Theme: ONE FOR THE ROAD?
18. Organic gardening staple: COMPOST HEAP. Who remembers the car rental company, "Rent a Cheap Heap?"
24. One experiencing too much stress: NERVOUS WRECK. "A vehicle, airplane, etc., that has been badly damaged or destroyed.
51. Shipping need: PACKING CRATE. I did not know this, but CRATE is slang for an old rickety vehicle, especially a decrepit automobile or aircraft.
59. Aggressive male gorilla, for one: CHEST BEATER. A beater car is a vehicle that you run into the ground. They are typically older, high-mileage cars that still run well.
38. Jalopy found at the ends of four other long answers: BUCKET OF BOLTS. "A piece of machinery that is not worth more than its scrap value, often an old car."
Melissa here. On the downside to the weekend now. This was clever - I'd heard of all of these except CRATE. Who knew there were so many words to describe junky cars.
Across:
1. Drug used in microdosing therapies: LSD. What is microdosing LSD?
4. Corkboard item: TACK.
8. Whoop it up: PARTY.
13. Prefix for a lifesaving "Pen": EPI.
14. WWII wolf pack unit: UBOAT.
16. Irish actor Milo: OSHEA. He played the chief justice of the Supreme Court on “The West Wing.” Died in 2013 at 86.
17. __-relief: BAS.
20. Crafts, in Sevilla: ARTES. Spanish.
22. So yesterday: OUT.
23. Donkey: ASS.
29. Former province of eastern Cuba: ORIENTE.
30. Cry like a baby: WAIL.
32. Calligrapher's tip: NIB.
33. Post-WWII alliance: NATO.
36. Bend at the barre: PLIE.
42. Texas ALer: STRO.
43. H.H. Munro's pen name: SAKI.
44. DDE's WWII command: ETO.
46. Many, many moons: EONS.
48. Ensnared: IN A TRAP.
54. Jazz horn: SAX.
57. Part of a Swiss skyline: ALP.
58. Movie with gunslingers: OATER.
64. Stage legend Hagen: UTA.
65. OB/GYN test: AMNIO.
66. Dickens' "The Mystery of __ Drood": EDWIN.
67. Word before or after pack: RAT.
68. Like some pasta sauces: MEATY.
69. Male deliveries: SONS. Nice.
70. Application file suffix: EXE.
Down:
1. Israel's northern neighbor: LEBANON.
2. Slab on the grill: SPARERIBS.
3. Hand out: DISTRIBUTE.
4. Seat of Pima County, Arizona: TUCSON.
5. Blood-typing letters: ABO.
6. URL ending: COM.
7. "Bam!": KAPOW.
8. Greenhouse vessel: POT.
9. __ Wednesday: ASH.
10. "Better Call Saul" actress Seehorn: RHEA.
11. Herbal brews: TEAS.
12. Shrill barks: YAPS.
15. Take in the sights: TOUR.
19. Crock-Pot dish: STEW.
21. "Not a creature was stirring" time: EVE. From 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.
25. Magazine founder Eric: UTNE.
26. Senate posts: SEATS.
27. Consigliere's boss: CAPO. A Consigliere is an adviser, especially to a crime boss. Capos, short for caporegimes) are the appointed heads of crews, and are usually given responsibility for delicate tasks (like infiltrating union locals) Dons, Capos, and Consiglieres: The Structure of the American Mafia.
28. Decide not to run: KILL. Unexpected answer.
31. English major's field: LITERATURE.
34. Come __ standstill: TO A.
35. Next __: close relative: OF KIN.
37. Levy put on heirs: ESTATE TAX.
39. Farm output: CROP.
40. Hawaiian coffee district: KONA.
41. Microsoft search engine: BING.
45. Manage: OPERATE.
47. Sign of healing: SCAB. Or SCAR? Waited for the B in BEATER to be sure.
49. Future oaks: ACORNS.
50. __-la-la: TRA.
52. Swiss abstractionist Paul: KLEE. This is his Castle and Sun.
53. Tablets at a Genius Bar: IPADS. Cute.
54. Bogus offer: SCAM.
55. Sighed lament: AH ME.
56. Princess played by Lucy Lawless: XENA.
60. "Take a load off": SIT.
61. Hasbro product: TOY.
62. Couple: TWO.
63. A, in German class: EIN.
