Today’s Newsday Saturday

Today’s Newsday  Saturday crossword is by Lars G. Doubleday, aka Doug Peterson and Brad Wilber. Easier than last week’s puzzle, I thought, but it felt a bit more challenging, with many satisfying and unusual clue-and-answer pairs. Some I especially liked:

1-A, eight letters, “Toast for tots.” I know about it because of a photograph from my infancy, and I know that it’s still made, but I think it’s pretty difficult to find in the States now, at least under this name.

1-D, four letters, “Numbers on letters.” Just because.

9-D, five letters, “Jerk.” Noun? Verb?

10-D, nine letters, “Retro golf pants.” I have no idea what they look like, but I know the word from the title of — spoiler alert — a Steve Lacy tune. (The soprano saxophonist, that is.)

16-A, six letters, “Get into gear.” Nice misdirection, even in the words “get into.”

40-D, six letters, “Prepares eggs for custard.” Strange word, and I have no idea how I know it. I think of sitting the eggs in little chairs and handing them little spoons. I think I’ve been watching too much Peppa Pig. Elaine says that 40-D is misclued, and Merriam-Webster appears to support her. The answer refers to a way to prepare eggs as eggs. Anyone who just 40-D eggs won’t come out with custard.

52-D, four letters, “Tireless runner.” I thought it had to be an animal.

54-D, three letters, “Was more than superficial.” Almost too weird.

57-A, six letters, “Turn down.” Meaning what?

My favorite clue, whose answer, even if obvious, still somehow came as a surprise to me: 12-D, six letters, “Unfinished stories, often.” I’ve been thinking too much about narrative.

No spoilers; the answers are in the comments.