17. *Air Force topper: FLIGHT CAP.
The police aren't here to create disorder, they're here to preserve disorder. - Richard Daley
39. *Solution for an itchy Spot?: FLEA DIP.
52. *Escapes: FLIES THE COOP.
63. Opposites, and what the answers to starred clues literally contain: FLIP SIDES.
Across:
1. Excites, with "up": AMPs, and clecho 33. Excite, with "up": REV.
5. Programs opened with a fingertip: APPs.
9. Furtive attention-getters: PSSTs.
14. When doubled, a fish: MAHI.
15. Computer folder item: FILE.
16. Musical eightsome: OCTET.
19. Go halfsies: SHARE.
20. Creator of the Hundred Acre Wood: MILNE. Did you read that the original 1926 illustration of the Hundred Acre Wood sold last week for £430,000 ? That's just short of $570,000.
21. Onetime comm. giant: ITT.
23. Concerning: INRE.
28. Unethical: IMMORAL.
31. __ brûlée: custard dessert: CREME.
32. Wild hog: BOAR. Steer clear. Unless you are packing heat and are disease-resistant. They're often very big, can be aggressive, and they are smart. Destructive too, as they attempt to sate their insatiable appetites.
35. Up to now: AS YET.
38. Pipe shape: ELL.
42. __-Magnon: CRO. Neanderthal fossils were discovered in the Neander Valley of Germany in 1829, and a few years later in 1868, the Cro-Magnon fossils were discovered near the village of Les Eyzies, France. Nice summaries from the Smithsonian.
43. Honking birds: GEESE, and 57. Cacophony: NOISE. "Watching huge flocks of Snow Geese swirl down from the sky, amid a cacophony of honking, is a little like standing inside a snow globe."
45. Cookie container: TIN. Adult beverage container: TIN
46. Woman in a family tree: AUNT. Tia in Spanish, Tante in German.
47. Armada: FLEET. You can rent a Nissan Armada at Hertz. They have a fleet of these large 8 passenger SUVs. You might not want to drive one in England. I've read that armadas are not very well-received there.
50. Eurasian grasslands: STEPPEs.
55. Beat really fast: RACE.
56. "Gimme a __": SEC.
61. Not up to the task: INEPT.
66. Ford replaced him as VP: AGNEW. Getting a lot of air time lately in the LA Times puzzles.
67. Folded Tex-Mex treat: TACO. The Tejanos first created the fusion of American and Mexican cuisines. You can get Tex-Mex food pretty much anywhere in the United States. Even when you go into authentic "Mexican" restaurants, you'll probably see Tex-Mex items on the menu. A Palate Pleasing Union.
68. Daily paper material: NEWS.
69. Back in style: RETRO.
70. Underworld river: STYX. Or the progressive rock band that originated in Chicago and made it big in the '70s and '80's. Disagreements among the members about the musical direction the band should take, along with creative and competitive tensions, led to their eventual breakup. Still, they had 16 Top 40 singles, 8 of which were Top 10. This was their only # 1. It's more of a soft/pop rock sound.
71. Stun with a police gun: TASE.
Down:
1. Radio switch: AM FM.
2. Landlocked African country: MALI.
3. Three-time Masters champ Mickelson: PHIL.
4. Formally accept, as a delivery: SIGN FOR.
5. Toward the stern: AFT.
6. Camera shot: PIC.
7. Kilt pattern: PLAID.
8. __ tank: SEPTIC. It’s a cafeteria for bacteria
9. Neg. opposite: POS.
10. Deep divides: SCHISMs.
11. Hockey trophy: STANLEY CUP.
12. Purple-haired twin on "The Simpsons": TERRI.
via GIPHY
13. Brew: STEEP. I enjoy a good brew, but the charge for some imported beers and ales can be comparatively steep.
18. German gent: HERR. German language honorific, equivalent to Mister in English.
22. Shingle sealant: TAR. The black strip covered by film on the bottom a composition shingle is asphalt. Rather than tar, asphalt roof cement should normally be used on composite shingle roofs around penetrations or other areas where a sealant is needed.
25. Royal wedding guest, perhaps: EARL.
26. Peter Fonda's beekeeper: ULEE. Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 stars (out of 4).
27. Tide type: NEAP. 4 letters for tide type ? - EAP and check the crossing clue.
28. "__ your pardon": I BEG. "I never promised you a rose garden. Along with the sunshine, there has to be a little rain sometimes." The flip side of that single was "Nothing Between Us" according to Wikipedia.
29. Spy story staple: MOLE.
30. Like evildoers: MALEFICENT. Pernicious behavior.
34. Laundry tub: VAT. Wash, wring and rinse, in one easy-to-use setup !
36. Shore bird: ERNE.
37. Youngsters: TOTs.
39. Charges for members: FEEs.
40. Part of DJ: DISC. I got to play DJ last Tuesday while reviewing Bruce Haight's "DJ SET" puzzle.
41. Really enjoying, as a hobby: INTO.
44. Unexpected hit: SLEEPER.
46. Name officially, as to a position: APPOINT.
48. Sci-fi invaders: ETs.
49. Robberies: THEFTs.
51. Seemingly forever: EONs.
52. Monastery figure: FRIAR.
53. Jessica of "American Horror Story": LANGE. Never saw the movie or program. Knew who she is.
54. Panache: ECLAT. Flamboyance, ostentatiously showy, like Liberace.
58. Thought: IDEA.
59. Hems, but doesn't haw: SEWS. To hem and haw means to dither, to speak hesitantly, usually because one is unprepared to speak or is attempting to avoid saying something in particular. Hem and haw is also used to mean to be indecisive. Hum and haw is the British equivalent. Grammarist.com
60. To be, to Brutus: ESSE.
62. Word before time or piece: TWO.
64. Like an "if looks could kill" look: ICY. Very unfriendly. Unwelcoming.
65. Quaint curse: POX. Elizabethan Oaths, Curses, and Insults "Five hundred years ago, little in life moved more quickly than a trotting horse. With no media to fill the day, there was nothing but space for song and speech. Elizabethans took a delight with language, weaving together terms to form stinging phrases of wit."
That's enough for now. Catch you on the flip side.
