Wednesday, April 3rd, 2024, Dylan Schiff

 OPUS

J.S. Bach - "Dorian" Toccata (no Fugue), Opus #538

This puzzle was "on my wavelength", and it takes us on a musical journey.  Two 15-letter spanners, two 10-letter, and one centered 11-letter theme answers, each starting with a synonym for "song", and revealed in the, well, reveal. ALAS, we're missing "ditty" - but that's a 51D.

17. *Rainforest Cafe, for one: THEME RESTAURANT - I did not know about this place; the closest one to me now is in New Jersey - the Wiki; the décor seems too overbearing for dining, IMHO

23. *Depiction of integers at regular intervals: NUMBER LINE

34. *Imperial reign of China ended by Kublai Khan: SONG DYNASTY

44. *Florence Henderson sitcom role: CAROL BRADY - "NOEL" could be a theme answer, too

"The Brady Bunch"

And the reveal

50. Starts looking at things differently, as demonstrated by the first words of the answers to the starred clues?: CHANGES ONES TUNE - and I get the pleasure of looking for "compositions" that match some puzzle answers; I'll try to be diverse....

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Greenlights: OKs

4. Dish that may or may not contain beans: CHILI - my chili contains red & black beans

9. Time at a job: STINT - I am hoping that my "stint" with the Pipe Organ company is my last career

14. Feline pet: CAT

Meow

15. Brief mission?: RECONnaissance - Frawnche~!

16. Wobbly craft: CANOE

20. Portion out: ALLOT

21. Deciduous tree with oblong leaves: ELM

22. God, to Rastafarians: JAH - the first word of this "ode"

The Outernationalist - Thievery Corporation

Ambient Electronica, my preferred music genre now that I am "older"

27. Guacamole fruit: LIME

28. "__ Te Ching": Laotzu text: TAO

29. Casual contraction: AIN'T - and the first word of this "ballad", too

 

Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers

30. Direct elsewhere: REFER

31. Like a zebra: MANED - if you hear the thunder of hoofs....

 

he's sporting a "Mohawk" mane

33. Big fans: BUFFS

36. "Summer of My German Soldier" novelist Greene: BETTE - needed perps for this author

37. Shrewd: CAGEY - some obscure Blue Öyster Cult for your ears

 

Cagey Cretins from the Secret Treaties Album

38. Breeze (through): WALTZ - more music, this clue/answer hinting that one "rolled" through ( in 3/4 time~? )

39. Wax counterpart: WANE

 

There's a Solar Eclipse Monday, 8Apr

40. Grab a chair: SIT

43. The 411: INFO

47. Situation Room gp.: NSC - no clue; I tried NSA first

48. Spicy tuna roll tuna: AHI - becoming a crossword staple

49. Totally buy: EAT UP - I don't eat up sushi

55. Unsettling: EERIE

56. Unexpected ending: TWIST - as found in this "melody"

Hole in the Sky - Black Sabbath

57. Single-stranded genetic molecule: RNA

58. Specs dished in a gossip sesh: DEETS - Text/Gen Z-speak for a 'session' and the 'details'

59. Zipper alternative: SNAPS

60. Noggin: NOB


DOWN:

1. One-eighth of a circle: OCTANT - overthought this; I was trying to come up with a clever pizza slice reference

2. Ingredient in a white or black Russian: KAHLUA - plus vodka, and milk makes it 'white'

3. Sailor's patron: ST. ELMO - there was a "coming-of-age" movie "St. Elmo's Fire" during my high school years, but I cringe at the "see 24D." of similar films in the decade - I was more "Raiders of the Lost Ark" & "Ghostbusters" kind of fan

4. "Zorba the Greek" island: CRETE - it's all Greek to me - perps

5. She/__ pronouns: HER

She's A Lady - Tom Jones

6. Curling surface: ICE - I'd like to try this "sport"

7. __ Angeles Sparks: LOS - of the WNBA

8. Aim: INTENT

9. Bathtub buildup: SCUM

10. Roofer's sealant: TAR

11. Right away: IN A JIFFY

12. Total randos: NO-NAMES - heard in this Glam "rocker"

 

Wild Side, Mötley Crüe - Lyric at 2:36, after the spinning drum cage stunt

13. Tie: TETHER - this looked weird in the 'down'; I had "TET_E" from perps

18. Horde: MOB

19. Bass beer: ALE

24. Gamut: RANGE

25. Served up a whopper: LIED

26. Race-sanctioning body since 1994: INDYCAR - this did not make sense until I cut and pasted the clue into Google, and got the Wiki; I was wondering if it referred to the race car's 'open wheel' body style at first

27. Southpaw: LEFTY - I am one - we have several at the Pipe Organ company; "Sinister" types make up about 17% of the population, and let me tell you, it's really frustrating to see how much of the world "assumes" everyone is right-handed, e.g. all vending machines, ever

See~? You'll look at them differently from now on....

30. Bit of deception: RUSE

31. Words on a family banner: MOTTO

32. Animated film with talking bugs: ANTZ - I thought "A Bugs Life" was better

33. Bialy kin: BAGEL

34. Practices for personal well-being: SELF-CARE

35. Prefix with tech: NANO

36. Wailing spirit of Irish folklore: BANSHEE - there's Siouxie and the Banshees, and another band called Banshee as well - not a fan of either, TBH

38. Showed vicarious embarrassment, in a way: WINCED

39. Midriffs: WAISTS

40. Body with notable rings: SATURN - oh, right, the, um, planet

A midriff with a ring

41. "Search me": "I DUNNO"

42. Universal blood recipient's designation: TYPE AB

44. Jost's "Weekend Update" co-host: CHE - Saturday Night Live members Colin and Michael

45. Outperforms: BESTS - Not beAts, the first "S" being my last fill

46. Snitch: RAT - we already had an 80's Hair Band, but how can I pass this up~?

Round and Round - Ratt -  AND -  Milton Berle

48. Long time: AGES

51. Minor quibble: NIT

52. Hold title to: OWN

53. Actress/director Vardalos: NIA - all "Greek" to me here, too; her IMDb

54. Psychic's letters: ESP

Splynter

Wednesday, Mar 20, 2024 Michèle Govier

 TWO DRUMS & A CYMBAL...

I had a feeling this was not a "normal" 3- or 4-word 'theme with reveal' when I scanned the grid before starting and saw two stacks of 8-letter ACROSS fills ( and after-the-fact, I see Monday's puzzle had double Down 9-lettter fills ), but nothing close to grid spanning; I did not see the 13-letter-long DOWN fill at first.  This took me longer than my typical Wednesday solve time, due to the crummy crossing of a proper name and a vague abbreviation.  SIGH; the struggle continues.  I did a search of the blog, and found a puzzle of Michèle's from Nov 7 last year; thanks to her for today's clever construction.  As the clue for 14A states, the perimeter of the puzzle, in both the across and down, are words ( highlighted ) that describe sounds - and the "reveal";

14. Audiophile's setup, and an apt description of the perimeter of this puzzle: SURROUND SOUND

YES~!

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Half a sit-up: CRUNCH - I just thought this was a "harder" sit-up; here's a quick reference to what is different

7. Commercial tune: JINGLE - what's your most earworm-worthy ad~?

13. "A Wrinkle in Time" novelist Madeleine: LENGLE - proper name fill #1, and I had no clue; the "G" got me

14. Timekeepers that don't work on a rainy day: SUNDIALS

 

I think the time is "beer-thirty"

16. How baked potatoes may be cooked: IN FOIL - meh, but it is certainly a way to cook a spud

17. Remove, as a seatbelt: UNFASTEN

18. Gina Boswell of Bath & Body Works, e.g.: Abbr.: CEO - I do the DOWNS first, just needed the "O"

19. Sequel to Puzo's "The Last Don": OMERTA

21. "Mean Girls" writer Fey: TINA - this proper name I did know

22. Underwater plant with gas-filled bladders: KELP

24. Wayward: ERRANT

26. Time out?: NAP

27. Playground retort: DID TOO - not the usual ARE too

29. Quirky habit: TIC

31. Cliche: TRITE

33. French noble: DUC - I haven't had Frawnche in a long time

35. Comprehend: GRASP

39. Eurythmics lead singer Lennox: ANNIE - one of my favoritest songs

Here Comes the Rain Again

40. Go from 4x6 to 8x10, say: Abbr.: ENLarge

41. Totaled: RAN TO

42. Busy restaurant's notification device: PAGER

43. JFK predecessor: DDE - Dwight David Eisenhower - IKE - two days in a row; I would have liked to have lived during his presidency, even with the threat of the "reds" and nuclear war.  I have "Ike", his biography, and I do like to read about his role in WWII - and he was the man who enacted the Interstate System; for an interesting take on the pros and cons of that massive national project, I would suggest reading "Divided Highways"

44. Like some purchases: IN APP - and - 62A. Are cast members of: APPEAR IN - sort of palindromic

45. "The __ is calm tonight": "Dover Beach" opening: SEA - with a blank grid, I pondered "AIR", but in retrospect, "Beach" might have been a give-away....

47. Mouths off to: SASSES

49. Amtrak stop: Abbr.: STAtion

52. Silky: SMOOTH

54. Guidelines: Abbr.: STandarDs

57. Ultimate: LAST

59. Creative works: OPUSES

61. Goal: AIM

64. Yukon neighbor: ALASKA - "UCONN" is my neighbor, too~!

Ba - Dum - Tss

66. Prop for a rock singer: MIC STAND - drummers who sing

67. Watering hole in TV's "M*A*S*H": ROSIE'S - ah, yes, now I remember....

68. Unnerve: RATTLE

69. 1984 mermaid movie: SPLASH - Tom Hanks, WAY back in his career


DOWN:

1. Hit it off: CLICK

2. Zellweger of "Judy": RENEE - name #5, but I'm not counting....

3. Developing: UNFOLDING - great clue/answer/fill

4. CARE, e.g.: NGO - I had to look this up after I solved the crossword; DAH~!  I tried "NPO", for a Non-Profit Organization; nope - it's a Non-Governmental Organization; not only that, but I was confusing it with GMO - genetically modified organism, too - hey, it was early in the morning when I did this....

5. Sister of Erato: CLIO - I can never remember my muses....

6. Knight cap: HELMET - punny; that would be an accurate description of such head wear

7. Ruling faction after a coup: JUNTA - I could only think of CADRE or CABAL

8. Baby: INFANT

9. Contract that may prevent bad PR: NDA - Non Disclosure Agreement

10. Crux: GIST

11. Ancestor of the romance languages: LATIN- four years for me in high school, but it does help solving crosswords~!😜

12. Justice Kagan: ELENA

15. Button alternative: SNAP

20. Ate away: ERODED

23. Feels sorry for: PITIES

25. Fertile Crescent river: TIGRIS

28. Some combines: DEERES - John Deere.  I want a tractor like this;  I have 1-1/2 acres in CT to mow, the snow, a creek, and a LOT of big rocks

NOT a combine, NOT a John Deere

30. Origami birds: CRANES - SWANS was too short

31. Stout spout: TAP

32. Messenger molecule: RNA

34. Soccer equipment: CLEATS - SHIN PADS didn't fit

36. Youngest daughter of Nicholas II: ANASTASIA - mostly perps

37. Valvoline rival: STP

38. Dad: POP - we're missing "CRACKLE" for a Rice Crispies trifecta

46. Unscrupulous: AMORAL

48. Woolgathers?: SHEARS - the "?" suggested "DREAMS" was not the answer, but 50% correct

49. Poetry event: SLAM

50. Piglike rhino kin: TAPIR

51. Pet re-homing org.: ASPCA

53. Provide a view: OPINE - ah - that kind of view

55. Sea walls: DIKES

56. Huge success: SMASH

58. Assessment that may end with "Pencils down": TEST - dah~! Not EXAM

60. Unappealing food: SLOP

63. NFL passing stat: ATTempts

65. Communication syst. with hand motions: ASL - American Sign Language

Splynter

Wednesday, Mar 6th, 2024 Rebecca Goldstein

  SOMETHIN' FISHY

A pretty straight-forward puzzle, although I fumbled in the SW corner with a "bad name" - at least there were just a few to contend with today.  Lots of clues that were merely clever definitions*, I thought - YMMV.  At first I surmised that the theme may have something to do with the "I" situated in the center(ish) of the theme fills - but no, it's three things that can be found "in the tank" - and I have added a fourth at the end of the theme answers.  I do not have the crossword comparison tools, but I recognize the constructor from previous grids.  The theme answers;

17. Family member with a heat lamp: PET IGUANA - I had a pet iguana - his name was Zeus, and he did NOT have a tank - he roamed my apartment freely, but due to some personal changes, he had to go to a zoo in Texas

The black thingy is his heat lamp

28. Military unit with mechanized forces: ARMORED DIVISION - this doesn't quite jibe for me - I suppose the personnel would be "in the tank"

47. Fuel that typically has an octane of 91 or higher: PREMIUM GASOLINE

63. On a losing streak, or where to find 17-, 28-, and 47-Across: IN THE TANK

Just add soothing music

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Subject with angles and equations: MATH - the only thing I studied in "math" was the teacher....

Van Halen - "Hot For Teacher" - OK, maybe not soothing....

5. Proofreader's catch: TYPO

9. Cork citizens: IRISH - and - 42A. __ Lingus: AER - their local airplane people

14. Juárez water: AGUA

15*. Collect crops: REAP

16. Accordion-heavy genre: POLKA

19. Got the fire going again: RELIT

20. "Indeed": "SURE" - One of Nero Wolfe's frequent comments is "Indeed"

21. "Greetings!": "HELLO~!"

23. Bring into play: USE

24. Beaver's building: DAM

26. Mosque leader: IMAM

36. Small touches: DABS

37. Like most highlighters: NEON

38. PBJ or BLT: SANDO - This must be regional, as no one I know refers to a sandwich as a sando - I have been known to call it a "sa'mich"

39. Double helix molecule: DNA

40. "Show me!": "CAN I SEE~!?"

43*. Milk source: UDDER

45. Like some JFK flights: INTernationaL

46. Classic Pontiacs: GTOs - I was more of a Mercury Cougar fan

They had rotating headlight doors and sequential tail-lights

50*. Inner workings: GUTS

51*. Sense of self: EGO

52. Golfer's goal: PAR

54. Tuesday fare: TACOS - I like tacos any day of the week~!

58. __ and file: RANK - us paycheck-to-paycheck types

61. Public meltdown, maybe: SCENE - as in to "make a ___"

66. Smudge: SMEAR

67. Pajama tops: TEES - that's what I wear

68. Pentathlon blade: EPEE

69. Trying times?: TESTS

70. "SportsCenter" channel: ESPN

71. First light: DAWN

DOWN:

1*. Travel guide: MAP

2. Forever and ever: AGES - EONS, AEON, nope.

3*. Ballet costume: TUTU

4. Side braids or side shaves: HAIRDOs

5. "Ur not wrong": TRU - text-speak

6. "Uh-huh": "YEAH."

7. Cut glass: PANE - an intended glass piece - unintentional, and it's a "shard"

8. Gem with a honey variety: OPAL - my first thought, but I waited for perps

Not so different from Amber

9. "Scout's honor!": "I PROMISE~!"

10. Ikura at the sushi bar: ROE - perps

11. Enlightenment-era secret society: ILLUMINATI - Part of the plot in the movie "Angels & Demons", and the first 10-letter non-theme Down fill

12. Travels cross-country?: SKIS - on my first pass, I missed the "s" at the end of travelS

13*. Abhor: HATE

18. Backpack contents: GEAR - uh, well, yeah - kinda vague

22. Tyler of "Empire Records": LIV

25. Actress Suvari: MENA -this actress - I had her confused with Mira Sorvino

27. Cute __ button: AS A

28. Make sense: ADD UP - if you saw my math teacher, it would "add up"

29. Short time off?: R AND R - clever; I like this one - Rest & Relaxation

30. C-suite qualifications: MBA DEGREES - the other 10-letter non-theme Down fill

31. Jorts fabric: DENIM - learning moment - I did not 60D what Jorts are - but in retrospect, it's pretty obvious now - Jean Shorts, and from what I read, sort of derogatory if men wear them - but on women, they're "Daisy Dukes"

The Dukes of Hazzard - and I loved the theme song

32. Word before or after nothing: DOING - doing nothing, or "nothin' doin'"

33. App with stories, familiarly: INSTAgram - I keep planning to do one for the Pipe Organ company, but I can never seem to get started

34. Ancient Greek theater: ODEON

35. Language on a longship: NORSE

Truth is, I'd really like to do a Viking Cruise

40. Beasties: CRITTERS

41. Ultimate word of an ultimatum: ELSE

44. Australian avian: EMU - I had to cheat on Saturday, and look up the word "Ratite"

46. Was a poor winner: GLOATED

48. Suni Lee's Olympic team: USA - her Wiki - born in our blog host's state of Minnesota~!

49. Brute: OGRE

52. Hissed summons: PSST

53. Top: ACME - had to wait on perps - this or APEX, for one

55*. Offer as proof: CITE

56. Individuals: ONES

57. Put one foot in front of the other?: STEP - I started with "WALK" - Bzzzt~!

59. Auto parts chain that shares a name with a California valley: NAPA

60. Didn't need to guess: KNEW

62. William Styron's "The Confessions of __ Turner": NAT - oops, not IKE

64. Where to watch for deals?: HSN - Home Shopping Network - never watched it myself

65. "I'm Just __": song sung by Ryan Gosling in "Barbie": KEN

Splynter

Wednesday, Feb 21st, 2024, Natalie Tran & Sean Ziebarth

GREATEST AMERICAN

Suddenly I'm up on top the world....

A fine puzzle that was a good challenge for me with some fresh clues, and nary a name in the mix~!  (OK, there was one*).  I know that the appearance of circles puts a fair number of people off; I'm OK with them - I didn't really notice the circles, but as I got close to finishing, I only had a partial fill for the reveal at 55A. Despite knowing that the word was spelled wrong, I was trying to figure out what "hero(e)s AND _ich" meant.  And then the V-8 can - it needed to be parsed the other way....I believe this may be a debut construction for Natalie Tran.

20. Make a fool of: PUT ONE OVER ON - Neo, hero of "The Matrix" movies

34. Hide-and-seek exclamation: THERE YOU ARE~! - Rey, hero(ine) of the three "Star Wars" second series of sequels, from Disney, not Lucasfilm

42. Determines the age of, as archaeological finds: CARBON DATES - Bond, James Bond - 'nuf said - and a gratuitous image for C.C. of the last actor to portray him....

IMO, he was the best - but I was born 10yrs after the franchise began

55. Sub, and an apt description of 20-, 34-, or 42-Across: HERO SANDWICH - hero, hoagie, grinder, Italian, and a couple I was not familiar with - wedge and spuckie - are alternate names for the submarine "dish", depending on your region

I guess that makes these people the "meat", huh~?

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Glow of virtue: HALO

5. Fort Knox supply: GOLD - speaking of Bond, Auric the villain was going to contaminate the GOLD stored at Fort Knox with nuclear fallout in the third installment film "Goldfinger"

9. Wet: RAINY - I like rainy days; we get a LOT of them here in NE CT

14. __ of March: IDES - Iron Maiden would warm up before a concert with this instrumental

The Ides of March

15. 57-Down for a diva: ARIA

16. Run onstage?: EMCEE

17. Some inbox attachments: PDFs - we had this yesterday - Portable Document Format; I thought it was "PRINTable"

18. Change course suddenly: VEER

19. Puts together: MAKES

23. Decline, with "out": OPT

24. Sounds of pain: OWs -and- 46. Sounds of relief: AHs -and- 11D. Grossed-out reaction: ICK -and- 30D. Verbal stumbles: ERs - there's a lot of "noise" in this grid today~!

25. Pencil topper: ERASER

29. Air filter acronym: HEPA - High Efficiency Particulate Air (filter)

31. Christmas poem contraction: 'TWAS

33. Smooching on the kiss cam, say: PDA - Public Display (of) Affection

37. Bae: LUV - cringe - I have gotten "bae" twice now as a guest blogger; I'd rather have "ALOE"

38. Charged particles: IONS

39. Joan of __: ARC - Jane Wiedlin, guitarist from the "Go-Go's", played Joan in "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure"

40. Harmful habit: VICE

41. Big name in anonymity: DOE - Family members John and Jane; they work in the morgue

47. In case that's the case: IF SO

48. Masseur's supply: OILS - How about body paint~?  Look closely; it's two women - let's hope it's acrylic paint~!

Artist Johannes Stötter

49. Astronaut Ellen Ochoa, for one: LATINA

51. Sock part: TOE

52. Seasoned pro: VETeran

59. Wedding figure: GROOM

62. Invalidate: VOID

63. Pasta __ checca: trattoria dish: ALLA

64. Animated British piglet of kid's TV: PEPPA - I knew this - I've watched many an episode with my buddy's two-year old daughter

65. Feminine Spanish pronoun: ELLA

66. Shutter section: SLAT - meh.  Part would have been better

67. Fleming subjects: SPIES - IMHO, "Fleming" makes this a dupe with the theme - anything other than the author of James BOND would have been more appropriate

68. In someone's business: NOSY

69. Loved ones blessed at the Feast of St. Francis: PETS - filled via perps; it was not until I wrote up the blog did I see this clue/answer


DOWN:

1. River-dwelling mammal related to whales and dolphins: HIPPO - I tried OTTER first; Bzzzt~!

2. Tally: ADD UP

3. Flew off on one's own: LEFT THE NEST - Eleven-letter non-theme fill

4. Bone, in Italian: OSSO

5. Collapsed: GAVE WAY

Gallopin' Gertie - The Tacoma Narrows Bridge, 1940 - poor Tubby

6. Double Stuf treats: OREOS - I like these cookies, but my spellcheck doesn't like this plural

*7. Actor Schreiber: LIEV - this guy

8. Be bold enough: DARE

9. Guilty feeling: REMORSE

10. Kitchen appliance brand: AMANA

12. Wedding page word: NÉE

13. "Let's": YES - the "Y" was my last fill - "let us, tomato"

21. "Forget it": "NOPE."

22. Foster: REAR

26. Potential "destination" for a troubled relationship: SPLITSVILLE - now this clue/answer I like; I can't check if this is the first time it's made it into a crossword puzzle - and it's the other 11-letter non-theme fill

27. Elicit: EDUCE - I do the DOWN clues first; tried EVOKE first; 40% correct

28. Gushes: RAVES - not FLOWS; a mere 20%

31. __Tax: Intuit software package: TURBO - 'Tis the season~!

32. City on the Brazos: WACO - Here's a bridge that did NOT collapse

Check out this website

34. Word with pool or basin: TIDAL

35. Ruckus: HOO-HA - ado/to-do/hullabaloo - free-for-all/a rhyme for you~!

36. Dinghy duo: OARS

It's TWO oars, they're just, uh, joined....

40. Actor Kilmer: VAL

42. Projection places: CINEMAS

43. Hardly a hop, skip, and a jump away: AFAR

44. Time when shadows are shortest: NOONDAY - spellcheck thinks this is just fine, but where I'm from, no one says "noonday" - it's just "noon"

45. Petered out: DIED

50. Optimist's words: "I HOPE"

51. Follows surreptitiously: TAILS - Still making my way through the "Nero Wolfe" detective series; about once every other book, Archie, or Saul Panzer, who is the best at it, "tails" some character

53. Brilliance: ÉCLAT - I knew there was a "tk" over a vowel in the word somewhere....

54. Dean Martin's "__ Amore": THAT'S

56. Baker: OVEN - slight misdirection; another clever clue/answer

57. Song for one: SOLO

58. Insect that first appeared in the Jurassic era: WASP - I did not know this

59. Family docs: GPs - General Practitioners; does it bother anyone else that a musician can "perform", while a doctor can only "practice"~?

60. Sales agt.: REP

61. Brand at a nail salon: OPI - becoming a crossword staple that's catching up with "ERA"

Splynter

Wednesday, February 7th, 2024, Alan Massengill & Doug Peterson

CHARGE~!

 Today's theme and reveal totaled 60 squares - I don't have the comparison software, but I think that's a pretty high count.  I suppose this was a "typical" Wednesday-level puzzle, but once again, it felt like there were way too many proper names - this is becoming the "Universal Solving Bane" of many LA Times crosswords these days; call it the 'theme' that 'carries over' via 'flash drive' from puzzle to puzzle - but your experience may vary.  OK, I'm done ranting....Since I typically do the DOWN clues first, the reveal at 67D. gave away the theme - when I looked back at my partially filled grid, U, S, & B had already filled in at 24 Across via perps, and therefore verified the "connection".  Ta-DA~!


17. Place that takes care of bad Apples: GENIUS BAR - I have had several disappointing experiences with Apple products in the past, so in my world they're all "bad" Apples; I am 22D.

24. Agency that conducts a decennial count: CENSUS BUREAU - I have changed states since the last census

40. No joke: SERIOUS BUSINESS

52. Congressional economic boost: STIMULUS BILL

66. Top-quality meat: ANGUS BEEF

ANGUS~! (Young, that is) - AC/DC

67. Connection port, and the connections found in 17-, 24-, 40-, 52-, and 66-Across: USB - Short for Universal Serial Bus - the Wiki

And A Name We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Crowd-sourced review site: YELP

5. "Or __ what?": ELSE

9. Tennis star Naomi: OSAKA - considering the number of names ( this is #1) in the grid, could we not have made this clue "Japanese city"~?  Crossing ARRAU is just cruel, as I had to WAG the last "A"

14. See 62-Down: see 62-Down

15. Capital of Qatar: DOHA - I knew this name only because I do crossword puzzles (#2)

16. Henry VIII's house: TUDOR - I happen to like the "style" of Tudor homes, tho there's an argument that it's not actually a "style" - more of a conglomerate of English building details - I plan to do the front of my home in this "style" - and yes, people, I recognize "house" means 'ruling family' here....

Henry the Eighths actual residence

19. Asparagus piece: SPEAR

20. Treats wrinkles: IRONS

Oh, not that kind of iron....

21. Upscale hotel chain: OMNI - been a popular fill lately

23. 47-Across, in Spanish: ELLA - meh.  Not only circumreferential, but a "foreign" word as well; crossing a name I had never heard of = Natick

27. Contemporary of Julius Caesar: CICERO - Name #3

30. "Singin' in the Rain" studio: MGM - I had the first "M"

31. Hubbub: ADO

32. Like paper clips: BENT - uh, well, yeah, I guess they are, in fact, bent....

36. Hawaii's sixth-largest island: LANAI - I've never been to Hawaii, and I didn't pay enough attention while watching Hawaii Five-O to recall which is "Number six" on the largest island list....name #4

And I forget the "Big Island" is named "Hawai'i", too

44. NORAD tracking target: SANTA - target~?  Someone at NORAD is gonna end up on the 'naughty' list....

45. Cab: TAXI

46. Chowed down: ATE

47. Personal pronoun: SHE

49. Raucous bird: MAGPIE

58. NPR's Totenberg: NINA - #5

59. "Thinking about it": "I MAY..."

60. Word with dots or bands: POLKA

64. Radiology study: IMAGE

68. Jeans fabric: DENIM

69. Award-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust: MAUS - name #6, filled via perps, and a WAG at the "A" - I was going to link the Wiki, but it seemed to graphic for the blog

70. Firmly declare: AVER - I had the "R", so it was not AVOW

71. C-suite types: EXECS

72. Metrical foot: IAMB - the poetic "beat"

73. Stitch's buddy: LILO - Disney movie I have not seen; name #7


DOWN:

1. Jellystone Park bear: YOGI - "smarter than your AVERage bear", name #8

2. Of all time: EVER

3. Fallon predecessor: LENO - The Tonight Show hosts; #9

4. Paisley Park Records founder: PRINCE - The "artist formerly known as Name Number 10"

5. Mag honchos: EDs - editors of magazines

6. University of New Mexico athletes: LOBOS - filled via perps

7. Former SeaWorld headliner: SHAMU - name #11 -  I didn't know the history of the show animal

8. Comes by honestly: EARNS

9. Tense sports periods, for short: OTs - overtime, plural.

10. Character who debuted in Action Comics #1: SUPERMAN - this was my guess, but I waited on perps, and, technically, a name

11. Singer known for numerically titled albums: ADELE - and numerically name no. 12

12. __ bear: KOALA

13. Chilean pianist Claudio: ARRAU - Yeah, not much you can do with the "U" at the end of CENSUS BUREAU, so this was a necessary evil - still, name #13

18. __-friendly: USER

22. "Big Blue": IBM - The "anti" Apple - the Personal Computer (PC); or would it be the "Orange~?"

25. Asian fusion chain: NOBU - Never heard of this; it would appear that the closest locations to me are both in NYC - and, technically, a name

26. Jamaican tangelo: UGLI - semi-orange~?

27. Mama of pop: CASS - a name ( #double-digits ) that I did know

28. Notion: IDEA

29. Biofuel source: CORN - You can tell when someone has converted their car to biofuel, because the exhaust usually smells like fast food fries

33. Guessed-at fig.: ESTimate

34. Thunder's org.: NBA - Oklahoma City's National Basketball Association team

35. Gala garb: TUX

37. Tide type: NEAP

38. Province bordering Turin: ASTI - geographic name #, uh...

39. "Makes sense": "I SEE."

41. Cheeky comeback to "How did you do that?": "IT'S MAGIC"

42. Hawaii's third-largest island: OAHU - I found this fascinating reference image of my home state - and - geographic name blah blah blah

43. California's __ Valley: SIMI - geographic - OK, I've lost count of the names....

48. Yalie: ELI - from doing crosswords

50. Range in Europe: ALPS - another geographic na... - oh, never mind

51. Part of GPS: GLOBAL - the other two thirds being "Positioning System"

52. Dripping with sarcasm: SNIDE - like calling a person with 'weight issues' "Shamu" - Brendan Fraser starred in the 2022 film "The Whale" - the trailer

53. Ironman Triathlon watchmaker: TIMEX

54. Silly: INANE - too many clues in name / is just inane    meh.

55. Fifth flavor: UMAMI - from crosswords

56. Largest city in Yemen: SANAA - only because I do crosswords; name #291,971, I think

57. "For dang sure!": "BY GUM~!" - I have been reading Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe series, and this is a standard phrase from the books

61. Big name in 68-Across: LEVI - namenamename

62. With 14-Across, collapse: KEEL - and - 14A. See 62-Down: OVER - I'm about to KEEL OVER from the number of names in this grid

63. Curly coif: AFRO

65. Ambulance letters: EMS

Splynter

Tuesday, January 30th, 2024, Zachary David Levy

EBB

 The TIDE has been turned, reversed, and spelled backwards three times in the grid, and it was almost perfectly constructed, too, as the first theme answer broke down to E - DIT, followed by ED -IT, but we didn't get the final EDI -T; can anyone think of a way to build that into the puzzle~?  A relatively quick solve, with either "gimme" answers, or something rather vague ( I'm looking at you 39A. ).  And again, several proper names, yet none that didn't fill in on their own if I didn't know them immediately.  Somehow, I seem to have created an 80s songs sub-theme, too.  Oh, and we're missing just the "Z" for a pangram.

17. Playful tune: LITTLE DITTY - 'bout Jack n' Diane~?

John Cougar Mellencamp

27. Threw in the towel: CALLED IT QUITS - Men At Work, "It's A Mistake"

Lyrics @ 2:29

46. Roadside channel for water runoff: DRAINAGE DITCH - OK, 1976, so not quite the 80s

Blue Öyster Cult - see 26D.

60. Stage a comeback, or an apt title for this puzzle: TURN THE TIDE - and the TIDE is "high", by Blondie, which I did not know as a remake....

Is that Darth Vader~?

Washed Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. "I've been here before" feeling: DÉJÀ VU - yeah, I think I was here before, like, maybe last Wednesday~!?

7. __ and carrots: PEAS

11. Has been: WAS

14. Some dome-topped venues: ARENAS

15. Roger's rival, familiarly: RAFA - Tennis - Roger Federer vs. Rafael "Rafa" Nadal

16. __ crossroads: AT A

19. Half a score: TEN - a score being twenty, as in "Four score and seven...."

20. Low USN rank: ENSign

21. Fires up, as an engine: REVS

22. Converse: SPEAK

24. Japanese art genre: ANIME

26. Proper conduct, in Hinduism: DHARMA - Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, guitar master from Blue Öyster Cult

31. Ooze, as charm: EXUDE

32. Addition amount: SUM

33. Church bench: PEW - we have "pew pads" that clip to the tops of the benches so that we can utilize the space effectively with no damage done

Lynchburg, VA

36. Made readable, in a way: DECODED - I never had a "secret decoder ring" when I was a kid  :7((

39. Based on deduction instead of experience: A PRIORI - I have actually read/heard this term before

42. Two-time Super Bowl MVP Manning: ELI - New York technically has either "two" or "no" football teams ( the Giants and 3D. ), depending on your perspective on playing in New Jersey; I recall the "helmet catch" of an Eli Manning throw, Superbowl XLII.  BTW, the "big" game always "interferes" with my birthday weekend....

43. Male sheep: RAM

45. Elba of "The Wire": IDRIS - crossword staple

51. Bring on: INDUCE

53. Gave it a shot: TRIED

54. Threshold: VERGE

55. Kristen who was on "SNL" from 2005 to 2012: WIIG - no clue, filled via perps

56. Henson who created the Muppets: JIM - him I do know

59. Sweetie: BAE - I cringe at the use of this "word"

64. In the style of: À LA

65. "That makes sense": "I SEE"

66. Immune system components: T-CELLS

67. Fine stone: GEM

68. Sugar source: CANE - I had perps, so it wasn't "BEET"

69. Throat-soothing beverage: HOT TEA

aaah, that's better~!

DOWN:

1. Small valley: DALE

2. "__ go bragh!": ERIN - St. Patrick's Day is nigh

3. New York NFLers: JETS - us long suffering Jets fans had another "Really~?" season in 2023

4. Kitchen pest: ANT

5. Kilmer of "Top Gun: Maverick": VAL - I have, thankfully, never seen this, nor the original movie

6. Login requirement: USER ID

7. Flowering shrubs used as border hedges: PRIVETS

8. Uses (up): EATS - a series of rush plays in football "EATS" up the clock, especially inside the two-minute warning

9. Toward the tiller: AFT - nautical terms

10. Greets, with "to": SAYS "HI"

11. Wakeboarding, for one: WATER SPORT

12. Mr. T's squad: A-TEAM - I pity the fool

13. Maxwell House decaf brand: SANKA - I have heard of this "instant" coffee, did not know it was Maxwell House, and according to Wiki, it's where the "orange" diner carafe handle comes from

18. Singer Lovato: DEMI - learned by doing crosswords

23. Butter portion: PAT - I was 16 when this advertisement appeared

24. Big name in footwear: ALDO - not big enough for me - NIKE, AVIA, maybe; ALDO I have seen, but did not know was just footwear

How about ALDO Nova~? - more 80s music

25. Require: NEED

26. Hauler destination, perhaps: DUMP - ooh, a good guess on my part

27. Give up: CEDE

28. Figure skater's jump: AXEL

29. Certain state of awareness while sleeping: LUCID DREAM - I love it when I can recall my lucid dreams.  I try to retain the details every time I wake up - getting pretty good at it.  Does anyone think there's a 'hidden meaning' or something deeper to one's dreams~?  I believe there is....

30. Sine __ non: QUA - Latin "without which not", or, a thing that is necessary

34. Writer/illustrator Carle: ERIC - filled via perps, and a WAG at the "R"

35. Genie's offering: WISH - three from a bottle~?

37. Lake near the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: ERIE - hey~!  I was just there - in the city of Erie, PA, where the Organ Supply Industries warehouse and manufacturing shop is located

38. Karate skill level: DAN - the Wiki

40. Attraction at a fair: RIDE

41. "__ my best": "I DID"

44. Afternoon show: MATINEE

47. Bit of floor decor: RUG

48. Like pickling liquid: ACETIC - BRINY and SALTY didn't fit, Saline was a weak maybe....

49. Moxie: GRIT

50. Half of a fourth: EIGHTH - good crossword fill with G-H-T-H; the math is 1/4 ÷ 1/2 - or - .5 * .25

51. ICU hookup: IV BAG - my first thought, but I hesitated

52. Writer Zora __ Hurston: NEALE - not familiar with her; I know of NEALE Donald Walsh, author of "Conversations with God" - I have most of the book series, but I just discovered there was a movie made in 2006

55. Small songbird: WREN - crossword staple

56. Leave at the altar: JILT - ah, that's the word I couldn't recall....

57. Not going anywhere: IDLE

58. City outside Phoenix: MESA - another good WAG on my part

61. Can. neighbor: USA - seems too easy and obvious, after the previous clue

62. Green beginning: ECO

63. Vietnamese New Year: TET - crossword staple

Splynter