Theme: Hello, Mr. Chips - The many faces of Mr. Chips.
62A. Nabisco cookies ... and what you might cry upon solving this puzzle's three other longest answers? : CHIPS AHOY. Chocolate chips.
17A. Place for a Hold 'em game : POKER ROOM. Valuable chips.
11D. Officer Frank Poncherello portrayer of '70s-'80s TV : ERIK ESTRADA. "CHiPS"
24D. Slogan seen on computer stickers : INTEL INSIDE. Computer chips.
Argyle here. Dave seems a bit more whimsical than his previous puzzles. I'm not sure of poker room being a valid term but I don't gamble. Now I see it is; the casinos keep the poker room separate from the rest. So the Black Jack tables may be on the main floor but the Texas Hold'em need a quieter atmosphere.
The two long columns gives the grid a different look. A couple of column entries I didn't get until laid them flat. Plus a little Natick at the start due to not knowing which G_P to use to get the tiny South Pacific nation. Guessed right. And no repeat on the types of chips either.
Across:
1. Ancient Egyptian pictograph, e.g. : GLYPH
6. Game, __, match : SET. Tennis.
9. Signs : OMENS
14. Tiny South Pacific nation : NAURU. Tiny, I'd say! 8.1 sq. mi.
15. High-tech film effects, for short : CGI. (computer-generated imagery)
16. Spreading like wildfire, as online videos : VIRAL
19. Breathing : ALIVE
20. Missouri tributary : PLATTE. Sandhill Crane habitat.
21. Approved of, on Facebook : LIKED
22. Golf club part : GRIP. "Grip it and rip it!"
25. Some evergreens : FIRs
26. Visualize : SEE
27. Hindu royal : RANI
28. Feels poorly : AILs
30. Lith. and Ukr. were part of it : USSR
33. Swear (to) : ATTEST
36. See 38-Across : POOR. 38A. With 36-Across, needy people : THE
39. Located in that place, in legalese : THEREAT
41. Arctic wastelands : TUNDRAs
43. Slippery fish : EEL
44. Baby bed : CRIB
46. Veterans Day tradition : PARADE
47. Trace amount : DRIB. We know DRIB.
49. Afternoon socials : TEAs
51. Garden locale : EDEN
52. __ de plume : NOM
54. Onetime Russian monarch : TSAR
56. DUI-fighting gp. : SADD. Founded as Students Against Driving Drunk, now Students Against Destructive Decisions.
57. Social division : CASTE
59. Trojan War hero : AENEAS. He seems like a strange hero.
61. Some highway ramps : EXITs
66. Long-extinct birds : DODOs. CSO
67. Assembly aid : KIT
68. Open-mouthed : AGAPE
69. Opposition : ENEMY
70. Sloppy farm area : STY
71. Bedbugs, e.g. : PESTs
Down:
1. Treasury Dept. variable : GNP. (Gross National Product, not Gross Domestic Product)
2. Mekong River language : LAO
3. Relative of har : YUK
4. Dressed more like an Exeter student : PREPPIER
5. Fling : HURL
6. Nova __ : SCOTIA
7. Self-serving activity : EGO TRIP
8. Broadcaster's scheduling unit : TIME SLOT
9. Racetracks : OVALs
10. Surroundings : MILIEU
12. Congregation area : NAVE
13. Snowy day toy : SLED
18. U.K. flying squad : RAF
22. Like Parmesan, commonly : GRATED
23. Newsman Dan : RATHER
29. Salad go-with : SOUP
31. Treelined : SHADED
32. Email again : RESEND
34. Wall Street watchdog org. : SEC. (Securities and Exchange Commission)
35. Tangy : TART
37. Genetic info transmitter : RNA
40. Dapper pins : TIE TACKS. For the well dressed ball player.
42. Equestrian competition : DRESSAGE
45. Single or double, say : BASE HIT
48. Deepest part : BOTTOM
50. Rational state : SANITY
53. Complicated, as a breakup : MESSY
55. Sales staff member : REP
57. Give up, as territory : CEDE
58. Nervous system transmitter : AXON
60. With all haste, in memos : ASAP
63. Owns : HAS
64. Get off the fence : OPT
65. Hoped-for answer to a certain proposal : YES
Argyle
