Today’s Saturday Stumper

I set up my iPad at the kitchen table to do the crossword. The 11th Hour ran at the far end of our mid-century all-in-one room. The minutes went by.

“Are you done yet?” Elaine asked. It was getting late. “Only halfway,” I answered. And at some point I realized that today’s Newsday  crossword, by Greg Johnson, was another Saturday Stumper. No wonder it took so long (twenty-three minutes).

That makes two consecutive Stumpers. And much greater difficulty with this week’s puzzle — that’s good.

Some clue-and-answer pairs I especially liked:

6-D, six letters, “What some projections and pitchers provide.” Very clever.

11-D, ten letters, “Common grade-school homework.” Yes indeed. And now I’m wondering when they became a thing.

16-A, three letters, “‘Sharp’ starter.” I learned something.

17-A, fifteen letters, “’70s kids’ educational animated-short series.” I know it only from later parodies and repurposings.

19-D, thirteen letters, “Taunt for a hand.” My first thought was of an insult comedian.

28-D, ten letters, “Uranium ore, from the Latin for ‘violet.’” From the west-central region, the toughest part of the puzzle. Just try to figure out what the first letter might be.

45-D, six letters, “Drop-box legend.” Oh, now I get it. Fun to see this answer below 9-D, three letters, “Makes greater.”

50-A, five letters, “About 591 drops.” I’d like to say I learned something, but I will forget this factoid posthaste.

56-A, fifteen letters, “App you can’t download.” I am 48-A, six letters, “Finding something funny.”

One clue whose answer I don’t understand: 44-A, seven letters, “Score fourth.” Fourth? Huh?

No spoilers; the answers are in the comments.