Since it’s Friday, it must be themeless and challenging…

Random hints:

Old car with ignition trouble:  Well, EDSELs couldn’t start much of a fire, but this Ford sure wasn’t a thoroughbred!

Like:  as in king?

Opinion add-on:  2 words, almost

Critter with humanlike fingerprints:  It’s unbearable, despite its common name

Really long:  Well, not so much far as not close enough

steps on a scale:  Are you kidding?  Who would dare step on a scale after the holiday and with New Years still to come!  You might think they mean a very specific scale, like do re mi, but they don’t

Pro beginner:  or –>  a truck   (given the size of these, what how big would a whole one be???)

dropped off: think tide

Most Atari-playing kids:  Most of them have moved on.  Now they just play with their smart phones all evening.  Oh, wait, that’s everyone.  Yeh, the clue’s pretty right about who we’re talking about.

Ancient meeting place:  It’s also an old xword favorite, but, if you don’t like open spaces, I hope you’re not -phobic about it.

Theme of the Tell-Tale Heart:  You mean her heart wasn’t really beating under the floorboards?

Like bars that are often near horses:  No, not in oaters.  There are other kinds of bars near other kinds of horses.

It can go from liquid to frozen:  But putting it doesn’t need to  be cold to be frozen.