Theme: This could be awhile - How long is awhile? Einstein wants to know.
18A. Place for legislative debate : HOUSE FLOOR. HOUR
24A. Tinkers-to-Evers-to-Chance baseball event : DOUBLE PLAY. DAY
40A. Fairies and pixies, e.g. : WEE FOLK. WEEK
51A. Work on casually, as an engine : MONKEY WITH. MONTH
61A. Durations ... and what this puzzle's circles literally represent : TIME FRAMES
Argyle here. This is a C.C. book end puzzle. Obvious if you have the circles but still doable if you don't. Neat progression of the time frames, too. I felt it could have worked as a Tuesday puzzle also. An alternate reveal could have been SPLIT TIMES but I'm not sure how large a segment of our solvers are familiar with the term.
Baseball's Sad Lexicon. Tinkers-to-Evers-to-Chance were baseball players for the 1910 Chicago Cubs and excelled at the double play. Shortstop to second baseman and on to the first baseman. Two outs.
Across:
1. Hardy's "__ of the D'Urbervilles" : TESS. She gets her full billing today.
5. Diva delivery : ARIA
9. Conform as needed : ADAPT
14. Ancient mystical letter : RUNE
15. Put on staff : HIRE
16. Like the '80s look, now : RETRO. The metro look started in the 90's.
17. Kirkuk's country : IRAQ
20. Infield fly : POP UP
22. Online ha-ha : LOL
23. Firing range purchase : AMMO
28. Arctic deer : CARIBOU. New studies show that Caribou and Reindeer are actually two different animals. I knew that.
30. Make corrections to : EMEND
33. Bracketology org. : NCAA. The famous college basketball playoffs.
34. Clobber : DRUB
37. Dump emanations : ODORS. I gotta bite my tongue.
39. Computer program glitch : BUG
42. Pirouette point : TOE
43. "Operator" singer Jim : CROCE
45. Fair to middling : SO-SO
46. Scourge : BANE
47. Battery current entry point : ANODE
49. Played the siren : SEDUCED
54. How-to segment : STEP
57. Snaky swimmer : EEL
58. Look daggers (at) : GLARE
65. Irish New Age singer : ENYA. Enya's manager said that she is working on a new album but that was 2011.
66. Get together : UNITE
67. Furniture hardwood : TEAK
68. Some flat-screen TVs : RCAs
69. Exposed : BARED
70. Miss from Mex. : SRTA. (señorita)
71. Email folder : SENT
Down:
1. Lose one's footing : TRIP
2. 100 cents, in Germany : EURO
3. Spring bloom named for its resemblance to a mythical creature : SNAPDRAGON
4. Giant redwood : SEQUOIA
5. "That feels good!" : "AHH!"
6. __ Grande : RIO
7. "Good for me!" : "I RULE!"
8. Greek fable writer : AESOP
9. Kennel cry : [ARF!]
10. Postponed : DELAYED
11. Tiny bit of matter : ATOM
12. School year-end dance : PROM
13. Snowblower brand : TORO. Company Web Site.
19. Vogue rival : ELLE
21. Pint server : PUB
25. Foreshadow : BODE
26. Fishing decoys : LURES
27. Wild way to run : AMOK
28. ''Fast Money'' channel : CNBC
29. Integra automaker : ACURA. A division of Honda.
31. "Forget about it!" : "NOT A CHANCE!"
32. Unmanned spy plane : DRONE
35. Blurry craft in tabloid pics : UFO
36. Given to micromanaging : BOSSY
38. Papaya discard : SEED
40. "The Things __ for Love" : WE DO
41. MGM co-founder : LOEW. Founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Pictures.
44. Vie : COMPETE
46. "Downton Abbey" servers : BUTLERS
48. Cabinet dept. concerned with power : ENER.
50. Archaeologist's project : DIG
52. Shelley contemporary : KEATS
53. Hunter Fudd : ELMER. "Shhh! Be vewy vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits".
54. Concert re-entry request : STUB
55. Singer Turner : TINA
56. Arab League bigwig : EMIR
59. Seacrest of "American Idol" : RYAN
60. Los Angeles-to-Atlanta direction : EAST
62. Prepared dinner for : FED
63. Have dinner : EAT
64. Calypso cousin : SKA
Argyle
