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