Old St. Nik by Fred Piscop

Across 1. "Half-off" event 5. Surrender possession of 9. Scarecrow innards 14. Elvis __ Presley 15. Skater's jump 16. Whittle away 17. "Gil __" (Le Sage novel) 18. Mineral that splits into sheets 19. Type of battery 20. Never-say-die slogan 23. Green light 24. Gave a 23-Across, perhaps 28. "Alley __!" 30. Suffix with chariot 31. Lines of praise 32. Better equipped 36. Bruins' sch. 38. Archaeologist's site 39. Confrontation avoider's words 42. Admiral Zumwalt 43. Umpire's cry 44. Beyond plump 45. TV brand 46. W-2 ID 47. __ de plume 49. __ Tuesday (Ash Wednesday preceder) 51. Serenades the villain 56. Classic race-against-time TV show 60. Cyber-messages 63. Parade spoiler 64. Soothing stuff 65. "The Devil and Daniel Webster" writer 66. Pastry chef's aide 67. Halftime entertainment 68. World-weary 69. Letter part 70. Cheap pads, for short

Down 1. Native Israeli 2. Van Gogh painted here 3. Slacks off 4. Come next 5. Woke up 6. Parking lot sign 7. Art __ (retro style) 8. Flier to Ben-Gurion 9. Electric eye, e.g. 10. Took a stab at 11. Fabled flier 12. Oral health org. 13. Hitched, so to speak 21. Bunk annoyance 22. Hoopster Shaq 25. Pour water on 26. Trims to fit, say 27. Slow on the uptake 29. World leader formerly in the KGB 30. Oscar winner Burstyn 32. Parroting sorts 33. It may warrant an "Excuse me!" 34. Truman's Missouri birthplace 35. Prefix with friendly 37. Web video gear 38. Hold up 40. In a muddle 41. "Dilbert," for one 46. Like a runway model 48. "The Gift of the Magi" author 50. Big Apple awards 52. Bacon hunks 53. Like some eclipses 54. Low-budget prefix 55. Depot postings, for short 57. Chicago daily, for short 58. Snack in a shell 59. Hotfooted it 60. Fall back 61. Alice's sitcom boss 62. Santa __ winds Copyright © MacNamara's Band, Inc.