1856), was first serialized in La Revue de Paris between 1 October 1856 and 15 December 1856, public prosecutors attacked the novel for obscenity.

33. Having one flat, musically: IN F

40. Billy the __: KID

41. Father or son New York governor: CUOMO. Mario and Andrew.

42. Head, to Henri: TÊTE

43. Suffix with joke or pun: STER

44. Gratify: PLEASE

51. Going on, to Sherlock: AFOOT. "Come, Watson, come! The game is afoot."

52. Lily pad squatter: FROG

53. Sock hop site: GYM

56. "The Mod Squad" cop: LINC. 1968 to 1973 TV show, Clarence Williams III as Lincoln "Linc" Hayes...1999 film starred Omar Epps as Linc.

60. Actor Estrada: ERIK

61. Be complicit in, as a caper: ABET

62. Giraffe kin: OKAPI

63. Exec's asst.: SEC'Y. (secretary)

64. TiVo predecessors: VCRs. (videocassette recorder)

65. Jotted down: NOTED

Down:

1. Film on stagnant water: SCUM

2. Film credits list: CAST

3. Barbecue fare: RIBS

4. Smile shape: ARC

5. Iroquoian people, or a hair style named for them: MOHAWK

6. Fred or Ethel of old TV: MERTZ, from "I Love Lucy".

7. Texas A&M athlete: AGGIE

8. 19th-century master of the macabre: POE. Edgar Allan Poe

9. Old Rus. state: SSR. (Soviet Socialist Republic)

10. "Get lost!": "BEAT IT!"...and stay off my lawn. I don't want to have to tell you AGAIN!

11. Follow, as a tip: ACTON

12. Trailblazing Daniel: BOONE

13. Roundheaded Fudd: ELMER. "Daniel may hunt bears but I'm hunting wabbits!"

18. Yucatán years: ANOs. From years ago: the Yucatan Asteroid Crater.

22. Jungian inner self: ANIMA. Not a Monday friendly word.

23. Pack (down): TAMP

24. Calf-roping event: RODEO

25. Poet Khayyám: OMAR

26. Punt or field goal: KICK

27. Mine, to Marcel: Á MOI

28. One of 100 between end zones: YARD

31. Native New Zealander: MAORI. Bed and Breakfast?

32. Source of quick cash, briefly: ATM. (automated teller machine)

33. Brainstorm: IDEA

34. Butterfly catchers: NETS. Could have stayed with the sports theme with the Brooklyn Nets, pro basketball team.

35. For nothing: FREE

37. Eight-musician group: OCTET

38. Regretful sort: RUER

39. Bulleted list entry: ITEM

43. Heavyset: STOCKY

44. Plum's title in Clue, briefly: PROF. The professor? Now Victor Plum, a billionaire video game designer.

45. Blue or black water of filmdom: LAGOON. The Blue Lagoon (1980 film)/Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954 film)

46. Hay bundles: BALES

47. Burning: AFIRE

48. Mixer with gin: TONIC

49. Player referenced in 57-Across' clue, briefly: NFLer

50. Southern side dish: GRITS

53. Tiny biting insect: GNAT

54. "Eek!": "YIPE!"

55. Hotel room cleaner: MAID

57. Cleveland cager, for short: CAV. The Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team.

58. "Easy as" letters: ABC

59. Old studio letters: RKO

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

For those who can't find Sunday puzzles in their LA Times, it's moved to the Comics section.