Theme:
17A. Like this answer's position, and what can follow the starts of 16-, 24/51-, 38-, 60- and 69/1-Across: IN THE MIDDLE.
16A. Breakfast option: SOFT BOILED EGGS.
24A. With 51-Across, Presley hit with "glue" in the lyrics: STUCK. 51A. See 24-Across: ON YOU.
38A. "A Clockwork Orange" star: MALCOLM MCDOWELL.
60A. End the chat room suspense, in a way: MEET FACE TO FACE.
69A. With 1-Across, spend time frivolously: MONKEY. 1A. See 69-Across: AROUND.
ACROSS:.
7. Catch-22: PARADOX.
14. Retro headgear: BEANIE.
15. Quintessence: EPITOME.
18. Mountain Dew producer, informally: PEPSI.
19. Slight winning margin: NOSE.
20. Not divided: ONE.
21. Easy melodies: LILTS.
29. Mediterranean smoker: ETNA.
31. "__ Coy Mistress": Andrew Marvell poem: TO HIS.
33. Uffizi display: ARTE.
34. "Big Love" actress Sevigny: CHLOE.
36. Asylum seeker: EMIGRE.
42. Gushed on stage: EMOTED.
43. Massey of "Rosalie": ILONA.
44. Talk with one's hands: SIGN.
45. Like days of yore: OLDEN.
47. "Great shot!": NICE.
53. Professional pitcher?: AD MAN.
55. Edit out: CUT.
56. Comedian Hartman: PHIL.
58. Excludes: OMITS.
66. Chaplin's tramp, e.g.: PERSONA.
67. Boorish sorts: CHURLS.
68. Non-specific: GENERAL.
DOWN:.
1. Out of the picture: ABSENT.
2. Start up after a fire, say: REOPEN.
3. Dumbbells: OAFS.
4. Before: UNTIL.
5. Tip for a writer?: NIB.
6. __ gratiam habeamus: Kentucky's Latin state motto: DEO.
7. Boehner's predecessor: PELOSI.
8. Plays Simon says with: APES.
9. Harley outings: RIDES.
10. Got fed up?: ATE.
11. Follow: DOG.
12. Texting exclamation: OMG.
13. Cancels (out): XES.
18. Macabre master: POE.
22. Tepid response to "How's this?": IT'LL DO.
23. Tower (over): LOOM.
25. Home of Nationals pitcher Chien-Ming Wang: TAIWAN.
26. Try to convince: URGE.
27. PC key: CTRL.
28. Nautical spine: KEEL.
30. Passbook ID: ACCTNO.
32. Sonoran Desert resort city: SEDONA.
35. Plot device?: HOE.
37. Work wk. start: MON.
38. Prefix with -zoic: MESO.
39. "The Last King of Scotland" tyrant: AMIN.
40. Lethargic: LOGY.
41. Skelton persona Kadiddlehopper: CLEM.
46. Not of the cloth: LAICAL.
48. Standoffish one: ICICLE.
49. Like Care Bears: CUTESY.
50. "Avatar" extras: ETS.
52. Ready and willing to do: UP FOR.
54. Like a stick-in-the-mud: NO FUN.
57. 80s tennis great Mandlikova: HANA.
59. New Testament figure: MARK.
60. Sticker stat: MPG.
61. Shoe spec: EEE.
62. Coastal raptor: ERN.
63. Prufrock poet's monogram: TSE.
64. Cable sta. for vintage films: TCM.
65. "Gotcha!": OHO.
Answer Grid
