Today’s Saturday Stumper

Today’s Newsday  Saturday Stumper, by Steve Mossberg, is not too easy, not too tough. And there’s nothing predictable about the fill: no ERA, no ERE, no ETA. It’s a fine puzzle.

Some clue-and-answer pairs of note:

1-A, four letters, “Hangouts where TVs hang.” So many places with TVs hanging. A first guess is likely to go wrong.

7-D, fifteen letters, “Nearing the end.” A wonderful fifteen-letter answer, funny in its pompous specificity.

10-D, eight letters, “Usually reserved.” I thought of tables — say, J.J. Hunsucker’s table in Sweet Smell of Success. But I suspect that J.J.’s table was always reserved.

14-A, ten letters, "Thumbs-down pair." No doubt meant to prompt recollection of At the Movies.

19-A, five letters, "Part of a Valentine’s Day delivery." Hah.

23-A, eight letters, “Bogus brown.” The alliteration adds value.

23-D, five letters, “Parlor implement.” What kind of parlor? Here too a first guess is likely to go wrong.

26-A, fifteen letters, “Brief musical excerpt.” A wonderful side-to-side answer.

26-D, six letters, “Racket on the radio.” Turn down that noise!

34-D, five letters, “Lacking seasoning.” Nice misdirection.

40-A, five letters, “Kilt feature.” I’m not sure how I know about this feature, but I do. (I have never worn a kilt.)

48-A, four letters, “Q preceders.” A nice way to take the letter away from lunatic ideation.

50-D, five letters, “Top with a flop.” Special resonance for my fambly.

56-A, ten letters, “Insincere antic accolade.” I’m back in high school, or a Seinfeld episode.

No spoilers; the answers are in the comments.