Theme: None
Total words: 70
Total blocks: 29
This puzzle is anchored by two grid-spanners:
19A. Was left out, facetiously : DIDN'T GET THE MEMO. Orderly A, E, I, O, U, Y in the word "facetiously". Very unusual.
50A. Man, to Aristotle : POLITICAL ANIMAL. He said "man is by nature a political animal".
The two 15s are then crossed by two 9s each. All great entries. I especially liked GOOD CATCH (35D. Matrimonial prize).
Tough cluing overall, typified by:
45A. Case, for instance: Abbr. : SYN (Synonym). Case is a synonym of "instance": in this case/in this instance.
Across:
1. "American Pie" actress : TARA REID. Always nice to see a full name.
9. Leading, usually : ON BASE. Leading off base.
15. Refinement : ELEGANCE
16. Goes without saying? : MOUTHS. Great clue.
17. Subtle differences : NICETIES
18. "Where ignorant __ clash by night": Matthew Arnold : ARMIES. I just freeze when seeing a quote clue.
21. Round-topped topper : TAM. Scottish topper.
22. Ticked : IRATE
23. Duchamp contemporary : ARP (Jean)
26. Nursery employee : NANNY. Not plant nursery.
28. Milky way? : UDDER. Fun clue.
32. Rye server : DELI
34. Trifle : TOY. Verb.
35. It's good to be in one : GROOVE
36. Something taken by a shooter : DEAD AIM. Take dead aim.
38. Some incentives : BONUSES
39. Non-acidic vitamin brand : ESTER-C. So other brands might be acidic?
40. Labor gp. that initially supported FDR : CIO. Who knows?
41. Jack's wife in Season 1 of "24" : TERI. No idea.
42. Therapy goal : REHAB
43. Bridge units : HANDS. Game, Dummy! Not river bridge.
46. Last straw : LIMIT
48. Video end? : CAM. Oh, Video camera.
57. Throws : AMAZES. This throws me.
58. "Sure, why not?" : LET'S DO IT. Clue & answer sound very Dennis.
59. Meet people? : RACERS. "Meet" is a noun then.
60. Pedigree : ANCESTRY
61. Black-tie : DRESSY
62. Diamond gem : NO-HITTER. Baseball diamond. Two no-hitters this season. One by Twins' Liriano.
Down:
1. Keep an eye on : TEND
2. Et __ : ALII
3. Like most mailed pkgs. : REC'D
4. Deal maker : AGENT
5. Palm prevalent in Indonesia : RATTAN
6. Hard to figure out : ENIGMATIC. Like Mona Lisa's smile.
7. Frozen pop brand : ICEE
8. Fortune : DESTINY
9. It's across the Missouri from Council Bluffs, Iowa : OMAHA. Happy fill for Husker Gary.
10. Point from which one must proceed? : NO RETURN. Another tricky clue.
11. Disappointed, slangily : BUMMED OUT
12. End in __ : A TIE
13. Noah's eldest : SHEM. One of his brothers was called Ham.
14. Sinclair Oil rival : ESSO
20. Subject to strain : TRY
23. Puff __ : ADDER
24. Eponymous candy company founder : REESE
25. "Lady Lazarus" poet : PLATH (Sylvia). What a tragic life she had.
27. Henri, e.g. : NOM. Just a name.
29. Doctor's orders : DOSES
30. All possible : EVERY
31. Mastic, for one : RESIN. Did not know Mastic is plant resin.
33. Puts on a pedestal : IDEALIZES
37. Judges : ARBITERS. The constructor is a judge.
38. Storage unit : BIN
40. Pablo Casals, e.g. : CATALAN. Dali also.
43. Sound heard after a lot of shots? : HIC. Bar "shots".
44. Third-generation Japanese-American : SANSEI. San = Three/Third. Same as Chinese. Sei means "birth".
47. Rapper Elliott : MISSY
49. Core : MIDST
50. Frontier friend : PARD
51. Shortstop Vizquel : OMAR. He was with the Indians for a long time.
52. Oxford fastener : LACE
53. Star seen around midnight : LENO (Jay)
54. Suffragist Lucretia : MOTT. I forgot. I think we had her before.
55. Leeds's river : AIRE. Another stumper.
56. Astron. distance : LT-YR (Light year)
C.C.
