17. When the dot-com bubble began: MID-NINETIES.
23. Form of the game of tag: BLIND MAN'S BLUFF.
39. Small Apple tablet: iPAD MINI.
63. Trait for an evil genius ... and a hint to what can literally be found in 17-, 23-, 39- and 51-Across: TWISTED MIND.
Melissa here. These mixed up letter themes can be hard to spot, especially when the word is short. I didn't see all the MINDs until the reveal was filled in.
Across:
1. Specially formed: AD HOC.
6. Suffix with Jumbo: TRON.
10. Outback: BUSH. Australia.
14. Avian crops: CRAWS. Learning moment for me. A craw is an area in a bird's throat in which food can be kept, also called a crop. Thus the phrase, "stick in one's craw."
15. Disney film set in Polynesia: MOANA. With a two-year old granddaughter and another on the way, I am trying to learn all my Disney princesses.
16. "Fancy meeting you here!": OH HI.
19. Prompted on stage: CUED.
20. Energy Star co-mgr.: EPA.
21. Backless slippers: MULES.
22. Country's Haggard: MERLE. After a troubled childhood he was incarcerated a few times in his youth - notably in San Quentin. He joined the prison band after being inspired by a 1958 New Year's Day performance there by Johnny Cash, and went on to write a handful of hit songs about prison. Haggard died in 2016.
27. River formations: DELTAS.
29. Kiwi-shaped: OVAL.
30. Eye-opener?: ALARM.
31. Aplomb: POISE.
34. Hieroglyphics bird: IBIS.
38. Court figs.: DAS. District Attorneys.
42. D-Day vessel: LST. News to me: Landing Ship, Tank (LST), or tank landing ship, is the naval designation for ships first developed during World War II (1939-1945) to support amphibious operations by carrying tanks, vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto shore with no docks or piers.
43. Uninvited picnic arrivals: ANTS.
45. Short or tall thing (and neither refers to height): ORDER. I was thinking coffee or espresso.
46. Zany: LOONY. Fun to see this so close to 50A.
48. Soupçon: HINT. New word for me. French. From Wictionary: "A very small amount; a hint; a trace, slight idea; an inkling. No one is so depraved that a soupçon of goodness cannot be found in them."
50. Acme's best customer?: COYOTE. In production is Coyote vs. Acme, the first Looney Tunes film to be in 3D, RealD, 3D and IMAX 3D. From IMDB: "A story set in the ACME warehouse, the manufacturer of anything and everything used by the Looney Tunes characters."
57. Hoover rival: ORECK.
58. Patterned fabric: TOILE. More French. "A fabric, from the French word meaning 'linen cloth' or 'canvas,' particularly cloth or canvas for painting on."
59. Fuel for the fire: LOG.
62. Almond __: MILK.
66. Censorship-fighting org.: ACLU.
67. __ Hawkins Day: SADIE. From Wikipedia: "An American folk event and pseudo-holiday originated by Al Capp's classic hillbilly comic strip Li'l Abner (1934–1978). This inspired real-world Sadie Hawkins events, the premise of which is that women ask men for a date or dancing."
68. Ancient Greek region: IONIA.
69. Abrasive tool: RASP.
70. Proof word: ERAT.
71. Itsy-bitsy: TEENY.
Down:
1. Pinnacle: ACME. Again with Wile E. Coyote!
2. Water waster: DRIP.
3. Whooped it up: HAD A BLAST.
4. Dominate: OWN.
5. Forensic TV spin-off: CSI MIAMI.
6. Carved emblem: TOTEM.
7. Mrs. Gorbachev: RAISA.
8. Number of gods worshipped in Zoroastrianism: ONE. Hope to see Bohemian Rhapsody movie soon - I did not know this about Freddie Mercury.
9. "Stillmatic" rapper: NAS.
10. Italian tenor Andrea: BOCELLI.
11. Swahili for "freedom": UHURU.
12. Walmart stock holder?: SHELF. Love this clue.
13. HDTV part, for short: HI DEF.
15. Mix together: MELD.
18. Many "Call the Midwife" characters: NUNS.
22. CFO's degree: MBA. Master of Business Administration.
24. USPS unit: LTR. Letter. My nonprofit receives up to 1,000 units every month.
25. Private reply?: NO SIR. Second favorite clue.
26. "Frozen" reindeer: SVEN.
27. Bit of baby talk: DADA.
28. Pizazz: ELAN.
31. Start of a series: PART I.
32. A little bit off: ODD.
33. "__ Mine": Beatles song: I ME.
35. Sequence of direct ancestors: BLOODLINE. Family tree didn't fit.
36. "Freedom __ free": salute to military sacrifice: ISN'T.
37. Ocular malady: STYE.
40. Spot for a koi or a decoy: POND.
41. "That was awesome!": I LOVED IT.
44. Move in together: SHACK UP.
47. "Listen up," to Luis: OYE.
49. Pen filler: INK.
50. King with a pipe: COLE. Nat King Cole. (*Correction - thanks D-otto, Canadianeh! and Lucina, this was surely a reference to "Old King Cole" of nursery rhyme fame. Ironically enough though, Nat King Cole did collect pipes, and died of lung cancer.)
51. SportsNet LA analyst Garciaparra: NOMAR. Usually rely on perps for sports clues. Retired baseball player who played All-Star shortstop with Boston Red Sox, third base and first base for the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Oakland Athletics.
52. Writer Jong: ERICA.
53. Water sources: WELLS.
54. Crete peak: Abbr.: MT IDA. Had no idea. Wikipedia.
55. Put forth: POSIT.
56. Solemn ceremony: RITE.
60. "Come __!": ON IN.
61. Outback greeting: G'DAY.
63. Mao __-tung: TSE.
64. "__Games": 1983 Matthew Broderick film: WAR.
65. Curly associate: MOE.
