Theme: En-word and upward! An homage to Splynter?
Geez, I hope you understand 'EN' sounds like ON; we don't need anybody being Paula Deaned. So after a one week hiatus, Matt S. is back with a variation on the single definition theme, using French phrases, beginning with EN, with second part a five letter word, all in common usage in the US. A classic 12, 14, 14, 12 four theme answer grid. Some hard work in places, but it all went pretty smoothly. Now we will see how many Matts drop by today. Let us start deciphering...
17A. En masse : ALL TOGETHER. (12). Each fill is literal.
27A. En vogue : STYLISH IN PARIS. (14). We get our French reference, not a reveal but certainly a hint.
47A. "En garde" : GET READY TO DUEL. (14). Not sure why the quotation marks unless it is because it is said out loud, more a fencing than a shoot out term.
62A. En route : NOT YET THERE. (12). Are we there yet? Yes we are ready for the rest of the story.
1. Like some cooked hot dogs : PLUMP. Of course, YUMMY.(0:33).
6. Monopoly property after Illinois : B AND O. A nice change from old Athletics's Third Baseman Sal.
11. It may be pale : ALE. and an immediate clecho, and a double beer reference.
14. It may be pale : LAGER. You could do a whole puzzle with this one clue with fill like New Englander's face, and sea shells and Lindsay Lohan.
15. Old Detroit-to-Seattle hwy. : US TEN. Tricky, my first thought was 'Usten, we have a problem.'
16. Approval of a sort : NOD.
19. Rundown ender : TAG. Baseball clue, where a runner is trapped in between bases.
20. Mr. Ma : YO-YO.
21. Words with hunch : ON A.
22. Calm : PACIFY.
24. Mount where Moses saw the promised land : NEBO. It is in JORDAN.
26. Jogging technique? : MEMO. Interesting, this is the beginning of memory, which is what is being jogged here.
33. Thunders : BOOMS.
34. Quirky : ODD.
35. Sleeping bag site : TENT. Which usually ends up leaving you...
36. Cold and damp : RAW. Not the ideal vacation for an...
37. Like many a social climber : ELITIST.
41. Keep-secret link : IT A. If they went they would keep it a secret.
42. Sports shoe brand : AVIA. I think it is now the official sneaker of Walmart.
44. Walk-___ : ONS. Non scholarship athletes trying out for the team.
45. Honest Abe's dad, in comics : ABNER. We are having a renaissance in interest in AL CAPP and his comic strip.
51. Brief briefs? : BVDS. Like Kleenex, this brand name became synonymous with the tighty whitey we alll wore, The name according to the wiki world comes from Bradley, Voorhees & Day, the three founders. The companyas bought by Fruit of the Loom was gobbled up by Mr. Buffet and Berkshire Hathaway.
52. Aging issue : RUST. Not so much for me, but I worry about Tinman.
53. Took in : HOUSED.
56. Shuttle, perhaps : BUS.
57. David's longtime partner : CHET. Huntley Brinkley Report, what I grew up watching.
61. Keats subject : URN. How bad is your social life that you write a poem to an Urn?
65. ___ loss : NET.
66. Hits with force : SWATS.
67. Subs : HEROS. You might think this refers to the sandwich also called Hoagie and Grinder, but in our world it refers to HG and others who work as substitute teachers and become heroes to their classes.
68. Also : TOO.
69. Commencement : ONSET.
70. Apparel : DRESS. So when we don our gay apparel, it is a dress.
1. Coach's call : PLAY.
2. Composer Schifrin : LALO. He did Dirty Harry, Bullitt and so many more.
3. Like some moods : UGLY.
4. Broadway, for the theater industry : METONYM. I bet all of our teachers knew this CONCEPT. If you did not the cross with NEBO was tough.
5. 11-Down opposite : PRO. and 11D. 5-Down opposite : ANTI.
6. ___ Aires : BUENOS.
7. Movie clue sniffer : ASTA. The Thin Man cast is also big time crossword fodder.
8. Last in a theoretical series : NTH.
9. Places for diving boards : DEEP ENDS.
10. Feature of many highways : ON RAMP. Well, I think 'many' might just be an understatement, since if you do not have an ON (not EN) ramp how would you ever get ON (not EN)?
12. Just sit around : LOAF. Nice contrasting fill back to back.
13. Not at all calm : EDGY.
18. Mongolian expanse : GOBI.
23. Layer : COAT. Like of paint.
25. Choice word : ELSE. Give me the money, or...
26. Skirt length : MIDI. Not my favorite, but...
27. Dry Italian wine : SOAVE.
28. Specifically : TO WIT. Here we actually have more wit than that
29. ___-totsy : HOTSY. Like this, 601 San Pablo Ave Albany, CA 94706, for our left coasters. LINK.
30. French royal : REINE. With an "E" it is the Queen, without the "E" it is a kidney.
31. Mil. gathering? : INTEL.ligence.
32. One in the lead : STAR.
33. Talk big : BRAG.
38. Encumber : LOAD DOWN. Low down on the down load?
39. Unaffiliated voters: Abbr. : INDS. Independents.
40. Small boys : TADS. A cruel tricky synonym for LADS. Not to be confused with 63D.
43. Wall St. figures : ARBS. Arbitragers.
46. Bungle badly : BUTCHER. Man the last thing I want is my butcher to be a bungler with all those big knives.
48. All things considered : EVEN SO.
49. Most sincere : TRUEST.
50. Boot : OUST.
53. Pursuit : HUNT.
54. Three-part snack : OREO. Top middle and bottom, or Twist, lick and chew?
55. Golden rule word : UNTO. Others...
56. Information unit : BYTE.
58. "___, kitty kitty!" : HERE.
59. Mythological archer : EROS. I have graduated from the dawn to love.
60. 1994 Shirley MacLaine title role : TESS. A finishing run of "T" words. LINK. (2:22).
63. Some univ. staff : TA'S. Teaching Assistants. My youngest was one but they hardly made him feel like staff.
64. Divinity sch. degree : TH D. Doctor of Theology.