Theme: One for the Guys - Four sets of Double Ds.
17A. Hand Vac maker : DIRT DEVIL
29A. Special "Jeopardy!" square : DAILY DOUBLE. Double dose.
40A. Cavity filler's letters, or, said another way, a hint to 17-, 29-, 49- and 65-Across : DDS. Doctor of Dental Science
49A. A&E reality series featuring the Robertson family : DUCK DYNASTY
65A. Computer component : DISK DRIVE. I'll leave this for CED to discover.
When you solve in Across Lite, click on View, then Notepad, you'll see below (Other on-line websites do not support Notepad):
Sean Dobbin is an English teacher at the Community High School of Vermont (CHSVT) in St. Johnsbury. His cruciverbalism class, for which students earn fractional credit, involves vocabulary, writing, and other areas of English. 12 students worked with Mr. Dobbin on today's puzzle.
Sean Dobbin is an English teacher at the Community High School of Vermont (CHSVT) in St. Johnsbury. His cruciverbalism class, for which students earn fractional credit, involves vocabulary, writing, and other areas of English. 12 students worked with Mr. Dobbin on today's puzzle.
Argyle here. The real story is not so much about the puzzle (tho it's a fine puzzle indeed) but about the constructors themselves. I see Mr. Dobbin had a solo puzzle in the NY Times but this, I think, is a first for the Cruciverbalism Class. Click here to read more about Sean Dobbin.
Across:
1. Steady look : GAZE
5. Uneducated guess : STAB. Or WAG, in our argot.
9. Knife and fork separator, in a place setting : PLATE. That must be in the fancy restaurants; in the diner, all three utensils are wrapped up as one in a napkin.
14. Black cat, to some : OMEN
15. Like a guru : WISE
16. Long-eared hoppers : HARES
19. Haloed messenger : ANGEL
20. Nocturnal annoyance : SNORE
21. Once in a while : OFF AND ON. Like my snoring. Honest!
23. Until now : YET
25. Road groove : RUT. Deeper than this.
26. Bermuda hrs. : AST. (Atlantic Standard Time)
36. Stir-fried hodgepodge : CHOP SUEY
38. Ad-lib comedy style : IMPROV. (improvisation)
39. Hailed vehicle : TAXI
42. Comedian Cook : DANE. No clip. YouTube trouble.
43. "The Real Slim Shady" rapper : EMINEM. Same excuse. Honest!
46. Big name in gloves : ISOTONER
51. Arid : DRY
52. Past-tense verb that sounds like a number : ATE
53. EMT technique : CPR
55. Squirrel's discard : NUTSHELL
60. Continental bank notes : EUROs
64. Hauled to the hoosegow : RAN IN
67. Speak one's mind : OPINE
68. Good earth : LOAM
69. Peak : APEX
70. Moisten, as a lawn : WATER
71. Tolkien tree creatures : ENTs
72. Ash Wednesday-to-Easter time : LENT. Almost over.
Down:
1. Zeus and Apollo : GODS
2. Idi of Uganda : AMIN
3. None : ZERO
4. Way in : ENTRY
5. Nor. neighbor : SWE. Norway / Sweden
6. DVR pioneer : TIVO
7. "Not a chance!" : "AS IF!"
8. Steeple section with a ringer : BELFRY. Where my bats are.
9. "The __ of the Opera" : PHANTOM
10. Touch down : LAND
11. Jason's ship : ARGO
12. New driver, often : TEEN
13. Immigrant's subj. : ESL. (English as a second language)
18. Closing documents : DEEDS
22. German automaker : AUDI
24. Cross-shaped Greek letter : TAU
26. Played a part (in) : ACTED
27. SeaWorld orca : SHAMU. In the news lately.
28. Poisonous, as waste : TOXIC
30. Mil. roadside hazard : IED. (improvised explosive device)
31. Winona's "Beetlejuice" role : LYDIA. OK, it's working again. Honest!
32. Prom hairstyle : UPDO
33. Mark with an iron : BRAND
34. Introvert : LONER
35. "__ Breath You Take": Police hit : EVERY. Video(4:13)
37. Internal color of a medium steak : PINK. Anybody give 'sous vide' a try after we had it awhile ago.
41. Puncture sound : [SSS]
44. 1970s Mary Tyler Moore co-star : ED ASNER
45. Folk story : MYTH
47. Non-prescription: Abbr. : OTC. (over-the-counter)
48. Used a keyboard : TYPED
50. Tattoo tool : NEEDLE
54. Not urban : RURAL
55. California wine valley : NAPA
56. Textbook chapter : UNIT
57. Fork prong : TINE
58. Big cat : LION
59. Test for a future atty. : LSAT. (Law School Admission Test)
61. Like a red tomato : RIPE
62. Cookie cooker : OVEN. Cutie cluer.
63. Modern message between trysters, perhaps : SEXT. A sexual text between lovers.
64. Spreadsheet feature : ROW
66. Metric distances: Abbr. : KMs. (kilometers)
Argyle
