puzzle

 ACROSS

  1 Brag

  6 Raise a paddle at an auction

  9 Hole punchers

 13 Radio knob

 14 Had dinner, say

 15 Use as a bed

 17 *How most loans are repaid

 19 Opening words

 20 Mike's partner in candy

 21 "Rushmore" director Anderson

 23 Outfit for one who's en pointe

 24 It can last a lifetime

 26 *One-hit wonder, for example

 29 "Cold, hard" statements

 31 More pretentious

 32 "That's probably a good idea"

 34 Sketch comedy show, briefly

 35 "Cheers" bartender

 38 Singer Warwick

 39 (Giggle)

 41 Artist Yoko

 42 Dance move popularized by Cam Newton

 44 Hats with strings

 45 Container for serving wine

 47 Huge concert venue

 48 *Like many interval training exercises

 52 Beer first shipped to Madras and Calcutta, briefly

 53 Surprised greeting

 54 Match, as a 44-Down

 55 And so forth: Abbr.

 57 Tilts

 59 Suggest something subtly, or what the answers to the starred clues do vertically

 64 "Inferno" author

 65 Monk's condition, for short

 66 Pie nut

 67 Poke fun at

 68 Originally named

 69 Skilled

DOWN

  1 Texter's "Incidentally ..."

  2 French affirmative

  3 "A Bug's Life" insect

  4 "The Outsiders" author

  5 Difficult hike

  6 Honey

  7 Fighting words

  8 Finds repulsive

  9 Comedian Wong

 10 Season in House Stark's motto

 11 Abate

 12 Kind of, casually

 16 New York is a proper one

 18 One wearing a bow tie in a ring

 22 Japanese religion

 24 Washbowl

 25 Sneeze sound

 27 Wee fellow

 28 Montana's capital

 29 Classic dog name

 30 Relative of a banana split

 33 Benefits from mistakes

 35 They're used to being fleeced

 36 Cigna competitor

 37 Small plateau

 40 Like flour with restored nutrients

 43 Inspired by

 44 Action at the poker table

 45 Calico fabric used for upholstery

 46 Intense, as competition

 48 Wait on the phone

 49 "Rumor has it ..."

 50 Country west of Togo

 51 Informal answer to "Is the pope Catholic?"

 56 Bite at a Spanish bar

 58 "___ who?!"

 60 Poem hidden in "good effort"

 61 Word after "black" or "pack"

 62 Short rest

 63 Nobel invention, for short

solution