Theme: Today - The end of winter prediction.
41A. What we'll have of 3-Down, according to folklore, if 18-Across 62-Down sees his 50-Down on 65-Across : SIX MORE WEEKS. The most referential clue I think I've seen. I'll list them in order.
3D. Cold season : WINTER
18A. Pennsylvania borough in today's news : PUNXSUTAWNEY
62D. Given name of the critter in today's news : PHIL
50D. Sundial casting : SHADOW
65A. February 2, every year : GROUNDHOG DAY
Argyle and Phil here and a whimsical puzzle from a new constructor. On Groundhog Day(today), if Phil(the groundhog) sees his shadow and returns to his hole, he has predicted six more weeks of winter-like weather. If Phil does not see his shadow, he has predicted an "early spring". If he's smart, he won't poke even his nose out this morning.
Across:
1. Burst into tears : BAWL
5. Wander off the point : RAMBLE
11. Rainy : WET
14. Hodgepodge : OLIO
15. In the plane's cabin, say : ONBOARD
17. New Year's __ : EVE
20. Clinton's instrument : SAX. (saxophone)
21. Ambulance VIP : EMT. (emergency medical technician)
22. '50s nuclear experiments : A-TESTS
23. Founded, on signs : ESTD.(established)
25. Foe : ENEMY
27. Approved, briefly : OK'D
29. Pop singer Diamond : NEIL
31. Henry VIII's sixth wife Catherine : PARR. The last of his wives, she married him on 12 July 1543, and outlived him.
32. Conk out : DIE
35. "Make up your mind!" : "YES OR NO!"
37. Germany's __ Republic, 1919-'33 : WEIMAR. Weimar was the city where the constitutional assembly took place. Wiki
40. Flip-flops : THONGS. Do you know whose these are?
43. Puppies : WHELPS
45. Bahamas capital : NASSAU
46. Thick fog metaphor : PEA SOUP
48. Dirt road groove : RUT
49. Amt. on a new car window : MSRP. (manufacturer's suggested retail price)
53. Venus de __ : MILO
54. Mess of hair : MOP
56. Employee handing out playbills : USHER
57. Stoolie : FINK
59. Workshop grippers : CLAMPS
63. Word after Iron or Stone : AGE
64. Corp. leader : CEO. (chief executive officer) and 7D. Corp. execs' degrees : MBAs. (Master of Business Administration)
68. Coffee hour vessel : URN
69. Asian language in a region famous for tigers : BENGALI. "...if called by a panther,
don't anther."
70. __ vault : POLE
71. Letter before tee : ESS
72. La Brea discovery : FOSSIL
73. Filled with wonder : AWED
Down:
1. Girl who lost her sheep : BO PEEP
Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,
And doesn't know where to find them;
Leave them alone,
And they'll come home,
Wagging their tails behind them.
2. Barnard graduate : ALUMNA. Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college in NYC and one of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, it has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900.
4. Bagel go-with : LOX
5. Landslide victory : ROUT
6. Poker pot starter : ANTE
8. Bend before in reverence : BOW TO
9. Lucky Luciano cohort Meyer __ : LANSKY. Known as the "Mob's Accountant", Lansky was never found guilty of anything more serious than illegal gambling. Which reminds me, how did you do on the big game?
10. Before, in poetry : ERE
11. Cowboy movies : WESTERNS
12. Shirking, as taxes : EVADING
13. LBJ's home state : TEX. (Texas)
16. Salon coloring : DYE
19. Speak : SAY
24. Sweetie pie : SNOOKUMS. In 1904, 'The Newlyweds', a newspaper comic strip, was about an elegant young couple and their baby, Snookums.
26. Dennis the Menace's grumpy neighbor : MR. WILSON
28. Hate : DETEST
30. Part of UCLA : LOS. (University of California, Los Angeles)
32. Chinese appetizer : DIM SUM
33. "I think ...," in texts : IMO. (in my opinion)
34. Make, as money : EARN
36. Mets' old stadium : SHEA
38. Old Montreal baseballer : EXPO
39. Back : REAR
41. Flippered aquarium attractions : SEA LIONS
42. Sch. with a Spokane campus : WSU. (Washington State University)
43. Typist's stat. : WPM. (words per minute)
44. Some young cows : HEIFERS
47. Pennsylvania raceway : POCONO. Known as the Tricky Triangle.
51. Entertain in style : REGALE
52. Victimized, with "on" : PREYED
55. Outlet inserts : PLUGS
56. GI show gp. : USO. (United Service Organizations)
58. USSR secret service : KGB. (komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti)
60. Santa __: West Coast winds : ANAs
61. 1551, to Caesar : MDLI
64. Billiards stick : CUE
66. NBA official : REF. (referee)
67. Dean's list no. : GPA. (grade point average)
Argyle
