DAB is back with our second week in a row with an add a letter to the end of a phrase to create a new and fun phrase theme. He adds a really perfect reveal. You are directed to reparse ENDING into three parts - END IN G. As with all of his work, we get a variety of topics and some easy and some hard fill. He gave me lots of opportunities to link music so I had extra fun. Speaking of which, there were many 3 and 4 letter fill but lots of excitement with DELIGHT, OFF GRID, PERSONA, PRESETS, REMARKS, SARONGS, OBAMA CARE and PAVAROTTI.
18A. Didn't just knock?: ALSO RANG (8). Logical and for me, revealed the theme immediately.
29A. Barbecue dinner followed by dyspepsia?: RACK AND RUING (12). My favorite, as I see people suffering after bbq.
49A. Part for a robot vampire?: ELECTRIC FANG (12). Very cute image of the vampire.
62A. Eagerly excited for an extended period of time?: LONG AGOG (8). Is AGOG an A word?
73A. Conclusion ... or, in three parts, what four answers in this puzzle unexpectedly do: ENDING.(6).
Time for the rest
Across:1. Fencing needs: SWORDS. Did anyone think PANELS?
7. Soup holder: POT. Where you cook it, not serve it.
10. Web creation: SITE.
14. "Amen": SO BE IT. Another interesting array of letters. I am surprised we do not see this more.
15. Complement for a tango: TWO. The SAYING. The song...
16. Sharp: ACID. Like a tongue.
17. Fill with love: ENAMOR.
20. Like a male lion: MANED. A typical Friday stretch, correct but who uses it?
22. Housecleaning aid: SPONGE. This needed perps, there are so many.
23. Arctic trout: CHAR. Interesting not only this fish but a house cleaner in Britain.
25. Completely erase: WIPE. Interesting, not only what you do when you sell your phone, but one of the things you do with a sponge.
28. PC key above Shift: ENTER. Not CAPS LOCK.
32. Audibly amazed: AGASP.
33. Period: ERA.
34. Bad Ems and Marienbad, for two: SPAS. I knew MARIENBAD, (actually, it is Czech) but I never heard of BAD EMS.
38. Animal protection agent: FUR.
39. Public face: PERSONA. This from the Latin word - an individual's social facade.
43. Muhammad's son-in-law: ALI. He married Fatima. This is RELIGION but educational.
44. Ready to drive: TEED. I think you really need "UP" but it is a Friday.
46. Contend: VIE.
47. Trailer follower: MOVIE.
53. Prop for a Tell skit: APPLE. William Tell that is.
56. Label caveat: AS IS.
57. Wandering the range, say: FREE.
58. Thinking things: BRAINS.
60. Game with 25 squares: BINGO. I call Bingo for a 13 week winter season at our condo when the snowbirds are in town. Come on by, we have fun. I play Pat and Oo is Vanna.
65. Containing more lemon: TARTER.
68. O.T. book after Neh.: ESTH.er. Purim is coming.
69. Pedi pinkie: TOE.
70. French teacher: MAÎTRE. If you remember Zazie's French lesson, the circonflexe becomes an "S" giving us MASTER.
71. Remainder: REST.
72. "I think my love as rare / As any __ belied by false compare": Shak.: SHE. Another Friday Will S. This time a Sonnet. 130.
Down:
1. Memphis-to-Mobile dir.: SSE.
2. Outplayed an opponent: WON.
3. 2010 health statute, informally: OBAMACARE.
4. They may be nasty: REMARKS. Yes, they may, especially on Fridays.
5. Belmonts frontman: DION. From my childhood.
6. Thrown around: STREWN. Old English strewian, streowian "to scatter," from Proto-Germanic *strawjan- (source also of Old Frisian strewa, Old Saxon strowian, Old Norse stra, Danish strø, Swedish strö, Middle Dutch strowen, Dutch strooien, Old High German strouwen, German streuen, Gothic straujan "to sprinkle, strew"), from suffixed form of PIE root *stere- "to spread." Related: Strewed; strewn; strewing. I like this word.
7. School org.: PTA.
8. Hogwarts mail carrier: OWL.
9. Discard: TOSS.
10. Simple island garments: SARONGS. This will always be my image of a sarong.
11. "__ even!": I CAN'T. Valley speak.
12. Bit of color: TINGE.
13. Landscaping tool: EDGER.
19. Taking customers: OPEN. For business.
21. Completed: DID.
23. Boat, or the building of one: CRAFT.
24. World Court site, with "The": HAGUE. All that you need to KNOW.
26. Car stereo conveniences: PRESETS.
27. Continental currency: EURO.
30. Dictionary on a phone, say: APP.
31. Scottish John: IAN.
35. "King of the High C's": PAVAROTTI. A publicist long ago gave Luciano Pavarotti the sobriquet King of the High C’s, for his remarkable ability to hit and sing the heck out of one of the highest notes of the tenor voice. NYT
36. Dress style: A-LINE. A bit of the history. LINK.
37. "Iliad" topic: SIEGE. This was perps. The PLOT.
40. Party time: EVE.
41. Costa __: RICA. I have a friend who always says Costa Rico. I go crazy.
42. "Preacher" airer: AMC. No longer its original American Movie Classics name, this channel creates original TV programs like this one based on a DC Comic Book. Seth Rogen is one of the writers. LINK.
45. Gladden: DELIGHT.
48. Independent of public utilities: OFF GRID. Very important to SURVIVALISTS.
50. Singer Horne: LENA. A wonderful talent.
51. Tease: RIB.
52. Self-reflective thought: IS IT ME?
53. Not so ham-handed: ABLER. Ham-handed is such an old phrase; do you all know it?
54. Verse alternative: PROSE. Here we get both, with OKL starting off most days.
55. Slacks: PANTS.
59. PD ranks: SGTS. Police Departments.
61. Bread with tikka masala: NAAN.
63. "That's amazing!": OOH.
64. "That's interesting": GEE. A little tongue in the cheek fill from DAB to amuse himself about the theme.
66. Fish-eating bird: ERN. There are many fish-eating birds.
67. Brief rule?: REG.ulation.
We march inexorably to Spring, and once again DAB entertained us along the way. Hope you enjoyed. Lemonade out (somewhat frazzled).
