Theme: Ho, Ho, WHOA! - He's watching you but who's watching out for him?
1A. With 71-Across, seasonal visitor who'd appreciate being warned about the ends of 20-, 37- and 56-Across : SANTA. And 71A. See 1-Across : CLAUS
37A. Former lovers : OLD FLAMES
20A. Boasting, metaphorically : BLOWING SMOKE
56A. Accidental attack on allied forces : FRIENDLY FIRE
Argyle *<;o)> here. Thank goodness for Kevlar and Nomex suit to keep Santa safe.
Across:
6. Shed one's feathers : MOLT
10. Pacific island nation : FIJI
14. In the slightest : A WHIT
15. Arabian ruler : EMIR
16. Confident words : "I CAN"
17. Andean pack animal : LLAMA
18. __ Day vitamins : ONE A
19. Four-sided fig. : RECT. (rectangle)
23. Gas, to a Brit : PETROL
26. __City: computer game : SIM
27. By way of : VIA
28. One who shuns company : LONE WOLF
31. Primary pursuit in the working world : CAREER
33. Ottawa's prov. : ONT. (Ontario)
34. Reformer Jacob : RIIS. ("muckraking" journalist)
36. They end round numbers : ZEROs
40. __-load: prep for a marathon : CARBO. (carbohydrate)
43. Beige shade : ECRU
44. "Goldfinger" novelist Fleming : IAN
47. "Anchors __": Navy fight song : AWEIGH. Anchors are "aweigh" when they are clear of the sea bed.
49. Not let go of : HANG ONTO. The bane of hoarders.
52. Eng. majors' degrees : BAs. (Bachelor of Arts)
53. "Of course, Pierre!" : "OUI!" "Yes!"
55. Did the tango : DANCED
60. Computes the total : ADDS
61. Retro phone feature : DIAL. So is the curly cord these days.
62. Purple flower : LILAC
66. Enlist again : RE-UP
67. Longtime "Tonight Show" host Jay : LENO
68. Words of defeat : "I LOST"
69. Blissful place : EDEN
70. Lawn border : EDGE
Down:
1. Actor Mineo : SAL
2. Leatherwork tool : AWL
3. FDR home loan org. : NHA. National Housing Act of 1934.
4. Musical tone color : TIMBRE
5. With nowhere to go but up, as one's spirits : AT A LOW
6. Cat call : MEOW
7. Marriott competitor : OMNI
8. Claims on property : LIENs
9. Like "Hamlet" : TRAGIC
10. Accounting partnership, e.g. : FIRM
11. Become frozen : ICE OVER
12. Onassis' last wife, familiarly : JACKIE "O"
13. Crying : IN TEARS
21. Prayer-opening words : "O, LORD"
22. Pollution portmanteau : SMAZE. A mixture of smoke and haze.
23. West Bank gp. : PLO. (Palestine Liberation Organization)
24. Many millennia : EON
25. Demolition initials : TNT
29. The "vie" in "c'est la vie" : LIFE
30. Swipe : FILCH
32. Hi-__ monitor : RES. (High-Resolution)
35. "Nobody doesn't like __ Lee" : SARA
37. Geisha's sash : OBI
38. Access Facebook, say : LOG ON
39. World, in a Latin saying : MUNDI. "Sic transit gloria mundi" “Thus passes the glory of the world”
40. Cost of a taxi : CAB FARE
41. Gave, as a medal : AWARDED
42. Trace evidence at a crime scene, e.g. : RESIDUE. "Send it to the lab!"
44. Business abbr. : INC. Incorporation or incorporated?
45. Dined : ATE
46. Wordless agreement : NOD
48. Circle around a quarterback : HUDDLE
50. Appetizing dinnertime aroma : GARLIC. Not to vampires.
51. Playwright Eugene : O'NEILL
54. Sheepish admission : "I LIED"
57. "Monday Night Football" channel : ESPN. (originally an acronym for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network)
58. Yin and __ : YANG
59. Arctic sheet : FLOE
63. Mauna __ : LOA. A different flow.
64. Sch. in Tempe : ASU. (Arizona State University)
65. Pennies: Abbr. : CTs. (cents)¢
Argyle
