At the Track Meet: Where you RACE, and SPRINT, and DART and RUSH!
18. Redeeming quality: SAVING GRACE.
36. Paper for papers: NEWSPRINT.
News Print Dress
44. Small museum piece: OBJET D'ART.
Dodge Dart
63. Citrus-flavored soda: ORANGE CRUSH.
69. With 72-Across, evasive strategy ... and a hint to the last several letters of the four longest Across answers: END.
72. See 69-Across: RUN. Together these answers give us an End Run, and if you noticed, the "END" letters of each of the theme answers provide us with another term for "RUN".
Across:
1. "Way cool!": RAD.
4. Title for Bovary or Defarge: MADAME. A CSO to our very own Madame Defarge (seen here with Abejo).
10. Feudal estate: FIEF.
14. Computer application file suffix: .EXE
15. European peninsula: IBERIA.
16. "A Jug of Wine ... " poet: OMAR. Omar Khayyám (May 18, 1048 ~ Dec. 5, 1131) was a Persian mathematician, astronomer and poet. The math is over my head, but I can understand the poetry.
17. Ala. neighbor: FLA. Florida, which is being pummeled by Hurricane Dorian, is a neighbor of Alabama.
20. Many Montenegrins: SERBS. Montenegro is a small country on the Adriatic Sea.
22. "Much to my surprise ... ": ODDLY. Oddly enough, this is the first word that popped into my head upon reading the clue.
23. "Weekend Update" comic Michael: CHE. I stopped watching Saturday Night Live years ago, so no longer know who hosts the Weekend Update Segment. Apparently it is, or was, Michael Che (né Michael Che Campbell; b. May 19, 1983).
24. Cash dispenser: ATM. As in the Automatic Teller Machine.
26. "Buona __": Italian "Good evening": SERA. Today's Italian lesson. As you read this, I may actually be saying this to people I pass along the street.
28. Lines of lightning ... or lightening: STREAKS. Did you catch this scary scene that occurred a couple of weeks ago?
32. Coin flips: TOSSES.
38. Person of the Year awarder: TIME. Queen Elizabeth II (b. Apr. 21, 1926) was named Time magazine's "Man" of the year in 1952.
40. "__ John B": Beach Boys hit: SLOOP.
42. Former govt. agency devoted to public diplomacy: USIA. As in the United States Information Agency. It was in existence from August 1953 through September 1999. Raise your hand if you are familiar with this agency.
43. Chianti Classico, per esempio: VINO. More of today's Italian lesson. This wine is from the Tuscany region of Italy.
46. Distribute into groups: ASSORT.
49. Chestnut horses: SORRELS.
50. Angler's decoy: LURE.
52. Fellow: MAN.
53. Résumé writer's goal: JOB.
56. Resignee of 1974: NIXON. Richard M. Nixon (Jan. 9, 1913 ~ Apr. 22, 1994), was Time's Man of the Year in 1972.
59. Forever __: STAMP. I got hung up on Forever Young and I really didn't want to let it go.
66. Chillax: VEG. As in to Veg out.
67. Poi source: TARO. A crossword staple.
68. Repeat from memory: RECITE.
70. Large number: SLEW.
71. On the schedule: SLATED.
Down:
1. Sports officials: REFs. As in Referees.
2. Wheel shaft: AXLE.
3. __ Abby: DEAR. Dear Abby was the pen name of Pauline Phillips (née Pauline Ester Friedman; July 4, 1918 ~ Jan. 16, 2013). She was the identical twin sister of Ester Pauline Friedman (July 4, 1918 ~ June 22, 2002), who wrote under the name of Ann Landers. Both sisters wrote advice columns and were very competitive. Sadly, this competition created a rift between the two sisters, that probably was never fully reconciled.
4. Wrong move: MISSTEP.
5. Attorney's org.: ABA. As in the American Bar Association.
6. "Whip It" rock band: DEVO. Are we not men? We are DEVO.
7. Like much of the Southwest: ARID.
8. Objects to: MINDS. Yes, I do mind if you smoke in here.
9. Aerie newborn: EAGLET.
10. Pro: FOR.
11. All-in-one Apple: iMAC.
12. Per unit: EACH.
13. On the house: FREE.
19. Wrap with tzatziki sauce: GYRO. Yummers!
21. Happy hour perch: BARSTOOL.
25. Rover's territory: MARS. A good misdirection. I thought we were looking for the roaming area for a dog.
27. One at the head of the class: "A" STUDENT. As in a student who gets all A in all subjects.
28. Round with four teams, say: SEMIs. As in the semi-finals for a tournament.
29. Jacob and Esau, e.g.: TWINS. Or Dear Abby and Ann Landers.
30. DEA agent's find: KILO. As in Kilo(s) of cocaine, which an agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration is looking for.
31. Hoity-toity types: SNOBS.
33. Strong fiber: SISAL.
In its natural state.
34. Qatari bigwigs: EMIRS. A crossword staple.
35. It may be saved at a movie: SEAT. I really wanted Stub, as in the ticket stub. In the movie theater we frequent, there is assigned seating, so one doesn't really need to get to the theater to save a seat.
36. __ Scotia: NOVA. One of the biggest maritime disasters occurred in the Halifax, Nova Scotia. In December 1917, a Norwegian ship collided with a French cargo ship that was filled with explosives. This took place in Halifax Harbor. Large portions of the city were flattened and approximately 2,000 people were killed in the explosion and another 9000 were injured. No one in the town was left unscathed. For a fascinating history of this event, I highly recommend The Great Halifax Explosion: A World I Story of Treachery, Tragedy and Extraordinary Heroism, by John U. Bacon.
37. Japanese leader during WWII: TOJO. Hiedki Tojo (Dec. 30, 1884 ~ Dec. 23, 1948) was a general in the Japanese Army.
41. Salon offering: PERM. As in a Permanent Wave. I hope this one isn't permanent.
45. Ruined: TRASHED.
47. Step on a ladder: RUNG.
48. They make an effort: TRIERS.
51. Spreadsheet program in Microsoft Office: EXCEL.
53. Scribbles (down): JOTS.
54. Like some exams: ORAL.
55. Naked: BARE.
57. Penguin predator: ORCA.
58. Nantes night: NUIT. Today's French lesson.
60. State with conviction: AVER. This has become a crossword staple.
61. List of options: MENU.
62. Scrolling key: PGDN. As in the Page Down key.
64. At the moment: NOW.
65. Sault __ Marie: STE. Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and is on the US-Canada border.
Here's the Grid:
