(Notes from C.C.: MM is on vacation. Steve will cover for him the next few weeks. Thanks for helping us again, Steve!)
Theme: Dis-located. "DIS" pops up in the middle of a phrase:
17A. Blackmailer's ultimatum?: CASH OR DISCREDIT.
26A. Message such as "Still looking for my golf ball in the tall grass"?: ROUGH DISPATCH.
42A. Pawn shop, essentially?: HOUSE OF DISCARDS.
and the reveal:
53A. Faded away, and what happened in 17-, 26-, and 42-Across?: DISAPPEARED.
I liked the theme and the resulting phrases, although I'd question "Pawn shop", maybe "Junk shop" might be more accurate. That's a minor nit though. The top center section was sitting quite empty when the rest of the puzzle was complete, but I eventually stared it down. Let's see what else we've got to talk about:
1. Quad spot: LEG. Quadriceps.
4. Pollen producers: STAMENS.
11. One turn after another?: ZAG. Nice clue, after a zig you zag.
14. Kaplan of Yo La Tengo: IRA.
15. Was allowed to vote: HAD A SAY.
16. Tuber also called a New Zealand yam: OCA. These tubers, grown as a major crop in the Andes:
20. "Which __ say ... ": IS TO.
21. Pollen collector?: PETAL.
22. Extract: MINE.
23. College Park athlete, for short: TERP.
24. Vote against: NAY.
25. Lobbying orgs.: PACS.
31. Dessert ruined by Little Jack Horner: PIE.
32. Washington state brewski: OLY. Not really. Pabst aquired the brand in 1999 and shut down the Olympia brewery in 2003, but still continued to promote is as being produced in the state from Washington water. They faced a class action lawsuit for false advertising in 2018, and the action failed only because they'd ceased to produce the brand by the time the suit came to federal court in 2022.
33. Racket dampener?: SHH.
36. Garment with adjustable straps: BRA.
38. "La __ en Rose": VIE.
39. Tazo product: TEA.
46. Writer Bombeck: ERMA.
47. Arrange, as a sari: DRAPE.
48. Wilts: SAGS.
49. Genre that uses a caricature style known as chibi: ANIME.
51. Mantra syllables: OMS.
52. Matchstick wood: ASPEN.
56. Massage style: SHIATSU.
58. Puts on the line, maybe: AIRS OUT.
61. "I'm ready to play, coach!": PUT ME IN.
62. Duo: TWOSOME.
63. Tina of "30 Rock": FEY.
64. Defunct D.C. stadium: RFK. I had "VET" at first, for "The Vet", or Veteran's Stadium, completely ignoring the fact that the Vet was in Philadelphia, not D.C.
65. Tree feller: SAW.
66. "Sweet!": RAD.
Down:
1. Not outlawed: LICIT. Couple of missteps here until the crosses corrected me. LEGAL followed by LEGIT (which I didn't like anyway) before finally landing on LICIT.
2. Crossword solver's need, maybe: ERASER. We've all been there!
3. Gourmet's prefix: GASTRO.
4. "Billions" airer, briefly: SHO. Showtime.
5. Large spread: TARP.
6. Summer term?: ADDEND.
7. Curaćao and rum drink: MAI TAI.
8. Takes in the paper?: ESSAYS.
9. Pickling mineral, chemically: NACL.
10. Med. nation: SYR. Quite a few of these. SPA, FRA, MON, SAN, ITA, CRO, SER, GRE ... and I haven''t even got to TUR.
11. Signs from above: ZODIAC.
12. Child's play: A CINCH.
13. Airport array: GATES.
18. Words said while patting a stool, perhaps: HOP UP.
19. Needing filling: EMPTY.
27. Teasing remark: GIBE.
28. Tenor role in "Salome": HEROD.
29. Unflappability: POISE.
30. Guinness of "Lawrence of Arabia": ALEC.
33. __ butter: SHEA.
34. Traffic sound: HORN.
35. Heat index factor: HUMIDITY.
37. Arts festival that calls itself "the other Black experience": AFROPUNK.
38. Prime viewing spots: VIP SEATS.
39. Secret exit, maybe: TRAPDOOR.
40. Periphery: EDGE.
41. Gp.: ASSN.
43. Seuss character: SAM I AM.
44. Almost dry: DAMP.
45. Appraise: ASSESS.
50. Czech Olympian Ledecká who won gold in two winter disciplines: ESTER. She won the gold at the 2018 Olympics in in the Super-G and in Parallel Snowboarding, making her the first person to compete in the Winter Olympics using two different kinds of equipment (skis and snowboard), and, by definition, the first person to win gold medals in those events and at the same Olympic Games.
52. Directional aid: ARROW.
54. "You're kidding, right?": AS IF.
55. Boombox brand: AIWA. I thought these were literally a "blast from the past" but you can still buy them.
56. Initialism for certain applications: SPF. Sunscreen.
57. Saffron or sage: HUE.
59. Actress Thurman: UMA.
60. "Ideas worth spreading" org.: TED.
I think it's just the grid left, and we're done!
Steve
