Theme: Fun for the Whole Family - A few words and phrases that start with a bowling term and the unusual placement of the unifier at 1-Across
1A . Postseason gridiron game, and a hint to the puzzle theme found in starred answers : BOWL
17A. *Sign of a typing mistake : STRIKEOVER
25A. *Indigent's request : "SPARE CHANGE?"
38A. *Wizard's game in the rock opera "Tommy" : PINBALL. Both parts of this entry would work.
53A. *Street urchin : GUTTERSNIPE
62A. *Chain for plus-size women's fashion : LANE BRYANT
Argyle here but it should be Boomer; it's right up his alley. Also, an unusual grid with triple eights and sixes down the sides. I didn't find a few entries until my write-up but still it was harder then Monday's puzzle, IMO.
Across:
5. Baseball card brand : TOPPS
10. Young men : LADS
14. Tiny battery : AAAA
15. Well-honed : SHARP
16. Vicinity : AREA
19. Dogpatch possessive : HIS'N
20. Country singer Gibbs : TERRI. Somebody's Knocking".(2:42)
21. Ostrich cousins : EMUs
23. Quick swim : DIP. but 31A. Not a good area for nonswimmers : DEEP END
24. Before, before : ERE
29. Nine-digit ID : SSN
30. Ready : SET
32. Rehab woes, briefly : DTs
34. Also-ran : LOSER
35. Little demon : IMP
41. B'way sellout sign : SRO
42. Shearer of "The Red Shoes" : MOIRA. The Red Shoes (1948) is a British feature film about a ballet dancer. Image.
44. ID checker's concern : AGE
45. An original Mouseketeer : ANNETTE
48. Séance sound : RAP
50. Make a choice : OPT
55. "To Kill a Mockingbird" author Harper __ : LEE
56. AOL chats : IMs. Instant Messaging (IM).
57. California wine valley : NAPA
58. Church chorus : AMENS
60. Playwright Simon : NEIL. Barefoot in the Park (1963), Brighton Beach Memoirs (1983), The Goodbye Girl (1993).
65. Automaker Ferrari : ENZO
66. "What's in __?": Juliet : A NAME
67. Orchard grower : TREE
68. Fret : STEW
69. Pert : SASSY
70. Murderous Stevenson character : HYDE. Psst, it's really Dr. Jekyll.
Down:
1. Moistens in the pan : BASTES
2. Many John Wayne movies : OATERS. Westerns.
3. President Harding : WARREN. Here's your shout out, Warren.
4. Lion's den : LAIR
5. Taoist Lao-__ : TSE
6. "Well, lookee here!" : "O HO!"
7. Road repair worker : PAVER
8. Future doc's undergrad concentration : PREMED
9. Smarten (up) : SPRUCE
10. "Well, __-di-dah!" : LAH
11. Desert feature : ARIDNESS
12. Fashion world VIP : DESIGNER
13. Los Angeles bay named for an apostle : SAN PEDRO
18. Smooch : KISS
22. Turtle's protection : SHELL
26. Salon service often paired with a mani : PEDI. Cure for bad nails.
27. Memo-routing abbr. : ATTN.
28. GI's address : APO. Army Post Office or Air Force Post Office, while Navy and Marine Corps use FPO (Fleet Post Office).
33. Entrepreneur-aiding org. : SBA. Small Business Administration.
35. Makes believe : IMAGINEs
36. Memorial structure : MONUMENT
37. Peewee : PINT-SIZE
38. Eucharistic plate : PATEN. Usually of gold or silver, it is used to hold the host during the celebration of the Eucharist. I haven't seen it in a puzzle lately but has been common in the past.
39. Farming prefix : AGRI
40. "Look before you __" : LEAP
43. On a pension: Abbr. : RET.
46. Sung syllables : TRA LAs
47. Francia neighbor : ESPANA
49. Bartlett or Bosc : PEAR
50. Chicago Fire Mrs. : O'LEARY. Her cow is alleged to have started the fire but I think it was a scapegoat
51. In a sty, say : PENNED
52. Exam taker : TESTEE. Go ahead; take a shot.
54. Family matriarchs : NANAs. Just ask grandma if you don't believe it.
59. Fable : MYTH
61. Sad : LOW
63. 911 response initials : EMS. Emergency Medical Services.
64. Ottoman governor : BEY. The last of the Thursday words on Tuesday.
Argyle
