Today’s Saturday Stumper

I think that today’s Newsday  Saturday Stumper, by Ben Zimmer, is an easy-going Stumper. The top half is easier than the bottom, but I’d say it’s all doable. At the center, three thirteen-letter answers descending a staircase.

Some clue-and-answer pairs of note:

9-D, twelve letters, “Daughters of the Greek ‘Old Man of the Sea.’” Yay, Proteus!

16-A, four letters, “Head down.” I dunno — the clue suggests intentionality, but the answer doesn’t.

21-D, twelve letters, “Making them is ‘dull work,’ per Samuel Johnson.” He knew.

22-D, eight letters, “Pronunciation aids.” The spelling here is not an aid to solving.

23-A, three letters, “Metaphorical retaliation.” A nice way to add value to this short, unexpected answer. Unexpected by me, anyway.

25-D, eight letters, “Oral repetition.” Clever phrasing.

26-A, seven letters, “Ran most of a square path.” Defamiliarizing, mildly so.

31-A, thirteen letters, “Made in the shade.” One good idiom deserves another.

33-A, thirteen letters, “Custodial concern.” I must admit that my first thought was of a janitor.

34-A, thirteen letters, “They need body work.” And here, of dented vehicles.

38-A, five letters, “Minor assistance?” Another clue that adds value to a short, plain answer.

45-A, four letters, “How many spell ‘We made it!’” Whatever you say! Is it that big a deal?

48-D, three letters, “Frisky bunch.” See 23-A and 38-A.

49-A, four letters, “Woman of drinking age.” I had it on crosses before I understood it.

My favorite in this puzzle, also the last answer I filled in: 50-D, three letters, “Show about nothing?” SEINFELD didn’t fit.

No spoilers; the answers are in the comments.