Ryan and Brian Do Crosswords

[This is a reposting.  The original entry got lost when were hacked.  Some pictures may not be here and the comments might be screwy.]

Anyone who knows me on Facebook might have seen my latest status – no, it’s not about shoelaces, like Ryan’s. Mine is about being in a crappy mood. And guess what – this puzzle did nothing to alleviate that mood. So here goes.

Foreign:

• ET ALIA (22A. Plus other things)
• APRES (35A. French following)
• ERES TU (45A. 1974 pop hit with Spanish lyrics)
• SENTA (14D. Wagnerian heroine)
• GEISHA (15D. Companion abroad)
• DANSEUSES (6D. Frequent Degas subjects)
• SAENS (41D. Saint-___ [Faure contemporary])

Obscurity:

• RECTO (24A. One side of a leaf)
• GANTRIES (15A. Spanning frameworks)
• HUSSARS (23A. Brilliantly dressed cavalrymen)
• STERNA (41A. Axial skeleton parts)
• TERRENE (50A. Earthly)
• INDORSED (7D. Supported: Var.). By “var.”, they mean “misspelled.”
• ARCANA (9D. Secrets) – also, perhaps the theme to this puzzle.

Words that are total crap and not actually words:

• FISHIER (1D. Comparatively shady). You tell me the last time you compared shady situations.
• STILES (8D. Subway station sights). They are called turnstiles. I have the album.
• SERENER (21A. Less agitated)
• SNEERERS (48A. Disdainful bunch). Almost an anagram of 21A.
• MARRER (38D. Graffitist, e.g.). The clue also satisfies this category heading.
• DENATURE (32D. Change the essence of)

Gaping Chasms of Ignorance:

• DANSEUSES/HUSSARS. The U.
• ERES TU/ORRIS OIL (31D. Perfume ingredient). The S.

Facts I don’t understand:

• SUPERIOR (5D. Like the 2 in “x squared”). Superscript, maybe. Superior? I don’t see how.
• IN PORT (20A. Harbored). This seems like a made up word that should be a phrase, like “in a port.”
• IGNORE (40D. Slight). I don’t know… Something doesn’t match in my mind about this. I’m torn, and I want to get to the bottom of it… Oh, never mind. I’ll just slight it.
• MARINATE (44A. Imbue with flavor, in a way). Why “in a way”? Isn’t everything “in a way”? And if this entry, which is totally straightforward, needs an “in a way,” then why not DISARMS (6A. Makes less offensive), which is decidedly punny?

Clues I actually liked:

• TRAVOLTA (4D. He played a governor in “Primary Colors”)
• SHOE STORE (25. Establishment with many horns)

Overall, this puzzle had way too many nonsense words, way too many assorted S/E/R combinations scattered about, and was yet another clever-to-create, intriguing-to-look-at and lousy-to-solve puzzle.

I told you I was in a bad mood.