17A. *Arm, to an ace pitcher : MEAL TICKET. Square meal. I remember reading a rather lively debate (a.k.a. a series of mud-slinging rants) on the origins of this phrase on another blog. I'll spare you the details.
24A. *Issue that halts negotiations : DEAL BREAKER. Square deal. Roosevelt's "Three C's" - Conservation of resources, Corporate control and Consumer protection.
33A. *Monetary love, in Timothy : ROOT OF ALL EVIL. Square root. When I learned in math(s) class that √-1 = i, I knew that the world of mathematics and I would remain strangers for ever.
45A. *One in the infantry : FOOT SOLDIER. Square foot. Not a stick-in-the-mud's poetic meter?
54A. Unswerving, and a hint to the starts of the answers to starred clues : FOUR-SQUARE. Also an American architectural style. I love the admonition "Do not attempt building without plans".
I liked the theme, more so than if you allow Jack's Scottish heritage in pronouncing "foot" to rhyme with "root", you get two paired theme entries which rhyme. Slick!
Let's check out the rest.
Across:
1. Loop in old Westerns : NOOSE
6. Kind of purpose : DUAL
10. Future J.D.'s exam : LSAT To become a Juris Doctor, you first must pass the Law School Admission Test.
14. Putting green border : APRON. The apron is part of the fringe, but not all the fringe is the apron. Funny old game, golf.
15. Welding sparks : ARCS
16. Sicilian smoker : ETNA. This is one talented volcano - it can even blow smoke rings.
19. Turkey or fox follower : TROT
20. Opposite of ecto- : ENTO. ENTE looked fine to me, until it didn't.
21. "Moonstruck" Oscar winner : CHER
22. Valerie Harper role : RHODA. I should have learned this by now, but I haven't. Thanks, crosses.
23. Statement of agreement : I DO
26. Sluggish : TORPID. Great word. Oxford University's "Torpids" crew races are anything but sluggish.
28. What a goldbrick does : IDLES
29. Cooking aids : OILS. I'm not sure about cooking oil being an "aid". An ingredient or a medium, perhaps.
30. Cry of surrender : UNCLE
38. French wine region : RHONE. Includes the famous appellation Châteuneuf-du-Pape. I guess the Pope needed something to drink at his new house, eh?
39. "Hands off!" : MINE
40. Deck crew boss : BOSUN
43. Full of spunk : FEISTY
49. __-Aztecan languages : UTO. I think I knew this, but I held off for the crosses to tell me I did.
50. Finish by : END AT
51. Bird along the coast : ERNE
52. Beat it : FLED
53. Pinball goof : TILT
56. Fit to __ : A TEE
57. "Come Back, Little Sheba" playwright : INGE. What? Who? Learned, and probably immediately forgotten.
58. Asian vine leaf : BETEL
59. Stockholder's concern : LOSS
60. Former OTC watchdog : NASD. The National Association of Securities Dealers responsible for oversight of over-the-counter stock markets. You learn something every day!
61. Bobrun runners : SLEDS
Down:
1. "You've got carte blanche" : NAME IT
2. Nondiscriminating immigration policy : OPEN DOOR
3. Mendelssohn's "Elijah," for one : ORATORIO. There are better examples, IMHO.
4. Unaided : SOLO
5. Tolkien giant : ENT.
6. Russian country home : DACHA
7. "Family Matters" nerd : URKEL. Giving oversized reading glasses a bad name, one sitcom at a time.
8. Biting : ACERB
9. WWII carrier : LST. Landing Ship, Tank.
10. Deadly : LETHAL
11. Butterfly, e.g. : STROKE. I was duped into entering STITCH first when I had the "ST-" to start me off.
12. Voltaic cell terminals : ANODES
13. Golden Horde member : TATAR
18. Treated, as a sprain : ICED
22. Christ the __: statue in Rio : REDEEMER. The word "iconic" springs to mind when describing this statue.
24. Have little faith in : DISTRUST
25. Little stream : RILL. Claude McKay's idyll demonstrates the usage nicely.
27. Gaza Strip gp. : PLO. The Palestine Liberation Organization.
30. Sci-fi vehicle : UFO
31. One of the Bobbsey twins : NAN
32. A.L. Central team, on scoreboards : CLE. The Cleveland Indians. They don't seem to be attracting the same name-controversy as the NFL team in Washington.
34. Cry of woe : OH NO!
35. Sundial number : VII.
36. Protect against heat loss, say : INSULATE
37. Made it big, as in school athletics : LETTERED
40. Mackerel relative : BONITO. Food! Dried bonito flakes are a key ingredient in Japanese cuisine.
41. Truckloads : OODLES
42. Conditions : STATES
43. Charges for services : FEES
44. Alpine airs : YODELS. Let's have a little Rodgers and Hammerstein why don't we.
45. Like a curled-up position : FETAL
46. Soprano Mitchell : LEONA. More crosses. The names of sopranos rarely trip off my tongue.
47. Pharmacy inventory : DRUGS
48. How a 59-Across is typically shown : IN RED
52. Pumped product : FUEL
54. Five smackers : FIN - from the Yiddish "finf" - "five".
55. Ones taking hikes: Abbr. : QB'S. "Omaha! Omaha! Oh No-Maha!!" Quarterback Peyton Manning taking the first hike from the Broncos' Manny Ramirez in Superbowl XLVIII in 2014. Much hilarity ensues.
That about does it for today. Have a great Wednesday!
Steve
