Theme: Adjunct - Taking words starting with ad and parsing them to mean a commercial.
17A. Commercial assignment? : AD MISSION
28A. Commercial style of speaking? : AD DICTION
49A. Commercial undertaking requiring capital? : AD VENTURE
66A. Commercial speech? : AD ORATION
9D. Commercial sun shade? : AD VISOR
45D. Commercial attire? : AD DRESS
Argyle here. I admit my expo may not nail it but I think the idea is clear enough. This is Robyn's second LAT puzzle and it shows strong construction. A little something for everybody.
Across:
1. Like the rides in a kiddie park : TAME. Ah, but not to them.
5. Scrabble play : WORD. Question: Have you ever bluffed a non-word at Scrabble?
9. Rose petal pest : APHID
14. Persian Gulf country : IRAN
15. Nautical "Howdy!" : "AHOY!"
16. Ross of the Supremes : DIANA
19. Tofurky eater at Thanksgiving, perhaps : VEGAN
20. Monarch's tenure : REIGN
21. Giraffe kin : OKAPI. "Do these stripes make my butt look big?"
23. Lend a hand : AID
24. Blood disorder that causes weakness : ANEMIA
26. Words after "Oops!" : "SO SORRY!"
31. Expensive ballpark spot : BOX SEATS
34. Museum artifact : RELIC
38. Street sign abbr. : AVE. A lot are just AV now.
39. Sulks : MOPES
42. It pumps up the band's volume : AMP
43. When tripled, a story shortener : YADDA
46. "Please go first ..." : "AFTER YOU"
52. Cricket cousin : KATYDID. They play the night shift.
55. London chimer : BIG BEN. (in the Elizabeth Tower)
59. LAPD broadcast : APB. (All Points Bulletin)
60. Threw a hissy fit : RAGED
63. Transform for Halloween, as a pumpkin : CARVE
64. Raffle reward : PRIZE
68. Skin openings : PORES
69. Really bug : RILE
70. Make off with : TAKE
71. Chilean mountains : ANDES. The length of South America.
72. Pedometer unit : STEP. You program in the length of your stride. I wonder if they have a integrated GPS model now?
73. Greek god of war : ARES. The astrological sign is Aries.
Down:
1. Wonder Woman's headpiece : TIARA. And not just for keeping her hair in place.Wonder Woman uses her tiara as a boomerang. Link
2. Shakespearean forest : ARDEN. (from "As You Like It")
3. She liked Ike : MAMIE. First Lady Mamie Eisenhower.
4. Real puzzlers : ENIGMAs
5. "Kilroy __ here" : WAS
6. Toledo's state : OHIO
7. Chess piece that can't move diagonally : ROOK
8. Ruler by heredity : DYNAST. I looked it up.
10. Place for 24 blackbirds, in verse : PIE. Wasn't that a dainty dish, To set before the DYNAST? Let them eat Tofurky!
11. Comics Viking : HAGAR
12. "... bombs bursting __" : IN AIR
13. "Yankee Doodle __" : DANDY These two(12&13) make a nice pair.
18. Mean and sarcastic : SNIDE
22. Luau dish : POI
25. West who played Batman : ADAM. He retired and now is Quahog's eccentric mayor on "Family Guy".
27. __ of a kind : ONE
29. Simpson judge : ITO
30. TV from D.C. : C-SPAN
31. Miami's Biscayne __ : BAY
32. Lab eggs : OVA
33. Marked the spot : Xed
35. Hens do it : LAY
36. Texter's "Here's what I think" : IMO. (in my opinion)
37. PC brain : CPU. (central processing unit )
40. Baby newt : EFT
41. Ticket part you keep : STUB
44. 24 hours : DAY
47. Novelist Jong : ERICA
48. Yachting race : REGATTA
50. By way of : VIA
51. Awards for mystery writers : EDGARs. The Edgar Allan Poe Awards ®
52. Phi Beta __ : KAPPA
53. Cook's cover-up : APRON
54. Car daddy took away, in a Beach Boys song : T-BIRD. Fun fun, fun.
56. Pipe material : BRIAR. Something Sherlock Holmes might smoke.
57. Conjure up : EVOKE
58. Babies, in Barcelona : NENEs. Not as simple as it seems; been better off sticking with Hawaiian geese.
61. Make less wordy, as an article : EDIT
62. Ration (out) : DOLE
65. Alphabet ender : ZEE
67. Account exec : REP. Look! A rep leftover from yesterday.
Argyle
