Once again we are presented with a 16 x15 puzzle by the incredible Jeffrey Wechsler. We have another sound puzzle designed to amuse as much as baffle. In the first and third theme fill, it is the first word that is repurposed with a sound-a-like word that is clued with humor as the objective.
I SWEAR IT, MAMMALIA, SAINT KITTS and STAY IN STEP
18A. Complimentary thoughts?: PRAISE ON ONE's MIND (16). Preys on one's mind is the base phrase repurposed with the sound alike.
25A. Subtitle for "Further Adventures of Jack and Jill"?: BEYOND THE PAIL (13). Beyond the pale is the base phrase here. Its HISTORY, suggesting it is related to impale.
45A. Reason to open another register?: WAIT REDUCTION (13). Weight reduction is this base phrase.
62A. Rate hike at a tanning salon?: ULTRA-VIOLET RAISE (16). Ultra-violet rays this time.
Across:
1. Mortify: ABASH. This was a more popular word when I was young.
6. Late bloomer: ASTER. This harkens back to D-O's comment last week, which I misremembered as "I can't tell my aster from a hole in the ground." I am not as subtle.
11. Education basic: MATH. 'Rithmatic.
15. Starbucks order: MOCHA. They combine rich, full-bodied espresso with bittersweet mocha sauce and steamed milk, then top it off with sweetened whipped cream.
16. Laughing, say: MERRY.
17. Et __: ALIA.
21. Half a Caribbean federation: SAINT KITTS. St. Kitts is the larger of the 2 Caribbean islands that comprise the nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, also known as the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis.22. Breitling competitor: OMEGA. Watches.
23. Where some long drives begin: TEE. Golf.
24. Certain octet member: PLANET. In our solar system.
32. U.K. singer Rita: ORA. She is back quickly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExJmET8boVw
33. Like the sticks: RURAL. Where people live surrounded by trees etc. The best-known reference to 'the sticks' meaning woodsy America, in any newspaper, was the 'Sticks Nix Hick Pix' headline in Variety, 17th July 1935. This was a famously succinct expression of the opinion that 'people in the backwoods [sticks] aren't interested [nix] in films [pix] about rural [hick] issues'.
34. Tentative statement: I MAY. This clue brough to mind this earworm...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5YSOabmFgw
38. Collaborative website: WIKI.
40. Classic slot images: LEMONS. Three CSOs in-one!
41. Emanation: AURA.
42. "He that hath no beard is __ than a man": Shak.: LESS. This was not said by Shaquille (Shaq) but is from Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, said by Beatrice.
“He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man. He that is more than a youth is not for me, and he that is less than a man, I am not for him.”
43. Battery post: ANODE. Not cathode.
44. Capt.'s heading: NNW. And back at sea 54A. Flotilla locale: OCEAN. This interesting sounding word which reminds me of floating (the words may be related), can also be in rivers. LINK.
50. Lean (on): DEPEND.
53. Balloting time: Abbr.: NOV. Coming soon to a polling place near you.
55. Keep up (with), as fashion trends: STAY IN STEP. This was very difficult for me, even though once filled seemed easy, though keep in step sounds more familiar. This also the name of a spinal cord injury support web-site.
64. Goa garment: SARI.
65. Edible bulb: ONION.
66. Macabre fiction middle name: ALLAN. EAP also makes a quick reprise here.
67. State of France: ÉTAT. The word in French, known from État Unis and coup d'état.
68. Some red marks: WELTS.
69. Knish purveyors: DELIS.
Down:
1. Stage flankers: AMPS.
2. When doubled, one of the Leeward Islands: BORA. Bora Bora is one of the LEEWARD ISLANDS.
3. Trendy berry: ACAI.
4. "Way of the gods" belief: SHINTO.
5. Get a move on: HASTEN.
6. French mine: AMOI.
7. Posted: SENT.
8. Display, with "out": TROT.
9. Sea eagles: ERNS.
10. White alternative: RYE.
11. Class for dogs and cats: MAMMALIA.
12. "Guardians of the Galaxy" figure: ALIEN.
13. Slight suggestion: TINGE.
14. Attacked: HADAT.
19. Squeezed (out): EKED.
20. Arias, usually: SOLI.
24. Comrades: PALS.
25. Postseason game: BOWL.
26. Historic canal: ERIE.
27. Runs on: YAKS.
28. Nottingham's river: TRENT.
29. Laugh producer: HUMOR.
30. Undercut: ERODE.
31. Comprising standard glazing: PANED.
35. Local bond, briefly: MUNI.
36. The Ponte Vecchio spans it: ARNO. The bridge is over the river.
37. [What a bore!]: YAWN.
39. "Scout's honor!": I SWEAR IT.
40. Attacked, with "into": LAID.
46. Kendrick of "Pitch Perfect" films: ANNA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO1Jm4N4rlA
47. Meter, e.g.: UNIT.
48. "Heart of Darkness" author: CONRAD.
49. Deal in electronics?: TV SALE.
50. Put out: DOUSE.
51. Eye-popping display: ECLAT.
52. Ancient Jordanian archaeological city: PETRA. Petra is a famous archaeological site in Jordan's southwestern desert. Dating to around 300 B.C., it was the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom. Accessed via a narrow canyon called Al Siq, it contains tombs and temples carved into pink sandstone cliffs, earning its nickname, the "Rose City."
55. Trig function: SINE. WE have our mth cornerites to expand, or expound.
56. Labor: TOIL.
57. Oodles: A LOT.
58. Hungers: YENS.
59. Prepare for sowing: TILL.
60. Actor Morales: ESAI. As Boomer says, the vowels are there.
61. They're often secured at tellers' windows: PENS. Do ther chains really help? They go at least back 50 YEARS.
63. Commitment: VOW.
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