A satisfying Friday puzzle. I got a few entries straight away during coffee time in the morning, including TSARISTS, OLMSTED, SEEKER, and AEREO, which made the mid section fall pretty quickly. By the time I had to leave for work, I had hardly made a dent in the six 15s. I looked at the puzzle again at lunch and cracked the lower three 15's. CARLOSTHEJACKAL is a good name for a villain, but my favorite of those was TEETERONTHEEDGE (Flirt with disaster).
The top three took me longer - until after dinner - thanks to some confidently-entered-but-wrong answers like "tray" at 1D instead of RACK (One of four in a Scrabble set) and ImeANTO instead of IPLANTO at 5D ("That's my intention") - so close... I did drop RUR right in, but I kept taking it out because I wasn't getting anywhere with the acrosses. I didn't know the word RETE, I don't know Chris REA, and I don't really think of "Plant" ASEED as a particular phrase. Also, who knew accordions have a REED? Not this solver. Eventually, after many ERASES, I saw ACEUPONESSLEEVE, which broke the top open and I EKED out a "Congratulations!" My favorite of the upper three is REFRIGERATORCAR (Coolest thing about a train?).
Other stuff I liked:
"Most of an S O S" (DITS)
"That BITES!" - now there's a phrase I can get behind.
"Swimming center?" (EMS) - this time, I wasn't fooled for a minute.
"Log unit" (ENTRY) - See: "I think I just logged onto my Internet"
"Cast with difficulty" (HEAVE)
"Zero" (BIGLOSER)
"Hitchcock double feature?" (CHIN) - good one.
"You'd expect to see it before long." (LAT) - very nice.
"Act unprofessionally?" EMOTE - Ha!
I am not one of the AGREERS with 38A "Like most theater popcorn containers" (OVERSIZED). In fact, they are never big enough. We have to go back for refills three or four times during a movie. Also, the KALES plural is weak.
Even with all the stuff I didn't know, I was still able to complete the puzzle, which, in my book, makes Mr. Huget an ALLAMERICANHERO.
~Frannie.
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