1: Better protected

6: In the past

9: Unstressed vowel

14: Pick up the check

15: Prickly casing

16: 'They Died With ___ Boots On'

17: Hunt and Hunter

19: Meat case selection

20: Flightless bird

21: Boil fluid

22: Spanish diacritical marks

23: Scorches

25: Star pitcher

26: Flabbergasted

31: Filthy abodes

33: Morse code component

34: Burn soother

35: Furry friend

36: Ring toss item?

39: Afternoon brew

41: Carp constantly

42: Drive train element

44: Cry over spilled milk

46: Lab bottles

48: Stage of advancement

52: Hardly hale

53: Shimmers

54: 'Sincerely,' and others

57: Show of affection

58: Beseech

62: One from the heart

63: Zap over

65: Burn with steam

66: Talk foolishly

67: Gas used in arc welding

68: Scrabble century

69: NPR has none

70: Judges

1: Name on the marquee

2: Foot part

3: Lavish party

4: Otalgia

5: Map abbr.

6: Laughable

7: Took a shot in the dark

8: Surgery sites, briefly

9: Unbending

10: Clean drinking water helps prevent it

11: All that's seen of the Wizard of Oz, at first

12: Pansophic

13: They may be liberal

18: Stretch across

22: Sample, as the soup

24: 'Quiet!'

26: King or queen

27: Nonsense

28: Arm bones

29: Brat's stocking stuffer

30: Vats for frats?

31: Hot tubs

32: Actual wording

37: Seed coverings

38: Merlot cask

40: Declare openly

43: New Testament letter

45: Brainiac

47: Fire up

49: Entreats earnestly

50: Drinks out loud

51: Roman wrap

54: Section in the credits

55: Places

56: Spoken

59: Roid or road follower

60: Bit to split

61: Deep desires

63: Scandinavian rug

64: Family man