Wednesday, September 7, 2016, Pam Amick Klawitter

Title: RETURN WITH US NOW TO THOSE THRILLING DAYS OF YESTERYEAR!

Pam has a fun Wednesday puzzle for us where her three two-word theme answers end in synonyms for THROW that are appended to the BACK of the first word. Thus we have the reveal:

55. Reversions ... or what 17-, 26- and 43-Across all have? : THROWBACKS. We sports fans see this word and immediately think of the old uniforms athletes don occasionally to celebrate teams of yesteryear! Once a year the Steelers dress out in these THROWBACK "bumble bee" outfits of the 1930's:

17. Cold weather groundswell that can cause pavement damage : FROST HEAVE - Water's quirky property of expanding when it freezes can move mountains and sidewalks

26. Ancient siege weapon : ROMAN CATAPULT - Take that you Visigoths!

43. Manufacturer's coming-out event : PRODUCT LAUNCH - Some genius thought Life Saver Soda would be a good idea. Consumers could not get the past the revulsion of drinking liquid candy.

Now let's peruse the rest of fun Pam has tossed, flung and pitched at us:

Across

1. Bucks in the woods : STAGS

6. Ratted out the bad guys : SANG

10. Dept. store stock : MDSE

14. Condor's condo? : AERIE - The view on the way home to the AERIE

15. Prefix with logical : IDEO

16. Dry as a desert : ARID

19. Go for the worm : BITE

20. Wind down or wind up : END - I imagine some barflies wonder as the night winds down where they will wind up

21. Name in Cold War news : TASS - Telegrafnoye Agentstvo Sovyetskogo Soyuza (Telegraphic Agency of the Soviet Union)

22. Wright who wondered, "What's another word for 'thesaurus'?" : STEVEN

24. Ball catcher : MITT - Evolution

25. Needing wheels : CARLESS

30. "Knock it off!" : ENOUGH

31. Architectural curve : OGEE 

32. L.A. NFLer : RAM - Back in L.A. where they should be

35. Tax-free govt. bond : MUNI

36. Good feller? : AXE - This company in Tauranga, New Zealand have them

37. "One day only!" event : SALE

38. Boomer that no longer booms, briefly : SST

39. __ Valley: Reagan Library locale : SIMI - A beautiful place to visit

41. Warring factions : ARMIES

46. Woofer's partner : TWEETER

48. Landed : ALIT

49. Film boxer Rocky : BALBOA

50. Black, to a bard : EBON

51. Syst. for the deaf : ASL

54. Islamic branch : SHIA

58. Bard : POET

59. Capital of Belgium : EURO

60. Good-sized wedding band : OCTET

61. Kind of spot or loser : SORE

62. Cong. meeting : SESS

63. Lawn spoilers : WEEDS


Down

1. Heist target : SAFE

2. Beach bird : TERN

3. Five-time A.L. home run champ, familiarly : AROD - Now an expensive liability

4. APO mail addressees : GI'S

5. Gem mount : SETTING

6. Midday snooze : SIESTA - Una SIESTA me refresca (A nap refreshes me)

7. Some govt. lawyers : ADA'S - I'm betting most of you know these

8. Calif. neighbor : NEV

9. Loses one's cool : GOES APE

10. Pre-1985 communications nickname : MA BELL

11. Car's engine-to-wheels connector : DRIVE TRAIN

12. Surfers visit them : SITES

13. Paradises : EDENS

18. Sub access : HATCH - A tight fit

23. __-blue : TRUE

24. View from Molokai's south shore : MAUI

25. Lab rat's home : CAGE

26. Radiation units : REMS - Dental X-rays expose you to about 3 milliREMS (.003 REM) but you get about 360 milliREMS/year from everyday sources

27. Taxing task : ONUS

28. New England capital : MONTPELIER - the least populous American capital (7,880)

29. Needing a skull-and-crossbones label : TOXIC

33. Actor Baldwin : ALEC

34. Screen door material : MESH - Our MESH is kitty-proof

36. Russia-China border river : AMUR

37. X-rated stuff : SMUT

39. Explorer Hernando de __ : SOTO

40. Conceptualizes : IDEATES - Do you run in a crowd that uses this word?

41. Permit : ALLOW

42. Post-shower display : RAINBOW

44. Mail-in incentive : REBATE

45. They're off-limits : TABOOS

46. Recipe amts. : TBSPS

47. "Yippee!" : WAHOO

50. Gets an "I'm sorry" from Alex Trebek, say : ERRS - He didn't need Final Jeopardy to win, so Buzzy Cohen didn't ERR but  jabbed Alex a little.

51. Entr'__ : ACTE

52. Short agenda? : SKED

53. Iwo Jima troop carriers: Abbr. : LSTS

56. Tint : HUE

57. Blackjack component : ACE

Now we THROW control BACK to you, our faithful solvers! Comment away! 

The Grid

Tuesday, September 6, 2016 Janice Luttrell

Theme: And this too shall pass - PASS can be added to the last word.

16A. Without a care in the world: FANCY FREE. Free Pass.

23A. Clove crusher: GARLIC PRESS. Press Pass.

37A. Big band venue: DANCE HALL. Hall Pass.

56A. Deceptive measure: SMOKE SCREEN. Screen Pass. (football)

64A. Log-on needs ... and, literally, what the ends of 16-, 23-, 37- and 56-Across can be: PASSWORDS

Argyle here. And this too shall be easier than Monday, eh? Fourteen 7-letter words makes this puzzle stand out.

Across:

1. Skatepark feature: RAMP

5. Tuxedo part: VEST

9. Flew the coop: LEFT

13. Old Voice of America overseer: Abbr.: USIA. (United States Information Agency)

14. Dislike intensely: HATE

15. Twisted shape: HELIX

18. Olympics segment: EVENT

19. Dipped chip: FRITO

20. Vatican City is one: ENCLAVE

22. Sweetie, in dialect: LUV

27. She, in São Paulo: ELA. (Portuguese)

28. "I think," in chats: IMO. (in my opinion)

29. Pointy hat wearer: ELF

30. CIA relative: NSA. (No Such Agency)

31. Prefix meaning "ten": DECA

33. Fictional visitors from space: ETs

35. Surprise victory: UPSET

41. U.S.-Canada defense system: NORAD. (North American Aerospace Defense Command)

44. Quite a long while: EON

45. Buckwheat noodle of Japan: SOBA

49. Tuna at a sushi bar: AHI

50. Okinawa okay: HAI. This concludes our trip to the Far East.

53. Fr. holy woman: STE. (Saint)

55. Hi-__ image: RES. resolution

59. Courtroom VIPs: DAs. (District Attorney)

60. Frozen convenience store offering: SLURPEE. Nationwide?

61. Funny Cheri: OTERI

63. Solitary: ALONE

67. Gung-ho, as a fan: RABID

68. Cuatro y cuatro: OCHO. 4+4=8 (Spanish)

69. __ Cong: VIET

70. Rare bills: TWOs

71. "That was a close one!": "PHEW!"

72. Odds partner: ENDS

Down:

1. Like some tuxedo shirts: RUFFLED

2. Usually: AS A RULE

3. Hand-held cleaner, briefly: MINI-VAC

4. Summit-ending agreement: PACT

5. TV channels 2 to 13: VHF. (Very high frequency)

6. Place for a ring: EAR

7. Iron alloy: STEEL

8. Like the bikini in a 1960 #1 hit: TEENIE

9. Burton of "Roots": LEVAR. What's he upto now? IMDb

10. Gridiron squads: ELEVENS. And Seven-Elevens are where you will find Slurpees.

11. Delicate handling: FINESSE

12. Extension on an unformatted document file: .TXT (text/plain)

15. Of assistance: HELPFUL

17. It's said that he said, "I never said most of the things I said": YOGI Berra

21. 25% of M: CCL. 1000x25%=250

24. "Absolutely!": "AMEN!"

25. Campus mil. group: ROTC. (Reserve Officers' Training Corps)

26. Won at musical chairs: SAT

32. Toothpaste-endorsing gp.: ADA. (American Dental Association)

34. "__ what I mean?": SEE

36. Start of a sequence ending in "thx": PLS. Please/Thank You

38. Stuck (to): ADHERED

39. Watering aid: HOSE

40. Feed the kitty: ANTE

41. "Stillmatic" rapper: NAS

42. Eponymous electrical current principle: OHM'S LAW

43. 1970 John Wayne film: "RIO LOBO"  Oops! This clip is from the 1959 Rio Bravo. It is a much better movie so I'll leave it.

                      Clip from Rio Lobo below.

46. Call for pizza, say: ORDER IN

47. Like Dumbledore and Santa Claus: BEARDED

48. Lends a hand: ASSISTS

51. Nile snake: ASP

52. Summer treat: ICE POP. From your freezer, not a store.

54. It used to be plenty: ENOW. Enough.

57. Actress Mila: KUNIS. IMDb

58. Arrive at: REACH

62. "Slithy" thing in "Jabberwocky": TOVE

63. Works at a museum: ART

65. One called Miss: SHE

66. Sty mother: SOW. Miss Piggy?

Argyle

Monday, September 5, 2016 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Mystery Monday - No reveal, or is there?

62. Brief film role: CAMEO APPEARANCE. A CAMEO can appear as part of the other three items.

17. Chronological documentation in a court case: CHAIN OF EVIDENCE. Cameo necklace(chain)

27. Point an accusing finger at: PIN THE BLAME ON. Cameo pin(brooch)

48. "Be careful on that icy sidewalk": "WATCH YOUR STEP", Cameo watch (Usually a pocket watch)

Argyle here. Some easy stuff, some easy to overthink them and some that will get your thinking cap working. I think we will have a range of responses today. The grid itself with its two grid spanners and stong corners is solid.

Across:

1. Captain obsessed with a whale: AHAB

5. Baseball great Ruth: BABE

9. Channel covering Capitol Hill: C-SPAN

14. Formal affair: BALL

15. Taken by mouth: ORAL

16. Rome's home: ITALY

20. Prior name of Ho Chi Minh City: SAIGON

21. Spot of acne: ZIT

22. Driver's license prerequisite: TEST

23. Damaging precipitation: HAIL

25. NFL officials: REFs

32. Greek Cupid: EROS

33. Great Lakes' __ Canals: SOO

34. Prom participant: SENIOR

37. Japanese drama: NOH

38. Cry bitterly: SOB

40. Links org.: PGA. (Professional Golfers' Association)

41. Sharpshooters' magnifiers: SCOPES

45. Discouraging answers: NO's

47. Organs that may be pierced: EARS

51. When repeated, a Hawaiian fish: MAHI

52. Shoelace securer: KNOT

53. Offended smack: SLAP

56. New Deal org.: WPA. (Works Progress Administration)

58. More gloomy: DARKER

65. Female reproductive gland: OVARY

66. Any one of the Bahamas: ISLE

67. Geometric art style: DECO

68. Cup, in Calais: TASSE

69. Cartoon screams: EEKs

70. Leaves speechless: AWEs

Down:

1. Elementary lessons: ABCs

2. "You're a riot ... not": "HA-HA"

3. Jai __: ALAI

4. Fatal plant diseases: BLIGHTS. I question "fatal".

5. Outskirts of the outskirts: BOONIES

6. Weimaraner warning: ARF. 31D. Try to bite, puppy-style: NIP AT

7. Joan at Woodstock: BAEZ

8. Horror's "Mistress of the Dark": ELVIRA. Official Site.

9. Spanish hero El __: CID

10. Classic cowboy hat: STETSON

11. Windex target: PANE

12. MLB postseason semifinal: ALCS. (American League Championship Series)

13. Kremlin refusal: NYET

18. Genesis shipbuilder: NOAH. Would we laugh at him today? Or be worried?

19. List listings: ITEMS

24. Wall St. deals: LBOs. (leveraged buyout)

26. Price of admission: FEE

27. Check-signing needs: PENS

28. __-Z: classic Camaro: IROC. (International Race of Champions) In March 2008, IROC auctioned off its tools, equipment, cars, and memorabilia, and went out of business.

29. "Not gonna happen": "NO HOW"

30. Zany: LOONY

35. Kiddie-lit monster: OGRE

36. Sing like Joe Cocker: RASP

39. Best-seller list entry: BOOK

42. Fusses over: PAMPERS

43. LAX listing: ETA

44. The "a" sound in "about" or "around": SCHWA

46. Ice cream treats: SUNDAES

47. Erik of "CHiPs": ESTRADA

49. Flower child, e.g.: HIPPIE

50. Roll in the aisles: ROAR

53. Kilt wearer: SCOT

54. Volcanic flow: LAVA

55. Amo, __, amat: AMAS

57. Vaulted church recess: APSE

59. Had the information: KNEW

60. Behold, to Caesar: ECCE

61. Classic cars: REOs

63. Santana's "__ Como Va": OYE. "Oye como va mi ritmo", meaning "Listen to how my rhythm goes."

64. Lodge logo animal: ELK. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

Argyle

Sunday, September 4, 2016 Mark McClain

Theme: "Fitting Jobs" - Each theme entry is punnily clued as if it's a suited job for the person in the clue.

25A. Fitting job for Will? : PROBATE JUDGE. Very fitting.

 

46A. Fitting job for Stu? : HASH HOUSE COOK

67A. Fitting job for Sue? : TRIAL ATTORNEY. The 11-letter TRIAL LAWYER works as a middle entry also.

90A. Fitting job for Roger? : RADIO OPERATOR

113A. Fitting job for Bette? : CASINO DEALER. Because Bette is close to Bet?

3D. Fitting job for Art? : MUSEUM GUIDE

 

70D. Fitting job for Miles? : TRUCK DRIVER. Or * PILOT.

Fun theme! I like this type of theme where in the language phrases are punnily re-interpreted. You need to be really imaginative and come up with plenty of candidates for a workable set.  Often constructors have to discard a perfect entry due to wrong letter count. 

Mark took fully advantage of the low themeage (7 entries/85 squares) and gave us another clean grid with six great 9-letter fill. 

Across:

1. Places for reps : GYMS. Love an easy start.

5. Texter's "Mercy me!" : OMG

8. National park near Bar Harbor : ACADIA. Got via crosses.

14. Make the grade : RATE

18. Été month : AOUT. August. Not a good time to visit Paris. Some shops are closed.

19. By way of : VIA

20. Hard work : LABORS

21. Official order : EDICT

23. Bit of trickery : RUSE. And  84. Bit of physics : ATOM

24. Some urban commuter lines : ELS

27. Would rather : PREFERS TO

30. Pipe piece : ELL

31. Anchor in a race : GO LAST

32. Strange craft : UFOs

33. 2001 Audrey Tautou title role : AMELIE. Lovely movie. She works at a cafe in Montmartre.

35. Warble : TRILL

36. White-coated critter : ERMINE

38. Time lines, perhaps : X-AXES. Also got via crosses.

39. Value of a Benjamin : ONE C

40. "Sesame Street" network : PBS

43. Greyhound, e.g. : DOG. Not BUS.

44. Hasselblad product : SLR Not familiar with Hasselblad. Wiki says it's a Swedish camera maker.

49. "Parlez-__ français?" : VOUS. Third French reference.

51. Whitman's dooryard bloomers : LILACS

53. Makes a choice : OPTS

54. Promising : ROSY

55. Fennel-like herb : ANISE. I call it spice. It's one of the ingredients in Chinese Five-spice powder. Star anise.

57. Birdhouse creation : NEST

58. Stinging remarks : OWs

59. Sign of life : PULSE

60. Create a new look for : RE-DESIGN

62. Georgia, for one : FONT. The default font of our blog.  I was thinking of SSRS.

64. Notable periods : ERAS

66. Darken, say : DYE

 

70. Fed. power agcy. : TVA

73. Spotted : SEEN

74. Gothic cathedral feature : ARCH

75. Not for the masses : ESOTERIC. Sparkly fill.

77. Long accounts : SAGAS. Not TALES.

80. Tournament pass : BYE

81. Seesaw sitter of song : ESAU. Never heard of this. "Esau Wood sawed wood".

83. Beneficial : OF USE

85. Hayride perch : BALE

87. Inveterate critic : SNIPER. New meaning to me.

89. Entom. and geol. : SCIs

 

93. Archaeologist's project : DIG. The dig in my hometown.

95. Colorful pond fish : KOI

96. Supplement, with "to" : ADD

97. Bunch : SLEW

98. Workbench grippers : VISES

100. "You __ worry" : NEEDN'T

102. Eponymous chair maker : EAMES (Charles). Nailed it.

104. University lecturer : DOCENT

105. Dallas Cowboys logo : STAR

106. One with a flat to fix, maybe : LESSOR. Not flat tire. Apartment.

108. Body art, slangily : INK. Not TAT.

109. Is more efficient : SAVES TIME

 

117. Icky stuff : GOO

118. English : John :: Slavic : __ : IVAN

119. Hardly eager anticipation : DREAD

120. Ill-tempered : ORNERY

121. Keebler spokesman : ELF

122. Peter on piano : NERO

123. Phishing targets: Abbr. : SSNs

124. Hockey rink area : CREASE

125. Rapper Mos __ : DEF

126. Became : GREW

Down:

1. Williams title role : GARP. Robin William. "The World According to Garp".

2. The Isley Brothers' "It's __ Thing" : YOUR

 

4. She kept Martina from winning a seventh straight Wimbledon in 1988 : STEFFI

5. Pitch too eagerly : OVERSELL

6. Thickness units : MILs. Got via crosses also.

7. It's paid at pumps : GAS TAX

8. Swiss landscape feature : ALP

9. Negligent : CARELESS

10. Get rid of : ABOLISH

11. Paso __: two-step dance : DOBLE.  Double.

12. George's lyricist : IRA

13. Puerto Rico hrs. : AST

14. "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" verb : REJOICE

15. "Never __ moment!" : A DULL

16. Clam-digging area : TIDAL POOL. Never dug clams before. Looks cold.

17. Ticker tapes, for short? : ECGs. Nice clue.

 22. Vietnamese holiday : TET. Same day as Chinese Spring Festival. Next year it falls on Jan 28.

26. Barnum "attraction" : EGRESS. Googled afterward. Turns out it's just an exit sign.

28. Seemingly forever : EONS

29. Plains people : OMAHAS

34. Common mass transit requirement : EXACT FARE

35. Flanged fastener : T-NUT

36. Composer Grieg : EDVARD

37. TV pundit who wrote "Years of Minutes" : ROONEY. Boomer really liked Andy Rooney.

39. "My bad!" : OOPS

41. Order (around) : BOSS

42. Scottish isle : SKYE

45. Celebrate, as the new year : RING IN

47. Bookstore section : HOW TO. What's the last time you visited a bookstore? We also have 59. Check words : PAY TO

48. French vineyards : CRUs

50. Atlanta-to-Miami dir. : SSE

52. Olin of "Chocolat" : LENA

56. __ Park, Colorado : ESTES

58. Precisely : ON THE NOSE. Another great fill.

61. Wrath : IRE

63. Needing no Rx : OTC

64. Came after : ENSUED

65. Early 20th-century car : REO

68. Atmosphere component : LAYER

69. Bring in : REAP

71. TV component? : VISION. Letter V. Also 106. TV screen type : LCD

72. Does the job perfectly : ACES IT

73. Scandinavian natives : SAMI. Glad it's not LAPP/LAPPS. See here why LAPPS is now regarded as derogatory.

76. Scruffy couple? : EFS

77. First name in desserts : SARA

78. Slightly : A TAD

79. Nike and Demeter : GODDESSES

80. Gusted : BLEW

82. "Odyssey" threats : SIRENs

85. Ravel classic : BOLERO

86. Tarzan's foster family : APES

87. Places for prices : STICKERS. I bought a huge Kobocha at the farmer's market last week for $3. The smaller ones are $1/each. They look ugly, but they're creamy and sweet. Just like acorn squash.

88. Lightly wash : RINSE OFF

91. 1970 self-titled pop album : OSMONDS. Unknown to me. No Marie?

92. "Anne of Green Gables" town : AVONLEA

94. Becomes : GETS

99. Produced : STAGED

101. Having lunch : EATING. My lunch the past few days: Kobocha Udon.

103. Like most people : ASIAN

104. Veteran telejournalist Sawyer : DIANE

107. Corn units : EARS

110. Mouselike critter : VOLE

111. Former filly : MARE

112. "I must not think there are / Evils __ to darken all his goodness": Shak. : ENOW

114. Dopey comrade : DOC. My dad's colleges were all his "comrades". Now people use "Mr." instead. I miss the pre-1989 China. Miss the way we were.

115. Miscalculate : ERR

116. Reuben basic : RYE

 

C.C.

Saturday, Sep 3rd, 2016, Mary Lou Guizzo & Jeff Chen

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing J,V,X,Z)

Blocks: 26

 Second time this duo has connected on a Saturday (1/9/16), and reviewing the last puzzle, I had my doubts on today's success.  Yet once again there were just enough "I got it" answers to allow me to finish, in good time, and a "ta-DA~!" that came without searching for any bad cells.  Triple 11's in the Across and triple 10's in the Down and a classic pinwheel design with some other chunky fill;

15. "Tristes apprets" from "Castor et Pollux," e.g. : SOPRANO ARIA - I sensed it was going to be "OPERA---" or "---VOCAL" but let it "go to the Downs" before trying something; see the crossing 6d.

13. It has its kinks : GARDEN HOSE - Oh, I so wanted PANTYHOSE to make the puzzle; Lemonade has been spot-on two weeks running now

55. Al Jazeera and Yomiuri Shimbun : NEWS OUTLETS - I know the name Al Jazeera, so I threw in "NEWS---" and waited

25. Betty Crocker brand of instant mashed : POTATO BUDS

HAWKWARD~?

ACROSS:

1. Subject of the 1998 Supreme Court case New Jersey v. New York : ELLIS ISLAND

12. Information __ : AGE

16. Billy's reply? : MAA - dah~!  Sheep go BAA, goats go "MAA"~? - tho we could be talking about a human kid named Billy

17. Group sharing a name with a cranberry cocktail : PINK MARTINI - never heard of the group or the drink

18. Docs' work areas : ERS - "to "E" or not to "E"; that is the question; I went with "O"RS

19. Slip or clip follower : ONS - nice misdirection; needing the plural for a singular clue - slip-ons, clip-ons

20. Rich rocks : ORES - Diamond didn't fit

21. Hot : TRENDY - unsure if this was the "IRATE" or "HIP" definition

23. Satyr's kin : FAUN - one of those "I got it" clues

24. Rear : KEISTER - spelled it wrong; I before E, right~?  wEird....

25. Obvious : PATENT

28. Holiday decor item : PINE CONE - check this out

About $1mil - the site

29. Final announcements : OBITS - eh, could have used an abbr here

30. Comes across : FINDS - dah~! Not MEETS

31. "__ Crossroads": Bone Thugs-n-Harmony song : THA - shoulda known it was not "AT A"

32. Hue : TONE

33. Game with a varying number of cards : BINGO - ah, those cards

34. Like many horses : SHOD

35. __ Nova : ARS - the Wiki

36. Turkestan tents : YURTS - another "I got it"

37. Full moon, e.g. : PHASE - there was a solar eclipse on Thursday, but couldn't see it from my house; the lunar semi-eclipse in two weeks can't be seen from here, either

38. Sports nail-biters : TIE GAMES - OVERTIMES didn't fit

40. Felix __, CIA friend of Bond : LEITER - "I got it" clue - if you get the chance, try this book, a history of the making of the Bond films - great read

41. Siouan tribe : OGLALAS - mostly perps

42. Portrayer of Buddy's father in "Elf" : CAAN - I just can't sit through this seasonal movie; I'm more of "A Christmas Story" buff

43. Acrimonious : BITTER - My high school Latin teacher had this T-shirt;

MELIOR

NON

ACRIOR

44. Prince in "Frozen" : HANS - just saw it on TV; I find most of the CGI animation movies do an excellent job of re-telling classic stories; I'm tired of the endless "superhero" films that have been popular over the last decade

45. Wise chip flavor : BBQ

48. Low número : UNO

49. Actress in "Spy" (2015) : MIRANDA HART - perps and a WAG

52. Wet blanket : DEW - ah.  Not the metaphoric "DUD"

53. "Grown Ups" star : ADAM SANDLER

54. Loan application fig. : SSN

DOWN:

1. 1960s-'70s Orr teammate, to fans : ESPO - Phil Esposito; hockey players on the Boston Bruins - we are almost to the new season~!

2. Prime cut : LOIN

3. OR teammates : LPNs

4. Needle : IRK - Dah~!  Not RIB

5. Apia natives : SAMOANS

6. Suffering from ennui : IN A RUT - reminds me of this song - talk about soprano

Stuck In A Rut

7. "Either/Or" author Kierkegaard : SØREN - another "I know it" clue, as I like to 'dabble' in personality types

8. Muscles strengthened by muscle-ups : LATS - better fit than PECS, which was my other WAG for this clue

9. Shipping nickname : ARI

10. Longtime Seattle Mariners' majority owner : NINTENDO - I did not know this

11. Jersey homes : DAIRIES - clever; cows - not dose guys across the bridge (see 1a.)

Local (NY) humor

12. "Couldn't agree with you more!" : "AMEN TO THAT~!"

14. Basic kids' book : EASY READER

22. Key to backing up? : ESCape - that kind of 'key'

23. Regale : FÊTE

24. Some royals : KINGS

26. Indigenous Tasmanians : ABORIGINES

27. Show biz nickname : TINSELTOWN - ah.  A general name; thought it was going to be a proper name

28. Gelato units : PINTS

30. Kindles : FIRES - TABLETS didn't fit

33. Hitchhike : BUM A RIDE - I know two guys who bummed a ride from the Vogons

 Arthur and Ford from HHGG

34. __ splints : SHIN

36. Every Skull and Bones member, until 1991 : YALE MAN

37. Serf : PEASANT

39. Hood's weapon : GAT - I had the "T", so I knew it was that hood, not Robin Hood, and "BOW"

40. Convertible carriage : LANDAU

42. "I'll show you!" : "CAN SO~!"

44. Acting coach's banes : HAMS

45. Bundle in a field : BALE

46. Maverick on TV : BRET - another "I knew it"

47. Game divs. : QTRs

50. Unembellished : RAW

51. Med. number that's better when it's higher : HDL

Splynter