Monday, May 8, 2017 Steven L. Zisser

Theme: No Reveal Monday - As easy as one, two, three ... um, four.

17A. Mega-mall convenience: ONE-STOP SHOPPING

25A. Small-time bad guy: TWO-BIT GANGSTER

42A. Office attire with a vest: THREE-PIECE SUIT

56A. Barbershop quartet blend: FOUR-PART HARMONY

Argyle here. Great symmetry, tight consistency, and outstanding length; two fifteens and two fourteens. The theme has undoubtedly been done before but has it been done as well? Our constructor hasn't been very productive with his puzzles but has been published in various venues, including the LAT and the NYT.

Across:

1. Word with ball or driver: SCREW

6. Great Salt Lake state: UTAH

10. Sharp knocks: RAPS

14. 1971 Clapton classic: "LAYLA"

15. Pre-Columbian prefix with America: MESO. Mesoamerica, Wikipedia.

16. Director Kazan: ELIA. "On the Waterfront", "A Streetcar Named Desire", "East of Eden".

20. Horror director Craven: WES. "A Nightmare on Elm Street", "Scream", "The Last House on the Left".

21. Foot or inch, e.g.: UNIT

22. Founder of Taoism: LAO-TSE

23. Has office hours: IS IN

24. Bro and sis: SIBS

31. Pueblo-dwelling people: HOPI

32. "Whatever floats your __": BOAT

33. Igor's workplace: LAB. "... it's pronounced "eye-gore."

35. Drops the ball: ERRs

36. Shrimp relative: PRAWN

38. Adriatic resort: LIDO. If you prefer something closer to home.

39. Federal hush-hush org.: NSA. (No Such Agency)

40. Common-interest voting group: BLOC

41. State after North Dakota, alphabetically: OHIO

47. Online auction site: E-BAY

48. Part of many old German duchy names: SAXE

49. Belief systems: CREDOs

52. Razor brand: ATRA

53. Photo taker: CAM. Both photo and CAM are shortened words.

59. Other, in Oaxaca: OTRA

60. Moniker: NAME

61. Fountain drinks: MALTS

62. Broadway offering: SHOW

63. God with a hammer: THOR

64. Baker's dough raiser: YEAST

Down:

1. Like snail-mail, compared to email: SLOW

2. Mr. Peanut prop: CANE

3. Deli breads: RYEs

4. LLL: ELs. I've never seen this before.

5. '60s dance: WATUSI. "Wah-a, wah, wah-a Watusi

Oh, baby, it's the dance made-a for romance".

6. Calling balls and strikes, say: UMPING

7. Exam: TEST

8. Fireplace remains: ASH

9. Ruffian: HOOLIGAN

10. Share, as an internet meme: REPOST

11. Dismounted: ALIT

12. Kegler's targets: PINS

13. "Parsley, __, Rosemary and Thyme": SAGE

18. Getting the job done: ON IT

19. Blue Ribbon brewer: PABST

23. Sacred bird of ancient Egypt: IBIS

24. Winter bank makeup: SNOW

25. Partner of now: THEN

26. Bottom-of-the-barrel: WORST

27. Daytime TV celeb who founded Harpo Productions: OPRAH

28. Beaded calculators: ABACI. Hello, old friend.

29. Root or Yale: ELIHU. Elihu Root was Secretary of War under Theodore Roosevelt. Elihu Yale was the benefactor of Yale University.

30. Wheel spokes, essentially: RADII

34. Cowboy's footwear: BOOT

36. Agreeable: PLEASANT

37. Stringy: ROPY

38. Diet successfully: LOSE

40. Jazz genre: BEBOP

43. Make a new sketch of: REDRAW

44. Bible book named for a woman: ESTHER

45. Adored one, in Asti: CARA. "Cara Mia mine." Province of Asti.

46. Formerly in the military: EX-ARMY

49. Corp. fiscal execs: CFOs. (chief financial officer)

50. __ IRA: ROTH

51. Continental coin: EURO

52. Prefix with sphere: ATMO

53. Coca-__: COLA

54. "Carpenter" crawlers: ANTS

55. Computer adventure game: MYST

57. Cheerleader's word: RAH

58. Wisecracking West: MAE. "One and one is two; two and two is four; and "five will get you ten" if you work it right!"

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Our TTP went morel hunting yesterday morning. He said below. He normally sautes the fresh morels in butter. D-Otto likes them deep-fried in beer batter. There are wooded area in our neighborhood, but no morels.

"Not a lot this morning, but enough.  Found 10 but only 7 were worth bringing back home.  The other 3 were already dried out and decomposing.

We had an overnight frost advisory, so I think most of them crawled back under the leaves.

4 of them were good sized at over 3" long and 1.5" thick.  The largest was over 4 and 2 inches thick."

Monday, May 1, 2017 Bruce Haight

Theme: Down in front - Allow me to ush you to your seat. Let me see your ticket. Right this way.

20. Bygone airplane area: SMOKING SECTION

36. Line up: STAND IN A ROW

43. Position behind the steering wheel: DRIVER'S SEAT

57. "Exactly!" ... and a hint to where 20-, 36- and 43-Across' ending words may be found: "THAT'S THE TICKET!"

Rabbit rabbit! Argyle here. Not an arena ticket either, no aisle or tier. Easy-peasy but not insulting our intelligence puzzle, IMHO. Interesting note: no J,Q,U,X,Y,or Z.

Across:

1. Sacrificial __: LAMB

5. Paintball impact sound: [SPLAT!]

10. "__ of Green Gables": ANNE. "Are we facing Anne overload? With a new series and 3 TV movies, we might find out soon." CBC News

14. Geometry calculation: AREA

15. Largest city in North Africa: CAIRO

16. Yule song: NOEL

17. Some toy dogs, for short: POMs. (Pomeranians)

18. Llama habitat: ANDES. The South American mountain range.

19. Weekend-starting letters: TGIF. (Thank God It's Friday)

23. Subsided: EASED

24. Statutes: LAWs

25. Electric car brand: TESLA !!

29. Apple music players: i-PODS

33. Home for mil. jets: AFB. (Air Force Base)

39. Be concerned: CARE

41. "Cut corners" or "slash prices": IDIOM

42. Landlocked African republic: MALI

46. Part of a relay race: LEG

47. Coffee lightener: CREAM

48. "Rubber Duckie" singer on Sesame Street: ERNIE

50. Mocking remark: GIBE

53. Works with a needle: KNITS

62. Mop, as decks: SWAB

63. "Fingers crossed": "I HOPE"

64. "Drinks are __!": ON ME

65. Unit seized by a narc: KILO. (kilogram, 2 lb 3 oz)

66. Some surrealist paintings: DALIs. (Salvador Dalí)

67. Info: DOPE

68. Composer Stravinsky: IGOR. The story of "The Rite of Spring". (40:56)

]

69. Pass, as a law: ENACT

70. Wide-spouted pitcher: EWER

Down:

1. Forgetful moment: LAPSE

2. Cinnamon roll lure: AROMA

3. Notes to staff: MEMOs

4. Slam dunk or lay-up: BASKET ball.

5. Read electronically: SCAN

6. Twinge of hunger: PANG

7. Tupperware covers: LIDs. [Urp!]

8. Staggering: AREEL. I don't want to hear about A-words.

9. Puccini opera: TOSCA. More traditional than "The Rite of Spring".

10. Designed to minimize junk email: ANTI-SPAM

11. Scrubbed, as a NASA mission: NO GO

12. Nuremberg no: NEIN. (negation)

13. North Pole worker: ELF. They're off for the summer.

21. "Beware the __ of March": IDES

22. Bed size: TWIN

26. Mix: STIR

27. Chaps: LADS

28. Licorice-flavored seed: ANISE

30. Spoken: ORAL

31. Big name in pineapples: DOLE

32. Big gulp: SWIG

33. Band with a voltage symbol in its logo: AC/DC

34. Jamie of "M*A*S*H": FARR. Max Klinger.

35. Soft French cheese: BRIE

37. Not just a talker: DOER

38. "__ idiot!": "Doh!": I'M AN

40. "Green Acres" co-star: EVA GABOR

44. Radiate: EMIT

45. Word with bar or torch: TIKI

49. Make cryptic: ENCODE

51. Back of a hit 45 record: B-SIDE. But sometimes a hit, too.

52. Patriot Allen: ETHAN

54. "No need to tell me": "I KNOW". Teenager's answer to everything.

55. Phoenix suburb: TEMPE

56. Take the wheel: STEER. Hands up for those that have switched drivers while moving.

57. Bird's nest component: TWIG. Big twigs in an osprey's nest.

Live Feed

58. Symbol of sanctity: HALO

59. Mexican "Hi!": "¡HOLA!"

60. Grand-scale film: EPIC

61. Experiment: TEST

62. Schuss or slalom: SKI

Argyle

Monday, April 24, 2017 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Reveal Monday - And a darn good thing.

17A. Sheet for plotting in math class: GRAPH PAPER. Autograph.

35A. Gridiron pass-defense scheme: ZONE COVERAGE. AutoZone. (car parts store)

42A. TV series starter: PILOT EPISODE. Autopilot.

64A. Market research target: FOCUS GROUP. Autofocus. (camera feature)

50D. Running by itself, and where the first words of 17-, 35-, 42- and 64-Across can be placed: ON AUTO

Argyle here. Textbook Monday. Very enjoyable.

Across:

1. Keebler cracker: ZESTA. Original Saltine Crackers.

6. Hotel employee: MAID

10. Consequently: THUS

14. Reference containing insets: ATLAS

15. Big name in luxury hotels: OMNI

16. What some hogs hog, with "the": ROAD

19. Rich rocks: OREs

20. Added to the collection plate: GAVE

21. Scrutinizes: INSPECTS

23. Menlo Park inventor: EDISON. Thomas Alva Edison, "The Wizard of Menlo Park".

25. Fort Worth sch.: TCU. (Texas Christian University)

26. Prohibition __: ERA

29. Advent mo.: DEC.. Advent, the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas.

30. Silent approvals: NODS

33. Author Capote: TRUMAN

37. Brand for Fido: ALPO

40. Misspell or misspeak: ERR

41. Nibble (on): GNAW

47. Points a finger at: BLAMES. Point a finger at Fido and he may gnaw on it.

48. Decant: POUR

49. Soft slip-on: MOC. (moccasin) Tonto has his mocs on but the Masked Man is John Hart.

52. Traditional Asian sauce base: SOY

53. Seventh Greek letter: ETA

55. One-named Tejano singer: SELENA

57. Eggs __: brunch dish: BENEDICT

61. General Bradley: OMAR

62. Object of adoration: IDOL

66. Door openers: KEYS

67. Provide a fake alibi for, say: ABET

68. Come together: UNITE

69. Minimal effort: EASE

70. Storied loch: NESS

71. Mystic's deck: TAROT

Down:

1. Took a sharp turn: ZAGGED right after zigged.

2. Online financial site: E-TRADE

3. Like Croats and Serbs: SLAVIC

4. Carton sealers: TAPES

5. Volcanic debris: ASH

6. Reaction to a bad pun: MOAN

7. Miami Sound Machine sound machines: AMPS. 44D. "Coming Out of the Dark" singer Gloria: ESTEFAN. Song history. The song(4:06).

8. Klutzy: INEPT

9. Dish Network competitor: DIRECTV

10. Jogger's pace: TROT

11. Member of the Apocalypse quartet: HORSEMAN. All four are horsemen. War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death.

12. Abu Dhabi's fed.: UAE.(United Arab Emirates)

13. Militant '60s campus org.: SDS. (Students for a Democratic Society)

18. Attach, as a name tag: PIN ON

22. Restore to health: CURE

24. Tokyo-born Yoko: ONO

27. Hindu melody: RAGA

28. From the beginning: ANEW

31. Like the diving-board end of the pool: DEEP

32. Rx, for short: SCRIP. No tee.

34. Hard-to-resist impulse: URGE

35. Go like heck: [ZOOM!]

36. Estimate words: OR SO

37. BOLO equivalents: APBs. "Be On the LookOut"/"All Points Bulletin" sent to LEOs, "Law Enforcement Officers"

38. Disney's "__ & Stitch": LILO

39. Don Juans: PLAYBOYS

43. Many a manga fan: TEEN. Manga are comics created in Japan.

45. Expels by force: OUSTS

46. Dr. with Grammys: DRE

49. Life story: MEMOIR

51. "Magic" transport: CARPET

54. Photoshop maker: ADOBE

56. Doone of fiction: LORNA

58. Otherwise: ELSE

59. Puts frosting on: ICES

60. Scissors snips: CUTS

62. Cold War prez: IKE

63. Org. busting dealers: DEA. (Drug Enforcement Administration)

65. __ reaction: instinctive feeling: GUT

Argyle

Monday, April 17, 2017 Bruce Haight

Theme: Change Lanes to Pass - but as always, keep to the right.

17A. Friends of man's best friend: DOG LOVERS. Lovers Lane.

24A. Sport involving some rolling on the grass: LAWN BOWLING. Bowling lane.

37A. Forgetting the unpleasant parts: SELECTIVE MEMORY. Memory lane.

47A. Tidy sum that doesn't sound like much: PRETTY PENNY. "Penny Lane" Beatles (Back story)

58A. Highway segment for slower traffic ... and, literally, what 17-, 24-, 37- and 47-Across each has: RIGHT LANE

Argyle here(in the middle lane, usually). Except for two corners, NE and SW, everything is well interconnected and a fun solve.

Across:

1. Drop a line from the dock, say: FISH

5. Normandy battle town: ST. LO

9. Massage targets: ACHEs

14. Together, musically: A DUE. (in Italian)

15. Chips __!: cookies: AHOY

16. Formal-sounding will?: SHALL

19. Columbus craft: PINTA. The actual name of Pinta is unknown. Wiki link

20. For each one: APIECE

21. Diving lake bird: LOON. Our crossword bird.

22. Knight's title: SIR

28. QB-to-receiver six-pointer: TD PASS. Touchdown pass.

30. Rent-a-car giant: AVIS

31. Landed: ALIT, leading to 43. Sitting on: ATOP

32. TV show shown before: RERUN

34. Banned bug spray: DDT. The U.S. banned DDT for agricultural use in 1972.

41. "Good" cholesterol initials: HDL. (High-Density Lipoprotein)

42. Wishes: HOPES

44. List of computer options: MENU

45. "Movin' right along ... ": "ANYHOO...". Humorous alteration of ANYHOW.

52. Overhead trains: ELS. Shortening of elevated trains.

53. Steak order: RARE

54. Contemporary radio station named for its former "easy listening" playlist: LITE FM. (generic name)

56. Leaves out: OMITS

61. Used up: SPENT

62. "So THAT'S what you mean": "I SEE"

63. Physics particle: ATOM

64. Bacon work: ESSAY

65. Lysol target: GERM

66. Drive-__ window: THRU

Down:

1. Craze: FAD

2. Knot-tying words: I DO

3. Drug test placebo: SUGAR PILL

4. Beatles' second film: "HELP!"

5. File-renaming command, at times: SAVE AS

6. "Supernatural" network: THE CW. The "CW" name is an abbreviation derived from the first letters of the names of its two parent corporations (CBS and Warner Bros). OK then.

7. Oscar winner Sophia: LOREN. In 1962, she won a Best Actress Oscar for "Two Women", a foreign-language film.

8. Kvetching cries: OYs

9. Nile snake: ASP

10. Flu symptoms: CHILLS

11. Asian capital: HANOI

12. "Tiny Dancer" singer John: ELTON

13. Much street talk: SLANG

18. Many Rembrandts: OILS

22. Squirrel away: STASH

23. Loafed: IDLED

25. Exposes: BARES

26. Reproductive cell: OVUM

27. Cellar reds and whites: WINE

29. Gobbled down: ATE

32. Tear to pieces: RIP UP

33. New Year's __: EVE

34. "Duh ... figure it out!": "DO THE MATH"

35. Slobber: DROOL

36. Printing goofs: TYPOs

38. Newscaster Huntley: CHET

39. Broadway award: TONY

40. Possibly will: MAY

44. Medit. volcano: MT. ETNA

45. Song before the game: ANTHEM

46. Vladivostok veto: NYET. Russian.

47. Narrative writing: PROSE

48. Boat launching aids: RAMPS

49. Great Lakes natives: ERIES

50. Beethoven dedicatee: ELISE. Für Elise(3:38)

51. Algeria neighbor: NIGER

55. London apartment: FLAT

57. Muddy pen: STY

58. Fix, as a fight: RIG

59. Neither here __ there: NOR

60. Down Under bird: EMU

Argyle

Monday, April 10, 2017 Agnes Davidson & C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Where AM I? - I didn't notice the constructors til now.

57A. Coffee break time ... and a hint to an abbreviation aptly placed in each answer to a starred clue: MIDMORNING

17A. *Niña and Pinta's sister ship: SANTA MARIA

28A. *Leader of the pack: ALPHA MALE

44A. *Yale, for five U.S. presidents: ALMA MATER

11D. *Renamed lemon-lime soft drink: SIERRA MIST. (Mist Twst now)(sic)

27D. *Spot for bargain hunters: FLEA MARKET

Argyle here? this AM. I should have known so much themage on a Monday would have come from our dynamic duo.

Across:

1. "__ Noon": Gary Cooper classic: HIGH. Tex Ritter - The Ballad of High Noon 1952(2:31). Quite different from the Frankie Laine version(2:44).

5. Tippy watercraft: CANOE

10. "Make it snappy," in memos: ASAP. (as soon as possible)

14. Length-times-width calculation: AREA

15. Take place: OCCUR

16. Pleasant: NICE

19. Camper's quarters: TENT

20. Like some rye bread: SEEDED

21. Number of little pigs, in a fable: THREE

22. Decorative theme: MOTIF

24. Crystal ball reader: SEER

25. Up to now: SO FAR

32. Surfing at one's desk, say: ONLINE

34. Places for studs: EARs

35. Fellow: MAN

36. Rod's fishing partner: REEL

37. "__ you go again!": THERE. A Reaganism.

39. Like Solomon: WISE

40. Aunt, in Argentina: TIA. My favorite aunt.

41. Fashionably smart: CHIC

42. Crusty roll: KAISER

47. "SNL" host's monologue, e.g.: INTRO

48. Door-to-door cosmetics seller: AVON

49. Cavalry sword, in Sussex: SABRE. British spelling.

51. Kitchen cover-up?: APRON. Cute alliteration.

53. Granola alternative: MUESLI

56. Luau torch type: TIKI

61. Opinion column, for short: OP-ED

62. Unfamiliar (to): ALIEN

63. Director Preminger: OTTO

64. Baseball's "Amazins": METS. World Series titles 1969 & 1986. Maybe this year?

65. Bamboo lover: PANDA

66. Karate award: BELT

Down:

1. "__ it been that long?": HAS

2. Tax-sheltered plans: Abbr.: IRAs. (individual retirement account)

3. Heredity unit: GENE

4. Venomous letters: HATE MAIL

5. Cleaner sold in green canisters: COMET

6. National park in Maine: ACADIA. On the coast of Maine.

7. ATM maker: NCR. (National Cash Register known as NCR Corporation now)

8. Avignon assent: "OUI". In the south of France.

9. Division of history: ERA

10. "O Canada," e.g.: ANTHEM. A big CSO, eh!

12. Clearasil target: ACNE

13. Rose of baseball: PETE

18. Festoon: ADORN

21. Lipton products: TEAs

23. Takes for a sucker: FLEECES

24. Princess Fiona's beloved ogre: SHREK

25. Somewhat, informally: SORTA

26. NBC newsman Roger: O'NEIL

29. Golfer's goal: PAR. What a finish at The Masters.

30. Surgical beam: LASER

31. January, in Mexico: ENERO

33. Hawke of "Boyhood": ETHAN. Keeping busy. IMDb

38. Triple or homer: HIT, or third baseball clue.

39. One who scoffs at boxed Merlot, say: WINE SNOB

41. "Hurry up, will ya?": "C'MON!"

43. TV network, e.g.: AIRER

45. Sidesteps: AVOIDS

46. Smashed into: RAMMED. An inconsequential AM.

50. "__ sera": Italian "Good evening": BUONA. The Bella Sera wine threw me off at first.

51. Proton's place: ATOM

52. Plumbing unit: PIPE

54. Calorie-friendly: LITE. Ad-speak.

55. Not domestic, flight-wise: Abbr.: INTL. (international)

57. Travel guide: MAP

58. Dockworker's gp.: ILA. (International Longshoremen's Association)

59. Clamorous noise: DIN

60. Understood: GOT

Argyle

Monday, April 3, 2017 Brock Wilson

Theme: April Showers - from mist to inundation.

16A. Awkward situation: FINE HOW-DO-YOU-DO

24A. Weekly paycheck, e.g.: STEADY INCOME

46A. Golf practice facility: DRIVING RANGE

60A. Start of a hopeful rhyme about bad weather, and a hint to what the first word of 16-, 24- and 46-Across may describe: RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY

Argyle here. Brock continues to produce Monday puzzles with the same solve, three different words brought together by the unifier. Nothing wrong with that, plus, he provides me with swell set-ups for the theme titles.

Across:

1. Spiders' fly catchers: WEBS

5. It forms over a healing abrasion: SCAB

9. Casual talk: CHAT

13. Mine, to Marcel: À MOI

14. Batted ball into the dugout, say: FOUL

15. Lane at the Daily Planet: LOIS

19. Mournful poem: ELEGY

20. IDs shown at airports: LICENSES. Passports for international flights though.

21. Close tightly again: RESEAL

23. Business suit go-with: TIE

31. Pose a question: ASK

34. Actress Shire: TALIA. Yo! Adrian!

35. Courtroom hammer: GAVEL

36. Sheet music symbol: CLEF

38. Henry or Jane of "On Golden Pond": FONDA

40. Walrus feature: TUSK

41. Vague emanations: AURAs

43. Gymnast Comaneci: NADIA. She received a perfect score of 10.0 at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.

45. Live __: Taco Bell slogan: MAS. "Live More!"

49. Bullring shout: ¡OLÉ!

50. Anatomical sculpture subjects: TORSOS, or TORSI but not TORSIS.

54. Signed, as a deal: AGREED TO

59. Skin transplant, e.g.: GRAFT

62. Catcher's glove: MITT

63. Swedish furniture giant: IKEA

64. Scrabble square: TILE

65. Hearty meal: STEW

66. Where Anna danced with the king: SIAM. "The King and I"

67. Doesn't feel well: AILS

Down:

1. Nilla product: WAFER

2. Novelist Zola: ÉMILE. I think it's time for Émile Zola to go back on the crossword shelf.

3. What fillets lack: BONES

4. All-out attacks: SIEGES

5. Northern Cal. airport: SFO. (San Francisco International Airport)

6. Monastic hood: COWL

7. Quattro automaker: AUDI

8. Political alliance: BLOC

9. Genetic duplication: CLONING

10. Shelter adoptee: HOUSECAT

11. Helper: AIDE

12. General __ chicken: TSO'S

17. High-end hotel chain: HYATT

18. Bigfoot cousin: YETI

22. Metaphorical new thing to "turn over": LEAF

25. As a companion: ALONG

26. Iraqi money: DINAR

27. When tripled, "and so on": YADDA, YADDA, YADDA.

28. Egg cell: OVUM

29. Flat-topped elevation: MESA

30. Lodge fellows: ELKS

31. Many a prep sch.: ACAD

32. Speak indistinctly: SLUR

33. Emmy nominee Russell of "The Americans": KERI. She's come a long way from the Mickey Mouse Club. Also she has nice 61D. Pinup's leg: GAM

37. Underdog's opposite: FAVORITE

39. "__ Misbehavin'": AINT

42. Feature of words beginning with "wr": SILENT W

44. Disco era term: À GO-GO

47. At no time, to bards: NE'ER

48. List of mistakes: ERRATA

51. 2005 slasher film sequel: SAW II

52. Considering everyone: OF ALL

53. Eyelid maladies: STYES

54. Weapons: ARMS

55. Trot or gallop: GAIT

56. Orator's platform: DAIS

57. Polynesian carving: TIKI

58. Most eligible for service: ONE A

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Dear Agnes (Irish Miss) made her New York Times crossword debut today. Congrats, Agnes!

Eileen (sister of Agnes) & Agnes, Nov 22, 2013

Monday, March 27, 2017 Morton J. Mendelson

Theme: Borrowed Words - Lexical borrowing is the adoption of individual words or phrases in their native language and used "as is" in our English.

39A. With 42-Across, cars like BMWs and Audis ... or 18-, 24-, 53- and 63-Across: FOREIGN. 42-Across: IMPORTS

18A. Writer's chief work (Latin): MAGNUM OPUS. (great work)

24A. Done deal (French): FAIT ACCOMPLI. (fact accomplished)

53A. English, in many non-English speaking countries (Italian): LINGUA FRANCA. Literally "Frankish tongue". Good definition by Merriam-Webster. LINK Read the "Did You Know?" section.

63A. Young sensation (German): WUNDERKIND. (a wonder child)

Argyle here. Don't shoot the messenger.

Across:

1. Ponzi scheme, e.g.: SCAM

5. Impersonated: APED

9. Your __ Highness: ROYAL. 37D. Princess' headpiece: TIARA

14. Drilled bowling ball feature: HOLE

15. Artist Magritte: RENE

16. Shah of Iran, in 1979-'80: EXILE. ??

17. Bahrain big shot: EMIR. Kingdom of Bahrain is a small Arab monarchy.

20. Sphere of influence: AMBIT. The adjective form is ambient.

22. Drinking glass edges: RIMs

23. Ambulance initials: EMS. (emergency medical service)

28. Farm country skyline highlights: SILOS

29. Nissan model: SENTRA

33. "Take me for a walk!": [ARF!]

36. Expel from office: OUST

38. Amazon's business: E-TAIL

44. Rhett's last words: A DAMN

45. Siamese, now: THAI

47. __ dye: food-coloring compound: AZO. Infrequently seen fill.

48. Live (in): RESIDE

50. Lover of Euridice, in a Gluck opera: ORFEO. Wiki  Previously clued as Monteverdi title character. Not Monday friendly.

58. Word with health or day: SPA

61. Oboist's need: REED

62. Lagoon-enclosing isle: ATOLL

67. Sinister: EVIL

68. Cortés subject: AZTEC. I believe this refers to Cortés personally governing the Aztecs, making them his "subjects".

69. Wrinkle, as a brow: KNIT

70. San __, Italy: REMO

71. Suppose for argument's sake: POSIT

72. Many van Goghs: OILS

73. Killed, as a dragon: SLEW

Down:

1. Harvest bundle: SHEAF

2. Grammar class subject: COMMA. Also, in the news.

3. Legal defense mechanism?: ALIBI

4. Advantages: MERITS

5. Shortstop's asset: ARM. He has to rifle the ball to first base to beat the runner.

6. Green soup veggie: PEA

7. Thoroughly absorb: ENGROSS

8. Jeans fabric: DENIM

9. Dreaming phase: REM SLEEP. (rapid eye movement)

10. Kitchenware brand: OXO

11. Frightened exclamation: [YIPE!]

12. University fund-raising target: ALUM

13. A smaller amount of: LESS

19. Quartet assigned to bases: UMPs. In the big leagues, at least.

21. Mai __: TAI

25. Plumber's challenge: CLOG

26. Dracula's title: COUNT

27. Avid about: INTO

30. Skater Lipinski: TARA. Roller skating as a nine-year-old.

31. Nabisco cracker: RITZ

32. "Wait, there's more ... ": "ALSO ... " for a limited time.

33. Miles away: AFAR

34. Traveled by bike: RODE

35. Abbey titles: FRAs

40. Oscar winner Jannings: EMIL. The first Oscar recipient and one of the first persons you learn when doing crosswords.

41. Roundabout, as a route: INDIRECT

43. Offend slightly: MIFF

46. Entertainer who often got tied up in his work?: HOUDINI. Cute clue.

49. Part of DOE: Abbr.: ENERgy

51. Historic period: ERA

52. Many top-rated TV shows of the late '50s/early '60s: OATERS. Westerns.

54. Gordon __, "Wall Street" antagonist: GEKKO. "If you need a friend, get a dog."

55. James Joyce work: NOVEL. CSO

56. Weather, in poems: CLIME

57. Permit: ALLOW

58. Tit for tat, e.g.: SWAP

59. "The Godfather" novelist Mario: PUZO. It was on TV this weekend.

60. Teeny colonizers: ANTs

64. Agnus __: DEI. (Lamb of God)

65. Zip, in soccer: NIL

66. Wino's woe: DTs. (delirium tremens)

Argyle