Theme: HAVE A FLING
17. Give up: CHUCK IT IN.
24. Block the sun: CAST SHADOWS.
40. Frighten: THROW A SCARE INTO.
52. Attack verbally, with "at": HURL INSULTS.
66. Lose control: PITCH A FIT.
Hi all, Melissa here. Theme is self-explanatory, easily gotten after any two of the five theme answers filled in. Love the grid-spanner in the middle.
Across:
1. Choice words?: AND OR.
6. Bugs on the road: VWS. Volkswagen eClassics Debuts an Electric VW Bus, But Not For US.
9. "Take me __": AS I AM.
14. Supported: BORNE.
15. Relative of Downy and Tide: ERA.
16. Like San Francisco summer weather, often: FOGGY. I remember one very hot day in San Jose, when my sister-in-law asked where was the coolest place in the bay area. Her husband's answer was Candlestick Park (former home of the SF Giants), and they went to a Giant's game that day to cool off.
19. Delicate bridal netting: TULLE.
20. "Very well": SO BE IT.
21. Irish __: SEA. Not pub.
23. Jordanian queen who is also a humanitarian activist: NOOR. The widow of King Hussein, she was his fourth spouse and Queen Consort between their marriage in 1978 and his death in 1999.
27. Restraining device: SHACKLE.
31. Brewpub unit: TAP. Not mug.
32. "Thus do I ever make my fool my purse" speaker: IAGO. Shakespeare's Othello.
35. Pub perch: STOOL.
44. Japanese mushroom: ENOKI.
45. __TV: reality channel: TRU.
46. Bat mitzvah, e.g.: RITE. Bat mitzvah is a Jewish coming of age ritual for girls. Bar mitzvah is for boys.
47. Tallahassee sch.: FSU. Florida State University.
50. See 22-Down: I SEE NOW.
57. __ Day VitaCraves: ONE A. When I saw the name of this, I assumed it was vitamins for pets. Nope. Gummy-vitamins for varied consumers (women, men, teens, adults, and immunity support).
58. Filming site: LOT. When my daughter and I took the Gilmore Girls-themed Warner Brothers tour, I discovered that The Waltons filmed on the same lot, and recognized some of the exteriors from both.
59. Cornell University city: ITHACA. New York.
64. Not be straight with: LIE TO. Those two-word answers are tricky.
68. Delaware capital: DOVER.
69. Green prefix: ECO.
70. Disney princess from Avalor: ELENA.
71. McCarthy's dummy friend: SNERD. Mortimer Snerd was the secondary dummy of Edgar Bergen, after Charlie McCarthy.
72. Anti vote: NAY.
73. Worked on a galley, perhaps: ROWED. A galley is a type of ship propelled mainly by rowing.
Down:
1. Basics: ABCS.
2. NYC neighborhood: NOHO. North of Houston Street, as opposed to Soho, which is South of Houston Street.
3. Trounce: DRUB. I've heard trounce, but not DRUB.
4. Some time ago: ONCE.
5. Football do-over: RE-KICK.
6. Pet doc: VET.
7. Apple Watch spot: WRIST.
8. Most rational: SANEST.
9. Toward the tiller: AFT. Aft - at, near, or toward the stern (rearmost) of a ship. The tiller is the lever used to steer the ship.
10. Squeak or creak: SOUND.
11. Digs in the snow: IGLOO. Nice misdirection - digs as noun, not verb.
12. Lit: AGLOW.
13. "Wayne's World" co-star: MYERS. Party on!
18. Home of Roma: ITALIA.
22. "I get it!": AHA.
25. Works with thread: SEWS.
26. Abbey area: APSE.
27. Construction area: SITE.
28. See 38-Down: HAHN.
29. Business opening: AGRO.
30. Work in a galley, perhaps: COOK. One word short of a clecho. In this instance, the galley is the kitchen of a ship.
34. Scorpio mo.: OCT.
36. Fade: TIRE.
37. "Come __!": ON IN.
38. With 28-Down, German nuclear fission pioneer: OTTO.
39. MGM mogul Marcus: LOEW. Wikipedia.
41. In-flight amenity: WIFI. Anyone flying these days?
42. Seed pod: ARIL.
43. Like much beach cottage decor: RUSTIC.
48. "... from New York!" show, briefly: SNL. Saturday Night Live. Like other late-night shows, broadcast without a live audience these days.
49. Annual Queens sports event: US OPEN. Tennis.
51. Bible book named for a woman: ESTHER.
52. Wrestling moves: HOLDS. Growing up, my brother used to practice new wrestling holds on me. I was never a fan of wrestling after that.
53. Labor group: UNION.
54. Kent player in film: REEVE. Clark Kent, played by Christopher Reeve, in Superman.
55. "Gotta run!": LATER.
56. Seat of New York's Oneida County: UTICA.
60. Angelic ring: HALO.
61. Not very many: A FEW. "I'm not gonna have 'em all now, I"m just gonna have a few ..."
62. French movie: CINE.
63. Not very much: A TAD.
65. O'Hare, on tix: ORD.
67. First car, for many: TOY.
