17. Titillating passages : JUICY PARTS. Interesting sections of salacious literature. Feel free to make DF jokes. Parting is such sweet sorrow.
28. "You're the Top" musical : ANYTHING GOES. A phrase meaning something like "without limits." This is the only instance where the target word is a verb in fill context. The others are all nouns. On we GO.
Cole Porter Classic
47. Indulgent desserts : BANANA SPLITS. So many possibilities. But we'll just go bananas with sliced bananas, ice cream scoops and assorted toppings. SPLIT is the slangiest of these synonyms.
63. October tourist attraction : FALL LEAVES. Those things that fall off of trees, leaving them bare. When Fall leaves, Winter is coming.
Try as I might, I could make nothing of JUICY ANYTHING BANANA FALL. Hi gang, JazzBumpa here, ready to go all the way with Matt's puzzle.
Across
1. Black-tie affairs : GALAS.
6. Suffragist Carrie : CATT. Among other things, she founded the League of Women Voters
10. Antelope's playmate, in song : DEER. Oh, give me a home . . .
14. "Show your cards" : I CALL. Poker
15. Waikiki wingding : LUAU. Tropical beach party.
16. Concerning : IN RE. In regard to.
19. Mouselike critter : VOLE. AKA field mouse, a small rodent resembling a mouse but with a stouter body, a shorter, hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, smaller ears and eyes, and differently formed molars. [Wiki]
20. Beantown hockey great : ORR. Bobby of the Boston Bruins.
21. Missay, say : ERR. A verbal mistake, for example. ERR + ORR = ERROR.
22. Courtroom figure : ACCUSED. The alleged perp.
24. Opposite of 60-Down : EAST. Two entries consisting of exactly zero clues. MEH!
26. Postal service : AIR MAIL. One of the services offered by the U. S. Postal Service.
33. "A plague o' both your houses" speaker : MERCUTIO. Romeo's moody, temper mental, and occasionally humorous chum.
36. Pianist Gilels : EMIL. Flying fingers.
Back to Bach.
37. Mt. Hood locale : OREgon. Idaho neighbor, potato supplier.
38. Arles approval : BON. Good French.
39. Graffiti signature : TAG.
42. Wrath : IRE. IRE-ish eyes are not smiling.
43. Brest friend : AMIE. Good French, possibly bosom buddy.
45. Fixed firmly : CEMENTED. Glued in place.
51. __ cheese : GRILLED. Lunch sandwich.
52. Friend : CHUM. Possibly an AMIE.
56. Words from a Latin lover : YO TE AMO. I love you, if by "Latin" you mean "Spanish."
59. "Batman" sound effect : POW. From the comics or the old, campy TV series.
61. Mil. address : A P O. Army Post Office.
62. "... a Loaf of Bread ..." poet : OMAR. Khayyám, a Sufi mystic, Persian polymath, philosopher, mathematician, astronomer and poet. He also wrote treatises on mechanics, geography, mineralogy, music, and Islamic theology. [Wiki]
66. Make oneself heard : YELL. Voice raising.
67. Most fit for duty : ONE-A. Military draft status.
68. All too public spat : SCENE. Don't make one.
69. Just : ONLY. Here, "just" is an adverb, meaning "by a small margin."
70. "Ratatouille" rat who aspires to be a chef : REMY. Cartoon movie.
71. Is inclined : TENDS. We all have our tendencies.
Down
1. Fatigued action figure? : G I JOE. The fatigues, in which this figure might be clothed, is attire designed for non-combat duty assignments.
2. Lexus rival : ACURA. Automobiles.
3. Burrows : LAIRS. Here, "burrows" is a plural noun, indicating the sheltered homes of some critters.
4. "__ 13.5% BY VOL": wine label phrase : ALCohol.
5. Leonard __: Roy Rogers : SLYE. Star of a TV cowboy show. Did he have a family stone?
They're outta here
6. Bayer allergy relief brand : CLARITIN.
7. Gold: Pref. : AUR-. From the Latin aurum.
8. Teahouse floor mat : TATAMI.
9. Native of Florence, e.g. : TUSCAN. Resident of a city in a region of Italy.
10. Disclose : DIVULGE.
11. Grandson of Eve : ENOS. Son of Seth, Adam and Eve's 3rd son.
12. First name in whodunits : ERLE. Complete name: Erle Stanley Gardner, best known for appearing in crossword puzzles. He also wrote the Perry Mason mystery novels.
13. Stalk by the swamp : REED. I'm quite fond of this clue, which could also refer to stealthily hunting frogs, but here refers to the main stem of a plant.
18. Seek divine guidance from : PRAY TO. Religion.
23. Oft-mooched item, briefly : CIGarette.
25. Center X, in a game : TAC. The game is tic-tac-toe. I cannot verify the alleged fact IN RE: the center X, nor the location of the toe.
27. Sorority letter : RHO. Seventeenth Greek letter, uppercase Ρ, lowercase ρ or ϱ.
29. Well-used pencil : NUB. Remnant of a worn out, oft-sharpened pencil.
30. Forget to put in : OMIT. Also can be done on purpose.
31. Where the Shannon flows : EIRE. Or Erin. Mind your perps. Either way, the Emerald Isle.
32. "Call of the Wild" vehicle : SLED. Pulled by dogs in Jack London's 1903 Klondike gold rush adventure story.
33. Ancient kingdom bordering Judah : MOAB. Along the eastern shore of the Dead Sea in modern Jordan.
34. Witty Bombeck : ERMA. Humor writer.
35. Check : REIN. Here, a verb, from the act of slowing or stopping a horse [or possibly dogs] by pulling on its reins.
39. Work for the small screen : TELEPLAY. Here, "work" is a noun, indicating a screen play written specifically for television.
40. Photo developing compound : AMIDOL. 2,4-Diaminophenol, C6H3(NH2)2OH, for the chemist in you.
41. Understand : GET. Get it?
44. With gusto : EAGERLY.
45. Lowest-ranking NCO : CPL. Army corporal.
46. Defense advisory gp. : NSC. National Security Council
48. Org. that publishes America's 1st Freedom : NRA. National Rifle Association.
49. Target : AIM FOR With one's rifle, I suppose
50. Everett of "Citizen Kane" : SLOANE. Prolific stage, screen and TV actor.
53. Safe harbor : HAVEN. Cognate of Hafen, the German word for harbor.
54. Flip over : UPEND. The up end ends up down. Get it?
55. Three-time NBA MVP Malone : MOSES. He went directly from high school to pro ranks in the ABA in 1974, and had a 21 year career playing for several ABA and NBA teams. He was admitted to the Hall of Fame in 2001.
516. It can walk the dog : YO-YO. Like this.
57. Comet, to some : OMEN. Frex: "When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt."
58. Starbucks size : TALL. Short, TALL, Grande, and Venti coffee orders.
60. Opposite of 24-Across : WEST. Sure.
64. Apollo vehicle, briefly : LEM. Lunar Excursion Module. American space program on the moon.
65. Kiss guitarist Frehley : ACE. Paul Daniel. How can I resist sealing this with a Kiss?
That's it gang. Now I am Outta here.
Cool regards and happy trails!
JzB
