Theme: So and So - Four three-word phrases ... oh, never mind.
17A. Like stickers that smell when rubbed : SCRATCH AND SNIFF
27A. Little girl's makeup, so they say : SUGAR AND SPICE
48A. Terse : SHORT AND SWEET
62A. Old Glory : STARS AND STRIPES
71. Metaphor for time ... and, when divided into three words, puzzle theme found in the four longest across answers : SANDS. S and S
Argyle here. A reveal, really? Hardly necessary. Do you suppose he looked at SANDS and decided it could be parsed S and S? It is interesting that there are nine different length entries. Four long columns; the two longer ones cross three of the themes and the two shorter ones cross two theme entries. Overly easy but not USA mindless by any means.
Across:
1. Diagram with axes and coordinates : GRAPH
6. Very top : ACME
10. Shift neighbor, on PC keyboards : CTRL
14. St. __ Girl beer : PAULI
15. Guard site : SHIN. Cute.
16. Nabisco cookie : OREO
20. Buckwheat dish : KASHA. Not Little Rascals Buckwheat.
21. Court order to all : RISE
22. Fruit seed : PIT
23. Drop-down __ : MENU
25. Like some microbrews : MALTY
33. Crisp covering : CRUST
34. Welfare : SAKE
35. Firebird roof option : T-TOP
38. What cake candles may indicate : AGE
39. On the rocks : OVER ICE
42. Bart Simpson's grandpa : ABE
43. See 44-Down : BEST
45. City near Colombia's coastline : CALI
46. Leica competitor : NIKON
51. Sounded sheepish? : BAAed
53. Pop singer Vannelli : GINO. Clip
54. "Life of Pi" director Lee : ANG
55. Flood preventer : DIKE
59. Louisiana cuisine : CAJUN
66. Words starting many a guess : "IS IT ... ?"
67. Kind of dancer or boots : GO-GO
68. Atlanta campus : EMORY
69. "Auld Lang __" : SYNE
70. Follow the leader : OBEY
Down:
1. Navig. tool : GPS. (Global Positioning System)
2. Pool hall triangle : RACK
3. Saintly glow : AURA
4. Some flat-screen TVs : PLASMAs
5. Until now : HITHERTO
6. Remnant of an old flame : ASH. Good one.
7. Blacken : CHAR
8. Prefix with series : MINI
9. Remnants : ENDS. 49D. Partner of 9-Down : ODDS
10. Grifter's specialty : CON
11. Exaggerated response of disbelief : TRIPLE TAKE
12. Equip anew : REFIT
13. Towering : LOFTY
18. "How many times __ man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn't see?": Dylan : CAN A. Lot of clue for a short answer.
19. Freeway hauler : SEMI
24. Boot from office : UNSEAT
26. Work with a cast : ACT
27. Natural cut protection : SCAB
28. Strong desire : URGE
29. "Still wrong, take another stab" : "GUESS AGAIN
30. Alfalfa's girl : DARLA. Now we're talking Little Rascals.
31. Coming down the mountain, perhaps : SKIING
32. Push-up target, briefly : PEC. Build them up by doing push-ups. (Not my first thought)
36. Reed instrument : OBOE. A Püchner Oboe, model 30.
37. Cooped (up) : PENT
40. DVD predecessor : VCR. You remember videocassette recorder, right?
41. Catches, as in a net : ENSNARES
44. With 43-Across, outstanding : THE
47. Historic Japanese island battle site : IWO JIMA. Still a little rock in a big ocean.
50. Merriam-Webster ref. : DICT. (dictionary)
51. Underlying principle : BASIS
52. Restless : ANTSY
56. "Othello" villain : IAGO. Perennial bad guy.
57. Door opener : KNOB
58. Periphery : EDGE
60. Well-versed in : UP ON or maybe DOWN ON?
61. Uncool type : NERD
63. AAA suggestion : RTE. American Automobile Association/Route
64. Dim sum sauce : SOY
65. Part of PBS: Abbr. : SYS. I'm shocked! Public Broadcasting Service, not System.
Argyle
