1. happy new decade (hap E gnu deck aid)
2. Contadina tomato paste risk (C on T, a D in atom atop asterisk)
3. OURS
4. tadpole fish, spotted alfalfa aphid
5. OURS
6. wintry; win, try gold, cold
7. lemonade, Le Monde
8. kiddush, kiddish
9. OURS
10. OURS
11. gray, gradient (obey, obedient)
12. mohel, Elmo
13. Sinai democrats, star comedian is; funny, enough
14. ache, art, AC, heart
15. OURS
16. spread formation (SP read for MA, T ion)
17. Brie, feta, Gorgonzola, Bel; polywireman, William Powell/Myrna Loy
18. OURS
19. ties are today, be (E by a dot, erase it)
20. OURS
21. antimatter particles, littera scripta manet
22. pizzaria, patisserie
23. p(e)acemaker; heart, earth
24. OURS
25. OURS
26. the Internet, thirteen ten
27. realization, rationalize
28. dude, subdued
29. corkwing, skunks, course, quincunx
30. inapposite. Disappointed
31. theremin, softhead. Ay (The Remains of the Day)
32. OURS
33. high-low-jack
34. Irene Adler; earl, Danny, wry
35. perplex, purple x
36. OURS
37. moon, muon
38. OURS
39. OURS
40. pistes, porosity
41. OURS
42. OURS
43. OURS
44. OURS
45. concatenation
46. OURS
47. The Telephone by Gian Carlo Menotti
48. almost-Senator Martha Coakley
F-1. 1. outcasts
2. trumped up
3. confetti
4. amphipod
5. step-ins
6. Titania
7. speeds up
OW T K ah S T S
T R uh M T uh P
K uh N F eh T ee
ah M F i P ah D
S T eh P i N Z
T uh T ah N ee uh
S P ee D Z uh P
F-2. THICK
HENRI
INCUR
CRUMB
KIRBY
F-3. Z
KGH
LPGRM
LTTRDRP
LPHBTCRDR
VWLLSSPRMDS
F-4. OURS
F-5. TRSTNNDSLD
SMSNTDLL
LSTRNS
LRDS
LS
X-1. LEFT WHEEL -- RINGS
A. theft, tsar, bess
B. toroidal, opera
C. Omahan, erasing
D. arose, rivieras
E. Mexican, deters
LEFT WHEEL -- SPOKES
1. spare
2. senora
3. assert
4. harem
5. aerate
6. trivia
7. tonic
8. aegis
9. adorn
10. ramada
11. blase
12. Tahoe
RIGHT WHEEL -- RINGS
A. casters, spites
B. mantra, Eleanor
C. urge, snake, oner
D. ugliest, nectar
E. enteral, oyster
RIGHT WHEEL -- SPOKES
1. early
2. regis
3. sleety
4. yesses
5. pantry
6. inane
7. token
8. erect
9. smote
10. canary
11. arena
12. yogurt
FINAL PHRASE: "axis of yours truly"
X-2. The rewards for those who persevere far exceed the pain that must precede the victory. Ted Engstrom
X-3. A conservative is a liberal who has been mugged. A civil libertarian is a law-and-order advocate who has been arrested.
X-4. No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling fields as in writing a poem. Booker T. Washington
X-5. Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. Pablo Picasso
X-6. I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck. Emma Goldman
X-7. The words that enlighten the soul are more precious than Jewels. Hazrat Inayat Khan
X-8. ILOVECATS
LETINABEE
OTHERPLAN
VIEFOREMU
ENROLATON
CAPRATOUS
ABLETOINK
TEAMOUNCE
SENUNSKEY
X-9. OURS
X-10. FLABMUTEDMARS
LABLAZESPINAL
ACLUIBEAMSETA
THERMERUNUPSN
CEGBAKEIASING
ODORRADSDANCE
CHAOSNELAGNES
ASWANTEEMEELS
CARDCSMASTDAO
HDYWCASRPADIS
AIWALLAMALATE
RNPYREDETERYE
TEASHEADSSTUD
1. The omitted wordplay letters give the starting and intersection points on the roadmap from the ACPT locale to George Washington's inauguration locale. (Adams to (Brooklyn) Bridge to Park Row to Broadway to Wall) shown in the grid.
2. Should you choose to take the subway you might pass through the Clark Street station (2 3 on the red line) or the Bowling Green station (4 5 on the green line). The added wordplay letters are in the 2nd (CLARK), 3rd (STREET), 4th (BOWLING) or 5th (GREEN) position.
3. The correct/incorrect letters in certain wordplay spell Federal Hall/No. twenty six, referring to the Wall Street address of the location of Washington's inauguration.
4. The normally clued entries all contained a 'ten' - either X, IO or TEN. Using the clues for those entries gives the final obstacle - 'a gap of twenty-two decades'
ACROSS DOWN
1. FLAB (F/N) 1. FLAT(TEN) Y
4. MUTED (E/O) 2. (TEN)ABLE T
7. MAR(TEN)S A 3. BLURB (R/E)
11. BcLAZE 4. MA(X)IM W
12. SPINg 5. UZeBEK
13. ACLUr 6. ESAU (A/N)
14. IBsEAM 7. MISUeSAGE
15. SETbA 8. RAT(IO)S O
16. THEoRM 9. SLANG (L/T)
17. RUN UP [R] 10. ACHED (H/Y)
22. BlAKE 17. REDiEEMS
24. (TEN)SING G 18. NADA [D]
25. ODOR (D/T) 19. PINNED (IO) D
27. RAD(IO)S A 20. COeCA
29. (TEN)DANCE P 21. GO AWRY (A/S)
31. CHAOS [O] 23. ISLE (L/I)
33. AGNES (E/W) 26. ROAnDWAYS
34. AStWAN 28. (TEN)ANTS E
35. TErEM 30. EStSO
36. EELSe 32. SrNCC
38. CARD(IO) O 37. LA(X)ITY C
39. MAST [S] 38. CHAR(IO)T A
43. YaWCAS 40. ARMgED
45. PADwIS 41. TALES (L/X)
48. AIWA [A] 42. (IO)DINE D
49. LLAlMA 44. AkLEE
50. LATE(X) F 45. PA(TEN)TS E
51. PYRE(X) T 46. DARTn
52. DE(X)TER W 47. SE(X) ED S
53. TE(X)AS E
54. HE(X)ADS N
55. STUD(IO) T
C-1. Antiques are things one generation buys, the next generation throws away, and the following one buys again.
C-2. OURS
C-3. Mosayc needs seven new crypts each and every month. Let's all pitch in and help fill his files.
C-4. Would the phrase "musee sans mur" from Malraux's "The Psychology of Art" be translated as "wallless museum"?
C-5. Chutzpah: Kentucky Fried Chicken advertises on Food Network's "Iron Chef PETA Vegetarian Challenge."
C-6. Attempt to contact eHarmony match by iPhone failed. Was weak connection fluke or prophecy?
C-7. Texas activates obscure provision, divides into five states. Ten-gallon hats now hold eight quarts.