Wow, that took me almost as long to explain as C.C. probably spent coming up with the idea!
4A. Hartford market checker's action? : C.T. SCAN. Get your Computed Tomography scan in Connecticut.
17A. Boise jewelry? : I.D. BRACELET. Identify yourself in Idaho.
31A. Harrisburg loudspeaker network? : P.A. SYSTEM. Address your public in Pennsylvania.
41A. Jackson hair styles? : M.S. DOS. Microsoft boots your computer in Mississippi. I wanted to put AFROS here before I figured out the theme, and then one shows up at 53D!
46A. Tulsa bull pen? : O.K. CORRAL. Host your neighborhood gunfight in Oklahoma.
64A. Richmond medical center? : V.A. HOSPITAL. The Department of Veteran's Affairs takes care of you in Virginia
70A. Baton Rouge equipment? : L.A. GEAR. Get your Angeleno kicks in Louisiana.
Morning all! Steve here in a rather chilly Manhattan (18F as we speak) checking out the weather before the "Big Game" on Sunday. I can't call it by its proper name otherwise I'll get sued by the NFL! I'm scooting back to Los Angeles later today to defrost.
I thought this was a neat theme and execution from C.C. today; I was a little bamboozled at first but then had my "aha" moment with OK CORRAL and things went a lot more swimmingly after that.
Two minor nits - the 1A "Question Mark" clue was the only one of these not theme-related, and the second word of the 41A theme entry is technically also an abbreviation, the only one of the six.
Let's see what else caught my eye:
Across:
1. Fly-by-nighter? : OWL
10. To be, to Brutus : ESSE
14. Pod resident : PEA
15. La Quinta rival : RAMADA
16. Mocked, in a way : APED
19. Radius neighbor : ULNA. The smaller of the two forearm bones. I broke my right one a couple of times as a kid before my mother pretty much told me if I did it again I'd wish I'd never come home.
20. Huffington Post piece : ESSAY
21. Catches on, with "up" : WISES
23. Helen Reddy's "__ Woman" : I AM
24. Signs of approval : NODS
26. Seek, as a fugitive : HUNT
28. Like Mont Blanc : ALPINE. It's the tallest of the Alps and forms part of the border between France and Italy.
35. China's Chou En-__ : LAI
36. "My Fair Lady" composer : LOEWE. I can't miss up the opportunity to link to the lovely Audrey Hepburn singing a Lerner and Loewe classic.
38. Piddling : MERE
39. Best of Hollywood : EDNA
42. Pull an all-nighter, perhaps : CRAM
43. "The Ides of March" actor Gosling : RYAN
44. Grind to __ : A HALT
45. Environmental prefix : ECO. Have you ever heard of anything being eco-unfriendly?
48. Lyric poems : EPODES
51. New Rochelle campus : IONA. 20 miles north of where I'm sitting. Very cool old seal.
52. Agenda unit : ITEM
53. Every little bit : ALL
54. Like Richard Burton, by birth : WELSH. Because "Hell-Raiser" doesn't fit.
58. First name on a 1945 bomber : ENOLA
62. Commotion : FLAP. Also part of a 1945 bomber.
66. Start from scratch : REDO
67. Pass by : ELAPSE
68. Spleen : IRE
69. Evangelist Roberts : ORAL. Quiet in the back.
71. Doo-wop horn : SAX
Down:
1. Mayberry kid : OPIE
2. Unites : WEDS
3. Physical exam tests : LABS
4. Coloring stick : CRAYON
5. "Tic __ Dough": old TV game show : TAC
6. Small diving ducks : SMEWS. Small enough to escape my attention all these years. They can't even be good to eat, otherwise I'd surely have heard of them. Pretty though.
7. City SW of Bogotá : CALI
8. Lemony drinks : ADES
9. Cager Archibald : NATE. Nathaniel "Tiny" Archibald, basketball Hall-Of-Famer. Of course I had no clue (and thankful for the crosses) being as he retired in 1984 and I didn't see a pro basketball game until 1993.
10. Evian water : EAU
11. Broke into small, sharp pieces : SPLINTERED.
12. Contest for a seat : SENATE RACE. I prefer musical chairs, much more fun.
13. Cheese in a red coat : EDAM. Food! Finally!
18. Delhi royal : RANI
22. Hardly outgoing : SHY
25. Beach town NW of San Diego : DEL MAR. "Where the Surf meets the Turf". The Del Mar Racetrack hosts the Grade 1 Pacific Classic Stakes each summer. Pretty place.
28. Last Olds model : ALERO
29. Playboy : LADY KILLER
30. Rum-and-coconut drink : PINA COLADA
31. Organ part : PEDAL
32. Illegally off base, briefly : A.W.O.L. Marines Absent Without Leave at Del Mar?
33. Six-line sonnet section : SESTET. Crosses helped me out here. I was going to use this as an excuse to quote one of my favorite Shakespeare sonnets, but then I discovered that it's Italian sonnets that have an octave followed by a sestet, whilst English ones have a quatrain followed by a couplet. I'll forget all that by tonight.
34. Bulletin board postings : MEMOS
37. Workplace protection agcy. : O.S.H.A.
40. Like most Internet trolls: Abbr. : ANON. We have our share of Anons on this blog, but most of them appear to be shy, rather than trolls, which is rather different. Unless they're cute trolls:
47. Unpolished : RAW
49. Eye : PEEPER
50. Upscale hotel chain : OMNI. Is this one in San Diego where all the Marines who go AWOL from Camp Pendleton stay when they've been to the track at Del Mar? There's a Ramada and a La Quinta close by too. Now there's a mini-theme for you!
52. "Fingers crossed" : I HOPE
53. Curly hairdo : AFRO
55. Stunt legend Knievel : EVEL
56. Singer's syllables : LA LA. Not to be confused with L.A. in 70A
57. Chase, as flies : SHAG. I had SWAT first, which slowed me down a tad.
59. Elevator man : OTIS
60. "60 Minutes" correspondent Logan : LARA
61. "Jeopardy!" fixture, to contestants : ALEX. "Crosswords for 600 please, Alex." "Answer: Rich Norris keeps this newspaper's puzzle on track".
63. Capitol Hill fig. : POL.
65. Fed. benefits agency : S.S.A.
That about wraps it up from me. I've got a nice view of the Chrysler Building from my hotel room which makes a change from the backside of the hotel next door that I'm usually looking at. Keep warm, everyone!
Steve
