Theme: Y - Four theme entries that ask 'Why' but not a 'Y' to be found in the answers.
17A. "Why bother?" : "IT'S HOPELESS!"
27A. "Why me?" : "WHAT HAVE I DONE?"
43A. "Why worry?" : "FORGET ABOUT IT!"
57A. "Why not?" : "GIVE IT A SHOT"
Argle here. Warti is back upright for today's puzzle. Now can OwenKL give us some haiku.
Across:
1. Gem weight unit : CARAT
6. Three-line Japanese poem : HAIKU
11. Container for Peter Pan : JAR
14. "You __ busted!" : ARE SO
15. Past prisoner, for short : EXCON
16. Prefix for a lifesaving "Pen" : EPI
19. Bit of Morse code : DIT
20. Trivial gripe : NIT
21. Stow cargo : LADE
22. "57 Varieties" brand : HEINZ. Started with prepared horseradish.
24. Purr former : CAT. Cat update, Marti?
25. Plane for a small airstrip, briefly : STOL. Short TakeOff and Landing
33. Entire : WHOLE
34. Neeson of "Schindler's List" : LIAM
35. Carps at : NAGS
37. Blubber : BAWL
38. 90-degree pipe piece : ELL
39. Clinton's vice president : GORE. Al
40. Johnson of "Laugh-In" : ARTE
41. Island dance : HULA
42. Beast with one hump or two : CAMEL
46. Pet food brand with a ProActive Health variety : IAMS
47. Chimpanzee, e.g. : APE
48. Equally strange : AS ODD
51. Northwestern pear : BOSC
53. Revolutionary Guevara : CHE
56. Logician's proof ending : QED
61. Spoon-bending Geller : URI
62. Musical Merman : ETHEL
63. Eucalyptus-eating marsupial : KOALA
64. Civil War prez : ABE
65. Students' hurdles : TESTS
66. Kick out : EXPEL
Down:
1. Abel's older brother : CAIN
2. Class for potential painters : ART I
3. Remainder : REST
4. Residue in a smoker's tray : ASH
5. "You missed the deadline" : "TOO LATE"
6. Pay attention to : HEED
7. Wheel-supporting shaft : AXLE
8. Cold bagful for a party : ICE. or for your head after the party.
9. Bout enders, briefly : KOs. Knock Outs.
10. Without footwear : UNSHOD
11. "Star Wars" warrior : JEDI
12. Neat as __ : A PIN
13. Big name in hotels and crackers : RITZ
18. Hiker's route : PATH
23. Stretch out : ELONGATE
24. Phone screening service : CALLER ID
25. Underwater experiment site : SEALAB
26. Tiny Dickens boy : TIM
27. Pier : WHARF
28. Do-it-yourselfer's book genre : HOW TO
29. Indigenous Alaskans : ALEUTs
30. Grand Roman home : VILLA
31. Judd of country music : NAOMI
32. "Snowy" heron : EGRET
33. Fighter's org. : WBA. (World Boxing Association)
36. Salt, on the Seine : SEL. in France.
41. Partner of haw : HEM
42. Baked treat often wrapped in fluted paper : CUPCAKE. CED?
44. Gizmo : GADGET
45. Brewer's kiln : OAST
48. Greenish-blue : AQUA
49. Balkan native : SERB
50. Drooling toon dog : ODIE
51. Red root vegetable : BEET
52. Lubricates : OILS
53. Bloke : CHAP
54. Ice fishing access : HOLE
55. List-shortening abbr. : ET AL.
58. Suffix with Wyoming : ITE. Really
59. Old videotape type : VHS
60. Fenway team, for short : SOX. No wine reference today.
Argyle
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to dear Hahtoolah, who never appears on the blog without an inspiring and thoughtful "Quote of the Day". If you pay attention to the bracketed dates in Hahtoolah's quote source, you'll know that her quotes are never random. And she's been carefully selecting her quotes for us for a few years, talk about consistency! Her posts are also consistently caring & informative. (Dave, think cat!!)
Happy Birthday to dear Hahtoolah, who never appears on the blog without an inspiring and thoughtful "Quote of the Day". If you pay attention to the bracketed dates in Hahtoolah's quote source, you'll know that her quotes are never random. And she's been carefully selecting her quotes for us for a few years, talk about consistency! Her posts are also consistently caring & informative. (Dave, think cat!!)