Theme: We Three - Me, Myself And I.
17A. "Am I supposed to take this seriously?" : "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"
39A. "Oops, thought you wouldn't hear that" : "TALKING TO MYSELF"
62A. Nursery rhyme plum finder's boast : "WHAT A GOOD BOY AM I!"
Argyle here. A simple theme delivered by three grid spanning answers. A minor annoyance, not having the AND but ok. All three are in the form of a spoken phrase which keeps things tight. A lot fewer proper names than Monday and some interesting words to boot should keep most solvers happy.
Across:
1. Ponzi scheme, e.g. : SCAM
5. Diplomat's specialty : TACT
9. Tire pattern : TREAD
14. Word of amore : CARA
15. Worker protection org. : OSHA. (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
16. Wheel spokes, geometrically : RADII
20. Catholic sacrament of confession and forgiveness : PENANCE
21. Least healthy : SICKEST
22. LAX posting : ETA
23. British peer : EARL
25. "Alice" diner owner : MEL. TV series(1976–1985). I haven't seen any reruns of it in my area.
26. Cloistered sister : NUN
27. Four-song discs, briefly : EPs. (extended play)
29. Cut with acid : ETCH
33. Post-spill carpet spot : STAIN
36. Clean vigorously : SCRUB. To get the spot out?
38. Weed chopper : HOE. Much easier than breaking up sod.
42. Pound sound : [ARF!]
43. Lugged : TOTED
44. Bill's attorney general : JANET Reno
45. __ estate : REAL
47. Estonia or Ukr., once : SSR. (Soviet Socialist Republic)
48. Ten, in Toulouse : DIX
49. Tuna in a sushi bar : AHI
51. Shortest-shadows time : NOON
53. "Liquor not provided" letters : BYO. (Bring Your Own) I live in a 'dry' town.
56. Starts to melt : SOFTENS
60. Aged at the brewery : LAGERED. I didn't know LAGER could be used as a verb but I'm probably in the minority with all the brew meisters around.
64. Started the pot : ANTED
65. Shipping option : RAIL
66. Nights of anticipatory revelry : EVES
67. Like poorly drained rock gardens : MOSSY
68. Family map : TREE
69. Word of admonition : DON'T
Down:
1. Suffix with land or sea : SCAPE. Landscape / Seascape
2. Insertion mark : CARET
3. Sports venue : ARENA
4. Early Yucatán settler : MAYA
5. Bird on a Froot Loops box : TOUCAN Sam.
6. "Jeopardy!" contestant : ASKER
7. Windy City station, on Amtrak skeds : CHIcago
8. Little boys : TADS
9. Split second : TRICE
10. Rub the wrong way : RANKLE
11. Slight advantage : EDGE
12. Gets in one's sights, with "at" : AIMS
13. Cola request from a calorie watcher : DIET
18. Blood bank quantity : ONE UNIT
19. Chinese appetizer : DIM SUM. We usually get some comments about the best DIM SUM. I only question should the clue have been appetizers?
24. Speaker's stand : LECTERN
26. Suffix with no-good : NIK
28. Cattle poker : PROD
30. In those days : THEN
31. Old King or Nat King : COLE
32. Test the weight of : HEFT
33. Marquee name : STAR
34. Button on a deli scale : TARE. To account for the weight of the container.
35. __ Romeo: sports car : ALFA. I expect an update from Anon T.
36. Superiors of cpls. : SGTS.
37. "Heavens to Betsy!" : "BY JINGO!". Quaint.
40. Snooping (around) : NOSING
41. Jazz band instrument : SAX
46. Foam-topped coffeehouse drinks : LATTEs
48. Not impossible : DOABLE. A word heard often here on the corner.
50. Intoxicating, as wine : HEADY
52. Any Everly Brothers tune, now : OLDIE
53. Curtain call cry : "BRAVO!". Also "Brava!".
54. Red Sea country : YEMEN
55. Pindar, notably : ODIST. An Ancient Greek.
56. Did pool laps : SWAM
57. "It can't be!" : "OH, NO!"
58. "Minnesota" pool legend : FATS. Fictional pool hustler. Rudolf Wanderone changed his nickname to Minnesota Fats to cash in on the fame of the name thus proving his ability to hustle.
59. Place in order : SORT
61. Gave the once-over : EYED
63. Rowboat mover : OAR
One last song. "We Three" by the Ink Spots.
Argyle
Note from C.C.:
Funny, Anon-T (Tony) just sent me this picture last night. His '86 Alpa Romeo Spider. Tony mentioned on the blog a few times about the troubles he went through to get the car from Florida to Texas.
Anon T (Tony)
