Theme: Little Boy Blue's Lament - The first word is descriptive of Little Boy Blue's stock.
17A. 1965 Righteous Brothers hit repopularized by its use in the 1990 film "Ghost" : UNCHAINED MELODY
33A. Scarily unpredictable type : LOOSE CANNON
41A. Monopoly board corner : FREE PARKING
59A. Pep that won't quit : BOUNDLESS ENERGY
"Little boy blue, Come blow your horn,
The sheep's in the meadow, The cow's in the corn.
But where is the boy Who looks after the sheep?
He's under a haystack, Fast asleep."
Argyle here. I found this a challenge for a Monday. Joel has shown he is good for any day of the week. Two grid spans. Some tricky clues and some so straightforward you might overthink them. A good mix.
"Will you wake him? No, not I - for if I do,
he's sure to cry."
Across:
1. Key with no flats or sharps: Abbr. : C MAJ. A gimme for some but not for me.
5. Terra __: pottery clay : COTTA
10. Dog's greeting : [BARK!]
14. Big deli sandwich : HERO. Sub, hoagie, hero, grinder; one study found 13 different names for the sandwich in the United States. 29A. Mini-burgers : SLIDERS
15. Extreme fear : DREAD
16. Away from the wind : ALEE
20. "__ sera": Italian "Good evening" : BUONA
21. Clip-__: earrings for non-pierced ears : ONs
22. Choir section : ALTOs
23. Letter-shaped hardware items : T-NUTs
25. Pilot's approx. : ETA. He should know. (Estimated Time of Arrival)
26. Fixes firmly (in) : EMBEDs
36. However, briefly : THO
37. 1/12 of a foot : INCH
38. See 67-Across : PEA 67A. With 38-Across, Popeye's kid : SWEE'
39. Leg bone : SHIN
40. Sleuth, slangily : TEC
45. Lash holders : EYELIDS
47. Tenor and bass : VOICES
48. Where cows graze : LEA. Or in the corn if they get free.
49. Coffee maker brand : BRAUN. They've stopped selling coffee makers in the US market. Can anyone confirm?
51. TV financial adviser Suze : ORMAN
54. Sturgeon delicacy : ROE
55. Macaroni shape : ELBOW
62. "That __ say ..." : IS TO if you're Hamlet 6D. "To be, __ to be ..." : OR NOT
63. Indy 500 family name : UNSER. Sort of like Alou in baseball, eh?
64. Wall Street order : SELL
65. Skin pics : TATS
66. Bearded farm critters : GOATS
Down:
1. Common freshwater bait fish : CHUB
2. List of dishes : MENU
3. With the bow, in music : ARCO. Not just for violins either; only here on the corner!
4. '80s-'90s "Entertainment Tonight" co-host : JOHN TESH. A crossword regular, he finally gets his full name in. Way to go, John!
5. 401, in old Rome : CDI
7. Adolescents : TEENS
8. Little boys : TADS
9. Naval bigwig: Abbr. : ADM.iral
10. Song from a troubadour : BALLAD
11. Very much : A LOT
12. Decorate again : REDO
13. Lock inserts : KEYS
18. "Duck Dynasty" network : A AND E. (Arts & Entertainment)
19. Part of EIK : EAT-IN. Eat-in kitchen, a term used in apartment listings. Could you parse it?
24. Trojans' sch. : USC. Near LAX. Right, Bill?
25. "Xanadu" rock gp. : ELO. (Electric Light Orchestra)
26. Privileged few : ELITE
27. Cold hard cash : MONEY
28. Lawn bowling game : BOCCE. It seems it is a bit of a misnomer. Bocce and lawn bowl are two different games. I didn't know that. Boche and Lawn Bowl
29. Ginger cookie : SNAP. Reminds me of Lois, yum.
30. Code of conduct : ETHIC
31. River valley known for Riesling wine : RHINE. Riesling is from white wine grape.
32. Karaoke selections : SONGS
34. Tarzan's foster family : APES
35. Once known as, in society pages : NÉE
39. Like less-caloric chicken pieces : SKINLESS
41. Devilish one : FIEND
42. Nutritional stat. : RDA. (Recommended Dietary Allowance)
43. Gardner of the silver screen : AVA
44. Cathedral city on the Seine : ROUEN. One more European river and we've got a mini-theme.
46. Gauchos' plains : LLANOs
49. __ nova: Brazilian dance : BOSSA. One more South Amer... oh, never mind.
50. Stopwatch button : RESET
51. "In memoriam" column, briefly : OBIT
52. Civil rights activist Parks : ROSA
53. Mixed-breed pooch : MUTT
54. Nevada casino city : RENO
56. Make, as coffee : BREW
57. Look at lecherously : OGLE
58. Noah of "Falling Skies" : WYLE. He got his share of ogles on ER. (Am I right, girls?)
60. Carry with effort : LUG
61. Triage ctrs. : ERs. Learned of triage from TV series, M*A*S*H and Emergency! long before ER.
Argyle
