The New York Times
ACROSS
1 Support … or impede 7 Go on with … or postpone 15 Pique, as curiosity 16 Like nosebleed-section seats, usually 17 “No hard feelings, man, right?” 18 Introduced, as a new product 19 Backyard pond dweller 20 Part of a slalom path 22 Ice cream thickeners 23 Go to battle alongside … or struggle against 27 One way to read or think 30 Sneaky little snickers 31 Subdue with a stun gun 35 Chuck of “Walker, Texas Ranger” 37 Competitor of Acer and HP 39 Big ___, Calif. 40 Offer for consideration … or remove from consideration 42 Withstand … or deteriorate 44 Bay Area airport code 45 Work well together 47 “And how!” 48 Bright side, in Chinese philosophy 50 Word from a hat tipper, perhaps 52 Dead duck 53 Watchful care … or careless mistake 56 Muscular Japanese dog 59 “Push-up” garment 60 “Spy vs. Spy” magazine 63 Place to apply eye makeup 66 Request to be excused 69 Factor in a restaurant review 70 Before, to a bard 71 Give approval to … or express disapproval of 72 Quit … or agree to keep going
DOWN
1 Neocon, e.g. 2 Nabisco’s answer to Hydrox 3 Sets of points, in math 4 Simon & Garfunkel, e.g. 5 “For the Boys” support grp. 6 Co-owner of the Pequod 7 Like Parmesan on baked chicken, typically 8 Wine: Prefix 9 ___ system (car option that may speak to you) 10 Give medication to 11 “Count me as a maybe” 12 The Big Easy, by another nickname 13 Manual reader 14 Some postings at 44-Across, for short 21 “Zip it!” 23 Garments in summer storage, perhaps 24 “Double talk” is one 25 “That was close!” 26 Many Club Med locales 27 Fidgeting in one’s seat, say 28 Natural bath sponge 29 Welles who narrated an “invasion” 32 Pale with fright 33 Like Elvis’s blue shoes 34 Pickoff throw into the outfield, e.g. 36 “Well, sor-r-ry!” 38 Sitcom track sound 41 Pre-1917 despot 43 Bring forward, with “out” 46 Fading star 49 Like the novels “Frankenstein” and “Dracula” 51 Orbiter until 2001 54 Employee at a fine restaurant 55 Wii user, e.g. 56 “Regrettably …” 57 ___ Sutra 58 Card catalog ID 60 Skirt once often worn with go-go boots 61 Bug-eyed 62 In a blue funk 64 Suffix in many pasta names 65 Cpl. or sgt. 67 “___ you nuts?” 68 “Most decidedly so!”