Theme: Away to the window I flew - The first word of the theme entries can follow FLASH.
17. Canasta, e.g. : CARD GAME. Also a game with melds. FLASH CARD - educational aid.
23. Exasperate, metaphorically : DRIVE TO DRINK. Just don't drive from drink; take a cab. FLASH DRIVE - Stick it in your USB port. More
37. '60-'70s Canadian folk-rock icon : GORDON LIGHTFOOT. Famous for a Wreck. FLASH GORDON - Intrepid space traveler who battled Ming the Merciless
48. The same as it was hundreds of years ago, say : FROZEN IN TIME. Unaffected by global warming. FLASH FROZEN - Food is frozen in such a very short period it prevents the forming of large crystals.
60. Spontaneous gathering, and a hint to the starts of 17-, 23-, 37- and 48-Across : FLASH MOB. A YouTube favorite here on the Corner.
Argyle here. Similar to Monday's puzzle. Four theme entries but taking the first word this time, the two corner blocks are in rows instead of the columns and there is a spanner. This has a unifier instead of a reveal if you get my drift. Fifty-five theme entry blocks as opposed to fifty yesterday. Still satisfying and amusing.
Across:
1. Butter square : PAT
4. Young newts : EFTs
8. Most gentle : TAMEST
14. Brew that may be pale or dark : ALE
15. Baseball family name : ALOU
16. Environmentally friendly auto : ECO-CAR
19. Coke competitor : RC COLA
20. Hot-dish holder : TRIVET. Or hot flat iron holder.
21. Fleischer of the Bush White House : ARI. For President George W. Bush, from January 2001 to July 2003.
22. Train stopping at every sta. : LOCal
27. Barbecue fare : RIBS. Arc-shaped, finger-staining snack food?
30. Roamed without restraint : RAN FREE
31. "The Simpsons" storekeeper : APU. Or Ned, owner of The Leftorium.
32. Agitate : ROIL
33. Most characters on "The Big Bang Theory" : NERDS
41. "That's not in the script!" evoker : AD LIB. What Tim Conway was good at on the Carol Burnett Show. (unedited with extra footage)
42. Competes : VIEs
43. Capote nickname : TRU
44. Not at all deceitful : ARTLESS.
47. Honeyed liquor : MEAD. Liquor made from fermented honey.
52. Stimpy's sidekick : REN
53. Promise to pay, for short : IOU
54. Bottom, to baby : TUSHIE
58. Uphill climb : ASCENT
62. Bald spot coverer : TOUPEE
63. "__ Misbehavin'" : AIN'T
64. Plains tribe : OTO
65. Takes an oath : SWEARS
66. Butterfly catchers : NETs
67. __ Antonio : SAN
Down:
1. Diplomat's goal : PACT
2. Banned apple spray : ALAR
3. Garr of "Tootsie" : TERI
4. More than willing : EAGER
5. Old-style clothes presser : FLAT IRON
6. Alley prowler : TOMcat
7. "Peggy __ Got Married": 1986 film : SUE. IMDb
8. Intense fear : TERROR
9. Traffic backup causes : ACCIDENTs
10. Comfy shoe : MOC
11. Food-poisoning bacteria : E. COLI
12. Manicure spot : SALON
13. Liner notes listing : TRACK
18. Redbox rentals : DVDs
21. DOJ enforcer : ATF. (Department of Justice/Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives)
24. Resort WSW of Boulder : VAIL. Shout out to Montana.
25. Add some pep to : ENLIVEN
26. Coral formation : REEF
27. Ravi Shankar genre : RAGA
28. Apple with tunes : iPOD
29. Folksy Ives : BURL
32. "The Bucket List" director : ROB REINER
34. Repetitive learning : ROTE
35. Toon explorer with a monkey friend named Boots : DORA
36. It may be ear-piercing : STUD
38. Rodrigo __ de Vivar: El Cid : DIAZ. All perps.
39. Basic idea : GIST
40. Reluctant to commit : HESITANT
45. Govt. securities : T-NOTES
46. Sch. with a Brooklyn campus : LIU. (Long Island University)
47. Interlock, as gears : MESH
48. Houses with Greek letters : FRATs
49. Plant anew : RESOW
50. Just as planned : ON CUE
51. Mandatory items : MUSTs
55. Managed care gps. : HMOs
56. Minuscule amount : IOTA
57. Dark, to a poet : EBON
59. Anti-pollution org. : EPA
60. Cooling device : FAN
61. Prevaricate : LIE. FINI, and that's no lie.
Argyle
