20-Across. *Last president who was a Founding Father : JAMES MONROE.
36-Across. *Limp cause : GAME LEG.
3-Down. *In the low 70s, usually : ROOM TEMPERATURE. This winter, ours has been in the low 60s, usually.
7-Down. *Feature of most cars nowadays : FRONT WHEEL DRIVE. True, but I will stick with my AWD Subaru on these icy New England roads.
11-Down. *On one's own : ALONE IN THE WORLD.
And the reveal:
55-Across. Fixer-upper, perhaps, and a hint to the answers to starred clues : STARTER HOME. Put "home" at the start of the theme entires and you get quite a 12-Down:
"Home, James!" / Home game / Home room / Home front / and "Home Alone," the 1990 Macaulay Culkin movie.
From a construction standpoint, this was quite an impressive feat: Two grid spanners that each cross one other theme entry, and one grid spanner that crosses three! The two 11-letter entries each cross two other themers. Let's see what else Frank has to offer us.
Across
1. Big name in ATMs : NCR. Formerly National Cash Register.
4. Ten to twenty? : HALF. Nailed it on my first guess! [insert fist pump here]
8. On fire : AFLAME.
14. Worldwide workers' agcy. : ILO. International Labour Organization.
15. On __ with : A PAR.
16. Brooklyn Bridge features : CABLES. Yes, indeed.
17. "The Matrix" hero : NEO. All perps.
18. Utah lily : SEGO.
19. Delivers an old standard, perhaps : CROONS.
23. Not from a Scot : NAE.
24. Fifth-century leader succeeded by his son Ellac : ATTILA. I nailed it on the first WAG.
25. __ Aviv : TEL.
26. Tent holder : PEG.
27. Sportscaster Andrews : ERIN.
28. New Deal org. : WPA. Works Progress Administration.
29. Hustles : HIES.
31. Smith students : WOMEN.
33. "If only __ listened!" : HE'D.
34. Memo words : IN RE.
35. Smartphone buy : APP.
40. Hold 'em tell, maybe : TIC. Keep your poker face on, and keep the other players guessing.
41. Ingredient in Off! : DEET. Common name: diethyltoluamide.
43. Top-row poet on the "Sgt. Pepper" album cover : POE. In the middle, above Marilyn.
44. Remains at the campsite : ASHES.
46. Misses the mark : ERRS.
47. Party person : POL. Political party, that is.
48. Spillane's "__ Jury" : I THE. His 1947 debut novel.
49. Org. that produces the magazines Highroads and Journey : AAA. Intuitive guess.
50. The past, in the past : ELD.
51. Risk being caught off base : GO AWOL.
54. Grisham hero, often: Abbr. : ATT.orney.
57. Only reigning pope to write an autobiography : PIUS II.
59. Tiny bit : IOTA.
60. Gun, as an engine : REV.
61. Most irritated : SOREST.
62. Emptiness : VOID.
63. T size : LGE.
64. Baby's outfit : ONESIE. They are usually sml.
65. Luncheon ender : ETTE.
66. Patriotic gp. since 1890 : DAR. Daughters of the American Revolution.
Down
1. Turtle in a 2014 film : NINJA.
2. Soccer shoe feature : CLEAT. Spike also fits.
4. Bit of sibling rivalry : HASSLING. As the youngest of five, I got a lot of that.
5. Hypothetical primate : APE MAN. No such thing, really.
6. Titicaca, por ejemplo : LAGO. [updated] In South America, Titicaca is a lake (for example.)
8. Honor : ACCOLADE.
9. Charge for a ride : FARE.
10. Wall St. news : LBO. Leveraged Buy Out.
12. Varied mixture : MENAGERIE.
13. To be, to Ovid : ESSE.
21. Cork's location : EIRE.
22. Opposite of attract : REPEL.
26. Chi follows it : PHI.
30. "Just a few __" : SECS.
31. Dwyane of the Miami Heat : WADE. Absolutely no clue. All perps.
32. Mathematical process : OPERATION.
37. Good thing to have before a meal : APPETITE.
38. Dinero : MOOLA.
39. Winning football coach's surprise : GATORADE.
42. Airport screening org. : TSA. Transportation Security Administration.
45. Persian for "king" : SHAH.
48. ''Of course!'' : I GET IT.
52. Greek finale : OMEGA.
53. Piano keyboard component : LEVER.
54. Lhasa __ : APSO.
55. Spanish ayes : SI SI. Cute.
56. Warning sound : TOOT.
58. His, to Henri : SES. Possessive adjectives change, according to the gender of the noun: son, sa or SES are three of the possibilities here.
Marti, out!
