Theme: Stay Behind the Line - A police show staple, "Get Back!" except today it is GET that is back, backwards that is. TE ends the first word and G begins the second word.
41A. Regain, and hint to a hidden letter arrangement in 20- and 59-Across and 11- and 35-Down : GET BACK
20A. Hockey player's blade cover : SKATE GUARD
59A. Meticulous, as premium service : WHITE GLOVE
11D. Roofing color : SLATE GRAY
35D. Rather nice : QUITE GOOD
Argyle here. It seems rather flat to me. A couple of tens and nines that lack sparkle. I hope you enjoyed it.
Across:
1. Fraternal title for a fictional fox : BR'ER. from the Uncle Remus folktales.
5. Easily bamboozled sort : PATSY
10. Former Mach 2 fliers, briefly : SSTs
14. Top-rated : A-ONE
15. Hawaii hello : "ALOHA"
16. Butterlike spread : OLEO
17. Steak cut : LOIN
18. U.S.-Canada defense letters : NORAD. (North American Aerospace Defense Command)
19. With 54-Down, longtime Jeep competitor : LAND 54D. See 19-Across : ROVER
22. __ Place: Butch and Sundance companion : ETTA
23. Music rights gp. : ASCAP. (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers)
24. Wonderland cake words : [EAT ME]
26. Bolivian capital : LA PAZ. An elevation of roughly 3,650 meter (11,975 feet).
30. Ticked off : ANGRY
33. www help pages : FAQs. (Frequently asked questions)
36. Old vendor of cold blocks : ICEMAN
39. French king : ROI
40. Sch. in Columbus : OSU. (Ohio State University)
42. Sound system part : AMP
43. Xbox 360 competitor : Wii. (Nintendo)
44. Log-on requirement : USER ID
45. Work on a keyboard : TYPE
46. Mechanic on TV's "Taxi" : LATKA. Portrayed by Andy Kaufman.
48. Foil maker : ALCOA
50. Sinclair Lewis' "__ Gantry" : ELMER
53. Swampy areas : MIREs
57. Senate gofer : PAGE
63. Swine's supper : SLOP
64. No longer squeaking : OILED
65. Fifty-fifty : EVEN
66. Get a glimpse of : SPOT
67. Do a bakery job : KNEAD
68. Socially awkward type : NERD
69. Bustle : TO DO
70. "My apologies" : "SORRY"
71. Prohibitionists : DRYS. Opponents of the WETS.
Down:
1. Lightweight wood : BALSA
2. Corner chessmen : ROOKS. How's the table, Splynter?
3. Room-size computer unveiled in 1946 : ENIAC. (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer)
4. U-Haul vans, e.g. : RENTALS
5. Sign of hunger : PANG
6. Baseball family name : ALOU
7. Afghanistan's __ Bora : TORA
8. Divvy up : SHARE
9. When tripled, "and so on" : "YADDA..."
10. Serious : SOLEMN
12. No-frills shelter : TENT
13. Fountain drink : SODA
21. Org. concerned with greenhouse gases : EPA
25. Gas holder : TANK
27. Bakery array : PIES
28. French play part : ACTE
29. Striped equine : ZEBRA
31. One-sided win : ROMP
32. "Holy cow!" : YIPE
33. Pheasant or turkey : FOWL
34. Sri Lanka setting : ASIA. Travelogue
37. Letters in a box : MAIL
38. Electrical adapter letters : AC/DC
41. Largest of the Mariana Islands : GUAM
45. Final part : TAIL END
47. Compulsive thief, for short : KLEPTO. Kleptomania is the inability to refrain from the urge to steal items and is done for reasons other than personal use or financial gain.
49. Texter's "Zounds!" : [OMG!]
51. Furry "Star Wars" creatures : EWOKS
52. Thick-skinned beast : RHINO
55. All-inclusive adjective : EVERY
56. Ships : SENDS
57. Subtle "Over here!" : "PSST!"
58. Kibbles 'n Bits alternative : ALPO
60. Robert of "The Sopranos" : ILER. Where is he NOW?
61. Fabric mishap : TEAR
62. Whirling current : EDDY
Argyle
Note from C.C.:
Happy
Birthday to D-Otto, who has been quietly helping me and this blog the past few years. Our team blogging would be very stressful had Tom not taught me the basic know-how. He is always caring and patient, though he did become a loving Desper-otto when we brainstormed a very demanding theme set a few months ago :-)
