Today’s Saturday Stumper

Today’s Newsday Saturday Stumper, by Brad Wilber, felt like an easy puzzle — about as easy last Saturday’s. What gives?

I began with 17-A, six letters, “Accelerando eraser,” which gave me 4-D, four letters, “Take the easy way out, with ‘out,’” and 5-D, three letters, “___ desk.” Those last two answers gave me 1-A, five letters, “Common jack-o’-lantern feature,” and before I knew it, the northwest corner was done. The rest followed.

My favorite clues: 34-D, nine letters, “Something printed without punch.” 60-A, eight letters, “George Harrison, from 1965.” (Harrison though might have disagreed.) Best of all: 2-D, nine letters, “America's Cup participant.” Why? Because I encountered the word in 1998 in a short essay by Carlo Rotella about Muhammad Ali and Homeric translation. And I took the time to look it up. And I never expected to see it again.

One curious clue: 28-A, five letters, “Shots often taken in Crete,” which harks back to last week’s 29-D, four letters, “Spirit in Cyprus.” Was there a recent crossword cruise of the Mediterranean?

No spoilers: the answers — to the clues, not to that question — are in the comments.