Ok, back to Monday.  The theme isn’t very exciting here.  You can figure out all the long across clues without the “key” clue (35-Across “Common put-down that hints at the ends…”).  In fact you’re more likely to get at least one of the long clues before 35-Across will come into shape.  It’s 3 words by the way.  More an adult than a playground put-down.   But once you do get the idea, it’ll make some of the other long answers come into focus easier.

5 Monday hints:

1.  52-Across “‘Aha!'”  –  3 word phrase.  Alternative clue:  Answer to “Darn, where’s the apartment key?”

2.  58-Across “Safety exercise prompted by an alarm”:  Admit, you were disappointed when it turned out not to be real!

3.  60-Across “Laura and Bruce of the silver screen”:  Alternate clue:  Expressions used by  backwoods folks when they stub their toes.

4.  55-Down “Opera with a slave girl”:  Set in Egypt and somehow turned into a musical by Disney corp.

5.  11-Down “Produce, as page layouts for a printer”:  Alternative clue:  Refuse to answer any questions when interrogated by the police.