17A. When some suits don't wear suits : DRESS DOWN FRIDAY. Companies often permit casual attire on Fridays. DRAY = a strong cart or wagon without sides. Like this.
23A. The Pawtucket Red Sox, e.g. : TRIPLE-A FARM TEAM. From Wikipedia: Triple-A (or Class AAA) refers to the highest level of play in minor league baseball in the USA. Teams at this level are divided into three leagues: the International League, the Pacific Coast League, and the MLB-independent Mexican League. Each of the 30 Major League Baseball teams has an affiliation with one Triple-A team in the United States. However, Mexican Triple-A teams are not included in the organized farm team system. TRAM = a four-wheeled wagon that runs on tracks in a mine.
52A. Sandals in Jamaica, e.g. : CARIBBEAN RESORT. CART = a two-wheeled wagon, normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals.
60A. Assume a defensive position (and what we did to highlight this puzzle's theme) : CIRCLE THE WAGONS. On long trips, wagon trains would form a circle with their wagons for protection from enemy attack.
Melissa here.
So many different words for wagon, who knew? I can can think of five-letter paddy and buggy, but there's also conestoga, carriage, and coach. And of course there's the classic 'woody.' Station wagon!
So many different words for wagon, who knew? I can can think of five-letter paddy and buggy, but there's also conestoga, carriage, and coach. And of course there's the classic 'woody.' Station wagon!
Across
1. The Renault 5, in North America : LE CAR
6. One-named New Ager : ENYA
10. Lake plant : ALGA. Singular. Always makes me think of my favorite book as a kid.
14. Street of San José : CALLE. Spanish word for street.
15. Ending with play or party : GOER. Does she go?
16. Rosemary, for one : HERB.
20. Sound from Simba : ROAR. Hakuna Matata wouldn't fit.
21. Frat "T" : TAU
22. Fords with racing stripes : GT'S
28. Nuclear org. created under HST : AEC. Atomic Energy Commission.
29. __ Grey tea : EARL. Flavored with bergamot.
30. Deep Throat's org. : FBI. Mark Felt revealed his identity in June 2005. I still have the Vanity Fair magazine issue. (He died in December 2008.)
31. Bamboozle : SCAM
33. Christian surname? : DIOR. Christian Dior.
35. How oaths are taken : ALOUD
39. __ de espera: waiting room : SALA. Needed perps, muy poquito Spanish for me.
40. She played Buffy : SARAH. Buffy the Vampire Slayer played by Sarah Michelle Gellar. Never watched it.
42. River to the North Sea : TYNE. In North East England.
43. Derby town : EPSOM
45. Trig ratio : SINE
46. "Sonic the Hedgehog" developer : SEGA. Video game.
47. Shad delicacy : ROE
49. Schoolyard claim : DIBS. Thought it might be AM SO at first.
51. Frame for Roger Rabbit : CEL
57. Sinatra's Gardner : AVA
58. Mideast "son of" : IBN. The Arabic particle بن (English: son of) should be transliterated ibn. I had no idea, had to look that one up.
59. Cheese or its town : EDAM
66. Hard downpour : HAIL. Nice clue.
67. Music biz sensation, perhaps : TEEN
68. "If I Were a Rich Man" singer : TEVYE
69. Feminine suffix : ENNE. As in, comedienne.
70. Mex. miss : SRTA. Senorita.
71. Clear : ERASE. Fooled me, I was thinking adjective, not a verb.
Down
1. Elec. readout : LCD. Liquid crystal display.
2. Field unit : EAR. Corn.
3. Some temps : CLERICALS
4. Journalist Stewart or Joseph : ALSOP. Not familiar with either one.
5. Consignment shop transaction : RESALE
6. Swelled head : EGO
7. Word of urgency : NOW
8. Gossipmonger : YENTA
9. Kennel double talk? : ARF ARF
10. Tuna at a luau : AHI
11. Building shelf : LEDGE
12. Persona non __ : GRATA. Latin, literally meaning "an unwelcome person," indicating a proscription against a person entering the country.
13. Wide gulf : ABYSM
18. Bob Marley feature : DREADS
19. Cuban dance : RUMBA
23. Café cup : TASSE. French. Café = coffe, tasse = cup.
24. Roundup : RECAP
25. Met favorites : ARIAS
26. Where to see a lot of keys : FLORIDA. A few days ago it was valet.
27. Knight games : TILTS. Tilting is jousting.
32. Haka dancers of New Zealand : MAORI. Holy hotwick haka dance, that's a lot of testosterone.
34. Made a quick stop : RAN IN
36. Santana hit also covered by Tito Puente : OYE COMO VA. Original version written by Cachao.
37. Madison's foil : UNGER. Oscar Madison and Felix Unger of The Odd Couple. Funniest. Scene. Ever.
38. Passed out in Vegas? : DEALT
41. Sharon's language : HEBREW
44. Company that uses Pegasus as a symbol : MOBIL
48. Brooklyn's __ Field : EBBETS
50. Get under control, in a way : SEDATE
52. Buried supply : CACHE. Wagon train parties would sometimes cache supplies to lighten their load and ford rivers and streams.
53. Like most cardinals : AVIAN. Most? Okay, not these.
54. __ to go : RARIN'
55. Pencil maze word : ENTER
56. More wise : SAGER
61. Cavs, on scoreboards : CLE. Cleveland Cavaliers. I hear they might have a new announcer.
62. Worked (up) : HET
63. Bambi's aunt : ENA
64. Where Rockefeller was gov. : NYS
