Today’s Saturday Stumper

1-A, four letters, “Field of operations”: AREA? ZONE? It doesn’t take long to figure out that today’s Newsday  Saturday Stumper, by Matthew Sewell, will be something of a doozy.

Some clue-and-answer pairs of note:

2-D, six letters, “Puzzled over.” Misdirection.

4-D, ten letters, “Produces with silk, perhaps.” I thought it must have to do with worms.

11-D, eight letters, “Nintendo persona battling Baron Brrr.” I guessed, correctly.

16-A, ten letters, “Genre for Jo Nesbo and Stieg Larsson.” I thought it was usually called something else.

18-A, four letters, “Not deep or high.” A book that we were just talking about made the answer pop into my head.

29-D, ten letters, “LED-covered dancer with wedding guests.” I must lead a sheltered life.

34-A, fifteen letters, “Subtly shady compliment.” So much novelty in this puzzle.

53-D, three letters, “Q & A in DC.” I always like seeing such effort put into making a Stumper-y clue for a mere three-letter answer. Value added!

My favorite in this puzzle: 12-D, eight letters, “It could have wings.” I thought my answer must have been wrong, and then I saw a way in which it could make sense, and then I didn’t, and then I did. An insanely great clue-and-answer pairing.

No spoilers; the answers are in the comments.