Today’s Saturday Stumper

Today’s Newsday  Saturday Stumper, by Anna Stiga, “Stan Again,” Stan Newman, the puzzle’s editor, really is, as the pseudonym promises, an easier Stumper. Nothing too tricky, nothing too arcane. I started with the decidedly non-arcane — 25-A, six letters, “Surname of three siblings who each wrote an 1847 novel” — and finished just eighteen minutes later. But I know that some solvers might knock off this puzzle in — what? — five or six minutes. I am not they.

Some clue-and-answer pairs of note:

1-A, five letters, “Projects needing sets” and 17-A, ten letters, “Person needing sets.” The first clue might mislead about the second.

8-D, four letters, “Place for a chin on a violin.” I know where Elaine would have started this puzzle.

9-D, eight letters, “Woodstock ’99 poster designer.” The name is a sad song.

10-D, ten letters, “A noticeable improvement.” Nicely colloquial.

16-A, four letters, “Global transportation company.” But probably not in the way that you’d assume.

27-D, ten letters, “Hubby in Funny Girl.” Hubby?

28-D, ten letters, “Reminder starter.” Many fun ten-letter answers in this puzzle.

32-A, nine letters, “Palm product.” I still remember sitting in a school gym, waiting for my children’s chorus concert to begin, and typing up a final exam with a Palm m515 and an external keyboard.

36-D, eight letters, “Less-than-elegant exit.” My first thought was of the Irish goodbye, but on second thought, that’s indeed an elegant exit — no muss, no fuss. (Ask me how I know.)

47-A, ten letters, “Reuben Award comic of 2004.” A bit tricky if you don’t recognize Reuben.

51-D, four letters, “They’re formed for flattery.” Sometimes, I suppose. But some of their subjects are beyond flattery.

59-A, four letters, “Remove for checking, perhaps.” Just opaque enough.

My favorite in this puzzle: 20-A, ten letters, “Gillette introduction of 1979.”

No spoilers; the answers are in the comments.