Theme: Jumbles - Take a word, change up the letter order and hide it an answer.
18. Churchgoer's "If it's meant to be": LORD WILLING, and the creeks don't rise.
26. Another name for the gladiolus: SWORD LILY, because of their sword-shaped leaves.
38. Post-Cold War hierarchy ... and what is literally contained in the circled squares: NEW WORLD ORDER
51. Out-of-the-office assignment: FIELD WORK
60. They're often passed on the road: SLOW DRIVERS
Argyle here...or is it Garley? First LAT puzzle for Lonnie and a debut for Nadine. Sure'd be nice if they dropped by.
Across:
1. Civil __: WAR
4. Tropical fish with large peepers: BIGEYE. "I've got my eye on you."
10. Add to the staff: HIRE
14. Jungle swinger: APE
15. Rapper whose professional name sounds like a candy: EMINEM
16. Sport, for ports: Abbr.: ANAG. Nag a ram.
17. Kindled: LIT
20. Explorer Ericson: LEIF
22. Kitchy-__: KOO
23. Blame taker: GOAT. A scapegoat.
24. Curtain material: SCRIM. The term scrim has two separate meanings in terms of fabric. For curtains, it is the light gauzy material.
30. Cable box display: TEEVEE
32. Dispensable candy: PEZ
33. High bond rating: AAA
34. Geological epoch in which mammals arose: EOCENE
37. Leave __: reward the waiter: A TIP
42. Mortar carriers: HODs
43. __ Fables: AESOP'S
44. Nonprofit URL ending: ORG.
45. Adherent's suffix: IST. Cruciverbalist.
47. Muscat residents: OMANIs
55. Point of view: SLANT
56. Peau de __: satin-weave cloth: SOIE
57. Wide shoe width: EEE
59. In any way: EVER
64. Holiday threshold: EVE
65. Starting course: SOUP
66. Austrian capital: VIENNA
67. "__ Misérables": LES
68. Chris of "The Good Wife": NOTH
69. First female Shuttle pilot __ Collins: EILEEN
70. H.S. 12th-graders: SRs
Down:
1. NYSE locale: WALL ST. (New York Stock Exchange/Wall Street)
2. Per unit: A PIECE
3. Head to bed: RETIRE
4. Brussels' land: Abbr.: BEL. (Belgium)
5. "Don't worry about me": "I'M OK"
6. Copter predecessors: GIROs or GYROs.
7. Provide with funding: ENDOW
8. Evergreen that's a homophone of a vowel: YEW
9. Political refugee: ÉMIGRÉ
10. Judaism: kosher :: Islam: __: HALAL
11. Start: INITIATE
12. Took part in a marathon: RAN
13. Cake mix need: EGG
19. City southwest of Warsaw: LODZ. Łódź.
21. Reporter's quintet of questions: FIVE W's. Who, What, When, Where, Why.
25. Ask for Whiskas, perhaps: [MEOW?]
27. Opinion columns: OP EDs
28. Lion's den: LAIR
29. Jabber: YAP
31. Prefix with friendly: ECO. (Environmentally friendly)
35. Muse of poetry: ERATO
36. Marlins' MLB div.: NLE. (National League East)
37. Source of media revenue: AD SALE
38. "Me neither": "NOR I"
39. Barely beats: EDGES OUT
40. Valentine card hugs: OOO. XXX - kisses.
41. LP measures: RPMs. (vinyl records)
42. Baseball inst. in Cooperstown: HOF
45. "__ it my way": I DID
46. Turn sharply: SWERVE
48. Orange choices: NAVELs
49. "Well, __!": "What an outrage!": I NEVER
50. Blood pressure elevator: STRESS
52. Acid test outcome, possibly: LOW PH. Conversely, alkaline test outcome, possibly: HIGH PH.
53. Party hearty: REVEL
54. Nancy Drew creator Carolyn: KEENE. Somewhat bogus clue. The Nancy Drew books were written by ghost writers, all of them given the name Carolyn Keene. The mystery fiction series was created by publisher Edward Stratemeyer.
58. White-tailed coastal bird: ERNE. We see his name but never the bird.
60. Nine-digit ID: SSN. (social security number)
61. Lav, in Bath: LOO
62. Three on a sundial: III
63. __ Antonio: SAN
Argyle
