Saturday, Jun 13th, 2015, Kevin Christian and Jeff Chen

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing Q,X,Z,)

Blocks: 32

  Well, I am surprised at how easily this one filled in - and there were plenty of proper names and vague clues to make think otherwise at the start.  I have worked Saturday puzzles from both constructors, but not as a duo; strangely, I used the phrase "Plan B" (see 16a.) in the write-up of Mr. Christian's 7/26/14 offering.  A rare grid with three separate climbers and one spanner, and no-so-intimidating corners; 

36. Does some political maneuvering : JOCKEYS FOR POWER

3. Reaction to excessive attention to detail : BUT WHO'S COUNTING~?

7. Unplugs in a big way : LIVES OFF THE GRID

11. Post-washing warning : CAUTION WET FLOOR

underwa[te]rd~!

ACROSS:

1. Card __ : TABLE - ah.  This did not occur to me until I had --BLE

6. "The Hobbit" being : ELF - not ENT - pondered ORC, too

9. Tied accessory : ASCOT - threw it in, and it stayed

14. Cameron Indoor Stadium college hoopster : BLUE DEVIL - an educated WAG from ----EVIL

16. It has a backup : PLAN A

17. Feigns innocence : ACTS NAÏVE

18. Like Zitronen : SAUER - German for lemons, and sour; I gathered it meant "citrus"

19. Inexperienced : RAW

20. Tons : A SLEW

21. First : ON TOP

22. Acidity nos. : pHs

24. Virtue of the 2010 Olympic champion ice dancing team Virtue and Moir : TESSA - I had TE--A, and went with "RR" - Bzzzt~! ( I knew a girl in Florida named Terra )

26. Gershon of "Killer Joe" : GINA - could not think of her name

27. It involves pockets : POOL - Had it, took it out, put it back in.  I like shooting pool, but have not done so in about 6 years - even have my own cues

29. Some crosses : ROODS - went with ANHKS first

31. Alley ending? : OOP - Alley-oop

32. Freelancers' encls. : SAEs - Self-Addressed Envelopes

34. Ross Sea sight : FLOE

35. Captain's dir. : NNE

40. Tokyo-born artist : ONO

41. Lit __ : CRIT - perps; the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature.  I am presently reading Nelson DeMille's "The Gate House".  I like his stuff

42. Kennel pickup area : NAPE - ah - where you literally pick up an animal, from the back of the neck

43. Coin first minted in 13th-century France : ECU - Learned doing crosswords; we almost got away with a Frawnche-free puzzle this week

44. Challenging pitch : HIGH C - I had the "C" first, so I was not feeling it

46. Baryshnikov, at birth : LETT

48. What "c" may mean in South Africa : CENT - their "dollar" is the rand, and therefore....

50. "One can say everything best over __": George Eliot : A MEAL

52. Corp. treasurer, perhaps : CFO

53. Playground comeback : AM TOO - are so, is not....couldn't decide at the beginning

55. __ Dei : AGNUS - OK, I was in a "Da Vinci Code" frame of mind, couldn't get past "OPUS"

57. Bodybuilder Ferrigno : LOU - best known for the greener side of the TV series "The Incredible Hulk"

campy

59. Ballerina Shearer : MOIRA - a WAG from M--RA

60. Eccentrics : CRACKPOTS - nailed it

62. Big name in auditing : ERNST - I had a room-mate in college who was destined for the "Ernst & Young" accounting firm

63. Police-search discovery : HIDEY-HOLE

64. Colorful Danish export : LEGOs - not LILIES (didn't fit), and not DELFT, the dishware - because they're Dutch

65. B.C. neighbor : IDA - ah.  IDAHO - I was stuck up in 45d., thinking it was either ALBerta, or SASkatchewan

66. 10th-century English king : EDRED - never heard of this guy

DOWN:       

1. It takes you to the top : T-BAR - skiing

2. Sadie Hawkins creator : AL CAPP

4. "__ Troyens": Berlioz opera : LES - like I said, almost

5. Krabappel of "The Simpsons" : EDNA

Edna Krabappel - The Simpsons Wiki

6. More wicked : EVILER - my one "meh" clue for the day

8. Traveled alone, perhaps : FLEW SOLO - I'm still flying solo  :7(

9. Lhasa __ : APSO

10. Urban Dictionary content : SLANG - there's a lot of funny stuff on the site, but a little on the vulgar side; I found this one to be amusing

12. Game for two : ONE-ON-ONE

13. Roofing material : TAR PAPER - it's but one layer of a roof

15. Bridge column word : EAST - figured it was 50/50 - this or "WEST"

23. Gouge : SOAK

25. Festoon : ADORN

28. Clinging type : LEECH

30. Calyx part : SEPAL

33. Aleppo's land : SYRIA

36. Marlboro Man contemporary : JOE CAMEL - I remember the controversy, and the suble sexual innuendo of the image

37. Again : ONCE MORE

38. Frat founded in 1855 at Ohio's Miami University : SIGMA CHI

39. Gp. that includes Nigeria : OPEC

45. Country with the largest surface area of water : CANADA - I knew this, for some odd reason; probably came up in a crossword clue from the past

47. Amble (along) : TOOTLE - I had -OOT--; didn't think "FOOTED" was right

49. Statue subject : TORSO

51. "__ and His Empire": 1972 Pulitzer-winning biography : LUCE

54. Mare's mouthful : OATS

56. Terrier type : SKYE

58. Like many eBay items : USED

61. One hanging out in a coll. office? : PhD

Splynter