39-Across. School area workers, and what the four pairs of intersecting starred answers depict : CROSSING GUARDS.
Eight synonyms for GUARD cross each other in this puzzle. Here they are:
21-Across. *Former Ford compact : ESCORT. crossing 4-Down. *Hypnotist's prop : WATCH.
23-Across. *Orlando newspaper : SENTINEL. crossing 10-Down. *Janitor : CUSTODIAN.
59-Across. *German __ : SHEPHERD. crossing 49-Down. *Regulation-sized fish : KEEPER.
66-Across. *"Heaven Can Wait" (1978) Oscar nominee Jack : WARDEN. crossing 42-Down. *Lawyer, at times : DEFENDER.
70 theme letters is a whole ton, leaving very little wiggle room to sparkle with the fill.
Across
1. "__ go, into ... " : OFF WE. So yes, off we...
6. Top level : ATTIC.
11. Night school subj. : ESL. English (as a) Second Language.
14. Boggy tract : MORASS.
16. Verdi aria : ERI TU.
17. Poor grade : DEE.
18. Determined : GRITTY. Like him?
19. Terms for a student loan : SEMESTERS. Not the conditions of the loan, but the length of the program it pays for.
24. Egyptian symbol of life : ANKH.
25. March time : IDES.
27. Put in one's two cents : OPINE.
28. Grammar best-seller "Woe __" : IS I.
29. Halifax hrs. : AST. Atlantic Standard Time. (UTC -4:00)
30. Not even : ODD.
32. Low island : CAY.
33. Cinque times due : DIECI. 5 x 2 = 10. It comes out the same, even in English.
36. Abysmal : HORRID.
44. Beat : PATROL.
45. Duma votes : NYETS. The Russian State Duma consists of 450 members, each one having "da" or NYET vote on any given matter.
47. Mayall of "Drop Dead Fred" : RIK. Absolutely no clue. He died last year from cardiac arrest after a run.
50. Arctic bird : AUK. The great AUK is extinct, but other birds of the family alcidae still survive in northern waters.
51. "Too many to list": Abbr. : ETC.
54. __ Fighters: Dave Grohl's band : FOO. Feel free to link away!
55. Millennium-ending year : ONE BC.
57. Month after Shevat : ADAR.
58. Optical device : LENS.
62. Historic Honolulu palace : IOLANI. So pretty!
68. __ Miss : OLE. Shout out to DH - his Alma mater.
69. Defamatory text : LIBEL.
70. Strip, as of rights : DIVEST.
71. Poetic adverb : E'ER.
72. Rodeo catcher : LASSO.
73. "Star Wars" title : DARTH. It is reserved for Sith Lords.
Down
1. Shocked letters : OMG."Oh My Goodness..."
2. Like much court evidence : FORENSIC.
3. More kittenish : FRISKIER.
5. This, in Toledo : ESTO.
6. JFK's UN ambassador : AES. Adlai Ewing Stevenson.
7. Barrette target : TRESS.
8. "Pencils down!" : TIME!
9. Coast-to-coast hwy. : I-TEN. The southernmost east-west hwy. in the continental US.
12. Star sometimes eclipsing Venus? : SERENA. The Williams sisters of tennis.
13. Stahl of "60 Minutes" : LESLEY. I can never remember if it is "ie" or EY at the end.
15. Fertile Crescent land : SYRIA.
20. Reward in a jar : TIP.
22. NFL six-pointers : TDs. Touch Downs.
24. Come to the rescue of : AID.
26. Prefix with biology : ETHNO-.
30. URL ending : ORG.
31. Actress Joanne : DRU. Born Joan Letitia LaCock. (Really!)
34. Steal ... or the one who catches the thief : COP.
35. War of 1812 commodore : ISAAC HULL. No clue.
37. Considered figures carefully? : OGLED.
38. Like some wit or wine : DRY. I like both that way. ;-)
40. "The Simpsons" disco guy : STU. I don't even have to think about these characters any more.
disco = STU
store = APU
bar = MOE
smart = LISA
etc etc etc...
41. Rankle : IRK.
43. Most unemotional : STONIEST.
46. "Help! We're sinking!" : SOS.
47. '70s-'80s tennis star Tanner : ROSCOE. He was not a huge star, and might be more well known to the police than to any tennis fan.
48. Yoga instructor's direction : INHALE.
52. Mai __ : TAI.
53. Get too close to : CROWD.
56. ER vitals : BPs.
57. Carpentry tools : ADZES.
58. Cocoon dweller : LARVA.
60. Director Kazan : ELIA.
61. Pokes fun at : RIBS.
63. Ascribed, as blame : LAID.
65. "Telephone Line" rock gp. : ELO. Electric Light Orchestra. "The British guys with the big fiddles."
67. Last degree : Nth. So we have reached the Nth...
And I'm out!
Marti
