Today’s Saturday Stumper

Today’s Newsday Saturday Stumper, by Matthew Sewell, hit the spot. Plenty of challenges, but still a puzzle whose answers fell into place. But almost didn’t in the southeast corner. But finally did. But I still don’t understand one of them: 58-D, three letters, “Whispery direction.” What? Aha: I figured it out when I typed the answer in the comments.

My entry into this puzzle came by way of three three-letter answers: 6-, 7-, and 8-Down, “Successful runners,” “Things ripped and burned,” “Nostalgic division.” Those three gave me two ten-letter answers, 1-, 15, and 17-A, ten letters, “Big word for ‘big-hearted’” and “Ptolemaic Kingdom capital.” And the game, or puzzle, was afoot.

Some clue-and-answer pairs I especially liked:

17-A, ten letters, “Flaubert protg.” I thought protagonist before realizing that protg must be a botched rendering of protégé. There must have been a problem at the diacritics desk. Anyway, I liked seeing the answer.

19-A, four letters, “Round tab.” I see what you did there, Matthew Sewell.

22-A, nine letters, “Ancient Polynesian invention.” For a second time I meet up with this word in a Saturday Stumper, which I know from a short essay about Muhammad Ali and Homeric translation. Thanks to the dictionary.

36-A, seven letters, “Improvised lines.” A nice bit of misdirection for anyone who first thinks of ADLIBS.

48-A, seven letters, “Regular gal or guy.” I like the slight clash between the informal clue and the tonier answer. At least I think it’s tonier. Though possibly in a louche way.

54-D, four letters, “Nickname like Reese.” Wait, Reese is a nickname?

57-D, three letters, “Music from Cremona.” Once again, an answer I didn’t understand until well after finishing the puzzle.

No spoilers: the answers are in the comments.