Theme: 2's - Four words, to be exact, that indicate 2 start off the theme entries.
17A. 1971 road film co-starring James Taylor : "TWO LANE BLACKTOP". Classic cult film.
26A. Treachery : DOUBLE DEALING. Classic soap opera feature.
41A. Spectacles : PAIR OF GLASSES. Classic quote: "Men seldom make passes / at girls who wear glasses / but it really depends on their frames."
53A. Status of a multiple passport holder : DUAL CITIZENSHIP. Classic ???
Argyle(the one and only) here. An apt puzzle for today, if a bit uninspired. A couple of grid spanners, all in-language theme entries but I didn't warm to it. Your temperature may vary.
Across:
1. Gather for oneself : AMASS
6. __ accompli : FAIT. "fact accomplished" - or what we might called a 'done deal'.
10. Brontë or Boleyn : ANNE
14. Video game hedgehog : SONIC
15. Up to the task : ABLE
16. Cambodia neighbor : LAOS
20. Cozy stopover : INN
21. Golfer McIlroy : RORY.
# One.
22. Shaggy : HAIRY
23. City SW of Bogotá : CALI. Down in Colombia.
24. Prefix meaning "loving" : PHILO. "philosophy" = "love of wisdom" What would be "love of crosswords"?
30. Church organ features : PIPES. But don't tell the organist she has a nice set of pipes.
31. Two-masted vessel : YAWL
32. "Do You Know the __ to San Jose?" : WAY
34. Got older : AGED
35. Gets hot under the collar : BOILS [eew, bad image.]
37. Taste, as of a sandwich : BITE
38. Mangy mutt : CUR
39. Tight-knit family : CLAN
40. "Funeral Blues" poet W.H. __ : AUDEN
45. Hearty meals : STEWS
46. Ugh-producing : ICKY
47. Assume the role of : ACT AS
49. Poet Pound : EZRA
50. New Deal agcy. : WPA. Works Progress Administration (renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration)
57. Longfellow's bell town : ATRI It was in C.C.'s Sunday Aug. 17th puzzle.
58. Indian princess : RANI
59. R&B singer Sam : COOKE
60. Flat-topped hill : MESA
61. Fencing weapon : ÉPÉE
62. County in SE England : ESSEX
Down:
1. Piedmont wine region : ASTI
2. Cut with a Snapper, say : MOWN. (past tense) Forrest liked his.
3. Shortly, to Shakespeare : ANON
4. __ vous plaît : S'IL. "if you please"
5. Sacred Egyptian beetles : SCARABs. very pretty colors.
6. Spenser's "The __ Queene" : FAERIE
7. "Dear" advice giver : ABBY
8. Feeling poorly : ILL
9. Celestial Seasonings offering : TEA
10. Acid neutralizer : ALKALI
11. Company that's "on your side" : NATIONWIDE. Also, sponsor of the junior NASCAR circuit.
12. Jordanian queen dowager : NOOR. Biography
13. Catch sight of : ESPY 40D. With suspicion : ASKANCE
18. Hall of Fame NFL coach Chuck : NOLL. Biography
19. Kick back : CHILL
23. Prompted : CUED
24. Ring loudly : PEAL
25. Partner of hems : HAWS
26. Unearth : DIG UP
27. Big names at the Met : OPERA STARS
28. Fading away : DYING
29. Garden swingers : GATES
30. Source of some D.C. funding : PAC
33. Strong desire : YEN
35. Low __: cheap shot : BLOW
36. Clumsy sorts : OAFS
37. On a tight schedule : BUSY
39. Getting gradually louder, in mus. : CRESC. (Crescendo)
42. Bologna's land : ITALIA
43. Tin __: Model T : LIZZIE
44. Parcel of land : ACRE
47. Sandler of "Grown Ups" films : ADAM. There is a third one in the works.
48. Like kitten videos : CUTE
49. Berlin article : EINE
50. Start of a "Knock, knock" response : WHO'S [there]
51. Toll road : PIKE
52. Mountain climber's goal : APEX
54. Wrath : IRE
55. Sink feature : TAP
56. Sailor's distress signal : SOS
Argyle
