Theme: Jump Back Jack - "Are you ready for some football?"
33. Returning to action, and, on a gridiron, what each first word of 17-, 24-, 47- and 55-Across is : BACK IN THE GAME
17. Soccer scoring opportunity : CORNER KICK. Cornerback, defensive position.
24. Vice presidential hopeful : RUNNING MATE. Running back, ball carrier and blocker.
47. Musical symbol : QUARTER NOTE. Quarterback, the field general.
55. Hold that's illegal in amateur wrestling : FULL NELSON. Fullback, blocking and taking the ball straight ahead,.
Argyle here. Are we ramping up for the Superbowl or what? I wouldn't be surprised to find this theme has been done before but it wouldn't detract any of my enjoyment of solving this one. Some other football references included.
Across:
1. PBS science series since 1974 : "NOVA"
5. Barton of the Red Cross : CLARA
10. Secret language : CODE. That seems a little off.
14. Fictional rabbit's title : BR'ER
15. Persian Gulf tanker : OILER
16. __ about: roughly : ON OR
19. Lang of Smallville : LANA. Superman's boyhood friend.
20. Hairpiece : TOUPÉE
21. How French dip sandwiches are served : AU JUS
22. Neruda's "__ to Wine" : ODE
27. Cultural no-nos : TABOOs
29. Goings-on : DOINGS
30. Hamilton opponent : BURR. Backstory
31. NFL Hall of Famer Lynn : SWANN. Wide receiver.
39. "Am not!" reply : "ARE SO!". Age old argument over who's a booger.
40. Whacked arcade critter : MOLE. Whac-A-Mole
42. Greek markets : AGORAE
45. Between-meals meals : SNACKS
50. Disney frame : CEL
51. Vaulted church areas : APSEs
52. Singer Newton-John : OLIVIA
54. Table salt, to a chemist : NaCl
59. "Buenos __" : DIAS. "Good Morning"
60. Characteristic : TRAIT
61. Frustrating toy for Charlie Brown : KITE
62. "Rule, Britannia" composer Thomas : ARNE
63. Breaks bread : DINES
64. Shoveled precipitation : SNOW
Down:
1. "Football Night in America" network : NBC
2. Guatemala gold : ORO
3. Spinal bone : VERTEBRA
4. River of Pisa : ARNO. Haven't seen this flower in awhile.
5. Habeas __ : CORPUS. "you [shall] have the body"
6. Compare : LIKEN
7. From another planet : ALIEN
8. Camcorder button : REC
9. "Raiders of the Lost __" : ARK
10. Op-Ed piece : COLUMN
11. Deep into the pub crawl, say : ON A JAG
12. Dunkin' __ : DONUTS
13. Take off the board : ERASE
18. Currency since 1999 : EURO
21. Winery process that can take years : AGING
22. Wagering letters : OTB
23. Apply haphazardly : DAUB
25. Potato state : IDAHO
26. __ of the above : NONE
28. Tolkien monster : ORC
31. Look of disdain : SNEER
32. Scale amts. : WTs. (weights)
34. Wii game rides for Mario and Luigi : KARTS
35. "Dies __": hymn : IRAE. (Day of Wrath)
36. Physicians' org. : AMA. (American Medical Association)
37. Soft shoe : MOCCASIN
38. Sommer of films : ELKE
41. Immigrant's class: Abbr. : ESL. (English as a Second Language)
42. Live-in nanny : AU PAIR
43. Stranded motorist's aid : GAS CAN
44. Threat-ending words : OR ELSE
45. Tours of duty : STINTS
46. Campbell of "Scream" : NEVE
47. Info-gathering exchange : Q AND A
48. Ryan with a record seven no-hitters : NOLAN. Some baseball slipped in.
49. Hardy of Laurel & Hardy : OLLIE
53. Classes : ILKs. That seems a little off also.
55. Teleflora rival : FTD. (Florists' Transworld Delivery)
56. Sch. in the smallest state : URI. (University of Rhode Island)
57. Oklahoma tribe : OTO
58. Cutting-edge : NEW
Argyle
