Thursday, July 28, 2011, John Dunn

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