Today’s Saturday Stumper

Today’s Newsday  Saturday Stumper is by David P. Williams. XWord Info has him as the creator of seven previous puzzles between 2023 and 2025, none of them Stumpers. This one is terrific, full of punny touches and misdirection. I’m tempted to say that it “Was merciless” (24-A, thirteen letters), but there were handholds here and there.

Some clue-and-answer pairs of note:

5-A, seven letters, “Italian penicillin.” I’ve never heard it called this, but the name fits.

6-A, four letters, “Half a decorator duo.” I was stuck for some time thinking of sills and sashes.

6-D, eleven letters, “Expression of doubt.” Pretty novel.

12-D, five letters, “Isn’t it ironic?” I was flummoxed for some time, not understanding the now-obvious meaning of what had to be the answer.

20-A, six letters, “Lit from liquor.” Tricky.

23-A, seven letters, “Comics canine’s collegian.” Not tricky if you read the comics.

23-D, eleven letters, “Improv activity.” One of several clue-and-answer pairs that misdirect by mixing singular and plural words.

26-D, ten letters, “Line outside a post nightclub.” Getting this answer early on helped a lot.

34-D, eight letters, “Leverage privilege.” My one quibble with this puzzle: the answer should be a noun or noun phrase to match the clue. A possible clue: “What those with leverage might do.” See the comments for an explanation from Stan Newman, the puzzle’s editor.

38-D, seven letters, “First class offerings.” Carefully worded.

46-D, four letters, “Abridged mystery writer.” My first thought was EAP, but there’s more to the clue.

50-A, ten letters, “Markups.” PRICEHIKES?

57-A, four letters, “They were first sold (1961) in red trunks.” Cleverly clued.

58-A, five letters, “Knot-tying by-product.” Not BADGE, because there is no Merit Badge specifically for knot-tying.

My favorite in this puzzle: 9-D, eight letters, “Rule broken by geishas.” Stumpers gonna stump.

No spoilers; the answers are in the comments.