Theme: P?CK* - Vowel progression in the first syllable of the five theme entries.
17A. Airfare-plus-hotel stay, say : PACKAGE DEAL
24A. Poultry hierarchy : PECKING ORDER
35A. Soul food pork snack : PICKLED PIGS FEET
47A. Coins in one's pants : POCKET CHANGE
57A. Ready to be kissed : PUCKERING UP
Argyle here. "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers." There, got that out of my system. 61 theme squares, one a spanner.
Across:
1. Subdued color : PASTEL
7. Take a breather : REST
11. Marx's "__ Kapital" : DAS
14. Christmas carol start : ADESTE. Fideles.
15. Green Gables girl : ANNE. Bestselling novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery published in 1908. Many films and TV specials have been made using Prince Edward Island as a backdrop.
16. All-Star starting pitcher : ACE
19. Convent dweller : NUN
20. Invoice total: Abbr. : AMT.
21. Thrilla in Manila fighter : ALI
22. "I'd be delighted!" : "GLAD TO!"
27. Camaro and Corvette : CHEVYS
29. Sound from a snout : "OINK"
30. Comic actress Oteri : CHERI. From SNL.
31. RR stop : STN. (station)
32. Diagnostic scanner, briefly : MRI
40. Comics cry of disgust : "ACK!"
41. Cold War KGB rival : CIA
42. Stop in the Sahara : OASIS
43. Commotions : ADOs
45. Beachgoer's souvenir : SUNTAN
51. Texas city on the Rio Grande : EL PASO
52. NFL drive killer : INT. (interception)
53. "My lips __ sealed" : ARE
56. Note after fa : SOL
61. Capote's nickname : TRU. (author)
62. "It's her __": relationship ultimatum : OR ME
63. Lack of comfort : UNEASE
64. Has way too much, briefly : OD's
65. Bygone royal Russian : TSAR. and 44D. 65-Across, e.g. : DESPOT
66. Main course : ENTRÉE
Down:
1. Mama's main man : PAPA
2. Noted rib donor : ADAM
3. Religious splinter group : SECT
4. "For shame!" : "TSK!"
5. Seventh Greek letter : ETA
6. Inheritance : LEGACY
7. Pizza slice edges, geometrically : RADII
8. 180 degrees from WSW : ENE
9. Becoming tangled, as a fishing line : SNAGGING. Like first attempts at casting, lines can be entangled without snagging a thing.
10. Rat out : TELL ON. Reminds of the joke Spitzboov posted last night.
11. Classic role-playing game, for short : D AND D. (Dungeons & Dragons)
12. Extreme, as pain : ACUTE
13. Barcelona mister : SENOR
18. Yellowstone grazers : ELKS. It would be correct without the S as a collective noun, too.
23. Noah's handiwork : ARK
24. On-the-job extra : PERK
25. Like villains : EVIL
26. "Don't look at me!" : "NOT I!". and 46D. "That's a lie!" : "UNTRUE!" : Things villains might say.
27. Elegant and stylish : CHIC
28. "Darn!" : "HECK!". Mondays are rated PG.
30. Yr.-end auditor : CPA. Isn't that an odd way to indicate an abbreviation?
31. Hot springs facility : SPA
32. Flat-topped elevation : MESA
33. Equestrian's control : REIN. (rain, reign, rein : puzzle seed?)
34. "Baby __ You": Shirelles hit : IT'S
36. Trips to environmentally protected areas : ECOTOURS
37. Part of CD : DISC
38. iTunes download : SONG
39. Destiny : FATE
43. Alias, to the LAPD : AKA. Also Known As.
45. All there, so to speak : SANE
47. Fettuccine topping : PESTO
48. Prayer starter : O LORD
49. Slightly above average grade : C-PLUS
50. Backpack toter : HIKER
53. Petri dish gel : AGAR
54. Bit of chicanery : RUSE
55. Sport with swords : ÉPÉE
58. Nashville-based awards org. : CMA. Country Music Association.
59. Country stopover : INN
60. Badminton divider : NET
Argyle
