0910-20 NY Times Crossword 10 Sep 20, Thursday

Constructed by: David J. Kahn
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Beethoven

Themed answer include the nicknames of some BEETHOVEN SYMPHONIES:

  • 62A Composer whose works are hidden in 30-, 39- and 48-Across : BEETHOVEN
  • 13A With 70-Across, dramatic opening of 62-Across’s Fifth : GGG E-FLAT …
  • 70A See 13-Across : … FFFD
  • 18A Like all of the 62-Across works in this puzzle : SYMPHONIC
  • 30A Ricky Martin, e.g. [Third] : PUERTO RICAN (hiding “EROICA”)
  • 39A Exercise before a trip to Latin America, say [Sixth] : SPANISH TUTORIAL (hiding “PASTORAL”)
  • 48A Event before a college football game [Ninth] : SCHOOL RALLY (hiding “CHORAL”)

Bill’s time: 9m 30s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

13 With 70-Across, dramatic opening of 62-Across’s Fifth : GGG E-FLAT
(70A See 13-Across : FFFD)

Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 5” has one of the most recognizable openings in the whole of the classical repertoire, and comprises just four simpel notes. The work is sometimes referred to as the “Fate Symphony”, with that opening motif representing Fate knocking at the door.

14 A computer hacker usually uses this : ALIAS

A computer hacker is a computer expert, and in particular one who uses that expertise to solve problems with hardware and software. So, the original use of the term “hacking” was very positive. Since the 1980s, the term “hacker” is more commonly used for an expert in subverting computer security.

15 It’s next to nada : UNO

“Nada” is the Spanish word for “nothing”.

30 Ricky Martin, e.g. [Third] : PUERTO RICAN (hiding “EROICA”)

Puerto Rico (PR) is located in the northeastern Caribbean (in the Atlantic Ocean), east of the Dominican Republic. The name “Puerto Rico” is Spanish for “rich port”. The locals often call their island Borinquen, the Spanish form of “Boriken”, the original name used by the natives.

Ricky Martin’s real name is Enrique Martin Morales. A native of Puerto Rico, Martin first achieved fame with the boy band Menudo before going solo in 1991.

Beethoven originally dedicated his “Symphony No. 3” to Napoleon Bonaparte. Beethoven admired the principles of the French Revolution and as such respected Bonaparte who was “born” out of the uprising. When Napoleon declared himself Emperor, Beethoven (and much of Europe) saw this as a betrayal to the ideals of the revolution so he changed the name of his new symphony from “Bonaparte” to “Eroica”, meaning “heroic, valiant”.

37 Pivot : SLUE

To slue (also “slew) is to turn sharply, or to rotate on an axis.

38 Abbr. after Brooklyn or Cleveland : HTS

The part of the borough of Brooklyn known as Brooklyn Heights was the first commuter town for New York, blossoming when the steam ferry service started to run between the Heights and Wall Street in the early 19th-century.

Cleveland Heights is a city in Ohio, and a suburb of Cleveland.

39 Exercise before a trip to Latin America, say [Sixth] : SPANISH TUTORIAL (hiding “PASTORAL”)

Ludwig van Beethoven completed his magnificent “Symphony No. 6” (The Pastoral) in 1808. He composed the Pastoral at the same time that he was working on his iconic “Fifth Symphony”. Both symphonies premiered on the same night, at a lengthy concert in the Theater an der Wien in Vienna.

44 “___ So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” (hymn) : ‘TIS

“‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” is a Christian hymn with lyrics that were written by Louisa M. R. Stead. Apparently, Stead was inspired to write the words after her faith saw her and her daughter through the misery that followed her husband’s death by drowning, which Stead herself witnessed.

46 Pelvic bones : ILIA

The sacrum and the two ilia are three bones in the human pelvis.

48 Event before a college football game [Ninth] : SCHOOL RALLY (hiding “CHORAL”)

Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9” is his wonderful “Choral” symphony. When it was composed in 1824 it was the first time that a major composer had used voices in a symphony. By the time of the Ninth’s premier, Beethoven was essentially deaf. He insisted on sharing the stage with the musical director (who was conducting), and was visibly counting out time but was off by quite a few measures. When the last notes were played there was enthusiastic applause, although Beethoven was still conducting. The lead contralto had to walk over to Beethoven, stop him, and turn him to the audience to receive his adulation.

52 ___ ball : NERF

Nerf is a soft material used in a whole series of toys designed for “safe” play indoors. The Nerf product is used to make darts, balls and ammunition for toy guns. “NERF” is an acronym, standing for Non-Expanding Recreational Foam.

54 Walk stylishly : SASHAY

To sashay is to strut along in a showy manner. “Sashay” is an Anglicized form of the French word “chassé”, a sliding step used in square dancing.

57 Like many retired academics : EMERITA

“Emeritus” (female form “emerita”, and plural “emeriti”) is a term in the title of some retired professionals, particularly those from academia. Originally an emeritus was a veteran soldier who had served his time. The term comes from the Latin verb “emerere” meaning to complete one’s service.

62 Composer whose works are hidden in 30-, 39- and 48-Across : BEETHOVEN

Famously, and tragically, composer Ludwig van Beethoven started to lose his hearing in his late 20s, and was basically deaf for the last ten years of his life. As a result of his deafness, Beethoven was forced to use conversation books in which others communicated to the composer, while he generally responded verbally. 136 of those books survive, and provide some detailed insight into Beethoven’s life.

67 Only part of Egypt located in Asia : SINAI

The nation of Egypt straddles the geographical border between Asia and Africa. That land border is the 75-mile-wide Isthmus of Suez, which is crossed by the Suez Canal. The bulk of Egyptian territory is in Africa. The part of Egypt that is in Asia is the Sinai Peninsula.

73 Schlep : TOTE

Our word “schlep” (sometimes “schlepp”) means “carry, drag”. “Schlep” comes from Yiddish, with “shlepen” having the same meaning.

Down

2 Curved molding : OGEE

An ogee is a type of S-curve. Specifically, it is a figure consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite directions (like an S) but both ends of the curve end up parallel to each other (which is not necessarily true for an S).

6 Prince ___ Khan : ALY

Aly Khan was a familiar name used by the media when referring to Prince Ali Solomone Aga Khan, the Pakistani ambassador to the UN from 1958 to 1960. Khan made it into the papers a lot as he was the third husband of actress Rita Hayworth.

7 Kind of card : SIM

Most cell phones have SIM cards these days. SIM cards hold the personal information of the subscriber, with the acronym being short for “Subscriber Identity Module”.

9 Like barbecue pits : ASHY

It is believed that our word “barbecue” (BBQ) comes from the Taíno people of the Caribbean in whose language “barbacoa” means “sacred fire pit”.

10 Historic Boston locale : BUNKER HILL

The Battle of Bunker Hill was a victory for the British early in the American War of Independence, although the British losses were so large that it emboldened the inexperienced colonial militiamen who were up against regular army troops. The battle was named for nearby Bunker Hill located close to Charlestown, Massachusetts, although almost all of the combat took place on Breed’s Hill.

11 What every infinitive in Esperanto ends with : -ANI

Esperanto is an international language specifically constructed to create some level of harmony between people from different parts of the world. It was created in the late 1800s by an opthamologist from modern-day Poland. Tens of thousands, and maybe even millions of people speak Esperanto, with some being taught it as a native language from birth.

12 Grumpy co-worker : DOC

In the original Brothers Grimm fairy tale called “Snow White”, the seven dwarfs were not given any names. The names were added for the 1937 classic Disney film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. The seven dwarfs are:

  • Doc (the leader of the group)
  • Grumpy (that would be me, according to my wife …)
  • Happy
  • Sleepy
  • Bashful
  • Sneezy
  • Dopey

21 Part of the Greek spelling of “Aristotle” : RHO

Rho is the Greek letter that looks just like our Roman letter “p”, although it is equivalent to the Roman letter R.

25 Vocal opponent of 2001’s Patriot Act, for short : ACLU

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has its roots in the First World War. It grew out of the National Civil Liberties Bureau (CLB) that was founded to provide legal advice and support to conscientious objectors. The ACLU’s motto is “Because Freedom Can’t Protect Itself”. The ACLU also hosts a blog on the ACLU.org website called “Speak Freely”.

The USA PATRIOT Act was signed into law in 2001 soon after the September 11th terrorist attacks. The name of the act is actually an acronym, standing for “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism”.

30 Detroit pro player : PISTON

The NBA’s Detroit Pistons team was founded in 1941 as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons of the National Basketball League. The team was owned by Fred Zollner, who supplied pistons to the automotive industry. The Pistons moved from Indiana to Detroit in 1957.

32 David Lynch’s first feature-length film : ERASERHEAD

Director David Lynch started work on “Eraserhead” early in his career, and it is very much “his” film as he wrote, produced and directed it. It took him a while to get it finished as funding was hard to come by. He used funds from an American Film Institute grant, as well as financing from family and friends, including actress Sissy Spacek.

David Lynch is a much-respected and lauded American film director. His most famous movies are probably “Eraserhead”, “The Elephant Man”, “Dune” and “Mulholland Drive”. Despite the positive reviews from most critics, I can’t think of one David Lynch film that I’ve really enjoyed …

33 Last name in “Star Wars” : REN

Kylo Ren is the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa in the “Star Wars” universe. The character’s birth name was Ben Solo. He was trained as a Jedi knight by his uncle, Luke Skywalker. However, Ben came to embrace the Dark Side, and changed his name to Kylo Ren. Ren is played by actor Adam Driver.

34 Prefix with cortex : NEO-

The neocortex is part of the brain, the part of the cerebral cortex that is especially large in higher animals.

43 Coastal feature : RIA

A drowned valley might be called a ria or a fjord, and both are formed as sea levels rise. A ria is a drowned valley created by river erosion, and a fjord is a drowned valley created by glaciation.

49 Literary master of irony : O HENRY

“O. Henry” was the pen name of writer William Sydney Porter from Greensboro, North Carolina. O. Henry is famous for his witty short stories that have a clever twist in the tail.

50 Skedaddle : LAM

To be on the lam is to be in flight, to have escaped from prison. “On the lam” is American slang that originated at the end of the 19th century. The word “lam” also means to “beat” or “thrash”, as in “lambaste”. So “on the lam” might derive from the phrase “to beat it, to scram”.

“Skedaddle” is a slang term meaning “run away” that dates back to the Civil War.

51 Stock at a saloon : RYES

For whiskey to be labelled as “rye” in the US, it has to be distilled from at least 51% rye grain. In Canada however, a drink called rye whiskey sometimes contains no rye at all.

60 Loser to Wilson in 1912 : TAFT

Woodrow Wilson was a professor at Princeton from 1890 to 1902 at which time he was promoted to president of the university. Professor Wilson had earned his PhD. at Johns Hopkins University in 1886, so that when he was elected 28th President of the United States in 1912, he became the only US President to hold a PhD.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Mind-set : MOOD
5 Shells you can eat : PASTA
10 Spoiled : BAD
13 With 70-Across, dramatic opening of 62-Across’s Fifth : GGG E-FLAT
14 A computer hacker usually uses this : ALIAS
15 It’s next to nada : UNO
16 Like boardinghouse rooms, again and again : RELET
18 Like all of the 62-Across works in this puzzle : SYMPHONIC
20 Some garden machinery : SEEDERS
22 It’s a laugh : YUK
23 Jewish month of 30 days : SHEBAT
27 ___ limits (political issue) : TERM
30 Ricky Martin, e.g. [Third] : PUERTO RICAN (hiding “EROICA”)
37 Pivot : SLUE
38 Abbr. after Brooklyn or Cleveland : HTS
39 Exercise before a trip to Latin America, say [Sixth] : SPANISH TUTORIAL (hiding “PASTORAL”)
44 “___ So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” (hymn) : ‘TIS
45 Quaking cause : FEAR
46 Pelvic bones : ILIA
47 When sung three times, a soccer anthem : OLE!
48 Event before a college football game [Ninth] : SCHOOL RALLY (hiding “CHORAL”)
52 ___ ball : NERF
54 Walk stylishly : SASHAY
55 Is down with : HAS
57 Like many retired academics : EMERITA
62 Composer whose works are hidden in 30-, 39- and 48-Across : BEETHOVEN
67 Only part of Egypt located in Asia : SINAI
68 Potential starts of new generations : OVA
69 Broadcasting : ON AIR
70 See 13-Across : FFFD
71 Marked incorrect : XED
72 Trifle : PENNY
73 Schlep : TOTE

Down

1 Supervisors: Abbr. : MGRS
2 Curved molding : OGEE
3 Randy look : OGLE
4 Released air from, as a balloon : DEFLATED
5 Quarterback, often : PASSER
6 Prince ___ Khan : ALY
7 Kind of card : SIM
8 Choose : TAP
9 Like barbecue pits : ASHY
10 Historic Boston locale : BUNKER HILL
11 What every infinitive in Esperanto ends with : -ANI
12 Grumpy co-worker : DOC
17 Class struggle? : TEST
19 Not at home … or caught at home : OUT
21 Part of the Greek spelling of “Aristotle” : RHO
24 Paris hangouts : BISTROS
25 Vocal opponent of 2001’s Patriot Act, for short : ACLU
26 Like violin strings : TAUT
28 The price you pay : RETAIL
29 Lose : MISLAY
30 Detroit pro player : PISTON
31 Disentangle, in a way : UNPILE
32 David Lynch’s first feature-length film : ERASERHEAD
33 Last name in “Star Wars” : REN
34 Prefix with cortex : NEO-
40 Possibilities : IFS
41 Brief moments : SECS
42 It’s a laugh : HA HA
43 Coastal feature : RIA
49 Literary master of irony : O HENRY
50 Skedaddle : LAM
51 Stock at a saloon : RYES
53 Trimmable part : FAT
56 Get the goods : SHOP
58 It may precede a breakup : RIFT
59 Lowdown : INFO
60 Loser to Wilson in 1912 : TAFT
61 Person carrying a briefcase, maybe : AIDE
62 Pricey seating area : BOX
63 December 24, e.g. : EVE
64 It’s next to nothing : ONE
65 Part of 62-Across’s name : VAN
66 64-Down, to 62-Across : EIN

18 thoughts on “0910-20 NY Times Crossword 10 Sep 20, Thursday”

  1. 21:20. Seems like I completed this by wandering all over the grid, filling in one letter at a time, hither, thither, and yon. Especially the upper right. CUE before SIM, TACOS before PASTA (I had Mexican on Mon and Lasagna on Tues, so type of shells was a toss-up), TACOS leading to TOSSER before PASSER, spaced on BUNKERHILL and had SUTTERMILL (which is in California – talk about being really “off the grid”, so to speak), etc. Having worked at an “unnamed” large aerospace co. in the Puget sound region, I and many of my co-workers were often “Grumpy”, so it took me a while to think of the 7 Dwarves. And we were often “grumpy” because of our 1D.

    4D didn’t quite make sense, so I put in an E. When finished, the app put in EFLAT, and then the light bulb went on. Should have been thinking rebus for a Thurs.

    Seems I made this harder than it needed to be.

  2. 20:04, no errors (sort of). I finished all of this but the rebus square pretty rapidly and then focused on trying to decide what note belonged in that square. As a musical ignoramus, nothing immediately came to me, but I finally put in an “E” … and the app bought it, giving me the “success” message … whereupon, belatedly, I saw that an “E-FLAT” would give me “DEFLATED” for 4D. So then, I tried to fix the rebus square … and the app wouldn’t let me … so I feel a little cheated somehow … 😳.

    Oh, well … I guess there are worse things to worry about … 😳.

    Speaking of which … some of the photos I’m seeing out of San Francisco are pretty scary. How are you doing, Bill?

    1. Hope it’s OK. We had a lot of smoke in the Seattle Area Mon night into Tues (nothing like S.F., however.) Sad to say, my wife’s nephew had their home consumed by fire yest. morning (they live 15 miles E of Lake Oroville in CA) and lost it all. Her sister lives about 20 miles from that site and is on a hair trigger evacuation notice. All are OK, tho not sure of the myriad animals – dogs, horses, peacocks, etc.

  3. 22:25. Same issue with 4 down. Also had a bit of a problem with EMERITA versus EMERITI. Figured out Beethoven pretty early.

  4. I’ll claim last place at 38:10. No major problems, just couldn’t seem to get into the constructor’s groove. Same issue with 4 down…my musical ability is limited to playing the radio/CD player/Pandora/turntable(remember those?) I guessed “E” on the app and got the music of success. Went to bed wondering how “deed” fit the clue. It wasn’t until waking up this morning that I realized “e flat”….

    Prayers from Western NY to you folks and your friends and relatives in the path or potentially in the path of fire….I can’t imagine….

  5. 17:57. Maybe being back home agrees with me. Got BEETHOVEN pretty quickly as well. Just kind of methodically went through this. Nothing too easy or hard. Goldilocks Thursday puzzle. Had Beacon Hill before BUNKER HILL but otherwise smooth.

    Ron F – heart goes out to your family. I lost everything in Hurricane Harvey 3 years ago. It doesn’t seem so at the time, but you do get past these things. Just need to keep your chin up.

    In the “bizarre coincidence” category, after doing yesterday’s 99 themed puzzle, I was on a plane and I had a little time before we landed. I thought I could get in a quick puzzle so I dug out an old print out (I keep a file of them for just such occasions) of a NYT puzzle from April 23, 2017. It was a Sunday puzzle celebrating the 100th bday of Ella Fitzgerald. 116D was “Singer with the 1984 hit ’99 Luftballoons’ “…aka NENA. I hadn’t thought of that song in decades, yet there it was in two puzzles I did on the same day that were published 3 and a half years apart. Sheeesh. Glad to be home and safe from the wrath of the crossword gods.

    Best –

  6. David Kahn must be a musician or music instructor really trying to force 4D and 70A… Not to mention all the Beethoven stuff. No idea and completely missed them both… Is it Beethovens birthday or something?? Nope, I looked it up. Its in December..

  7. This puzzle is all over the map with Hebrew, Spanish, Latin, one rebus square, and music inside info all of which made it not enjoyable for a blue collar guy like me…I do the puzzles with paper and pencil and don’t have or want an “app” that tells me when I am wrong…just me ranting a bit.
    Stay safe😀
    Go Ravens😀

    1. I agree, Jack, the constructor may have been showing off his chops. They do call it “Tricky Thursday” so ya gotta be on your toes……

  8. 20:20, no errors (in hindsight). Same problems as everyone else. Spent a lot of time staring at the FFFD/AIDE cross, thinking that it should be another rebus with ‘flat’ or ‘sharp’. Happy for a clean fill on a Thursday.

  9. Liked this puzzle — got Beethoven pretty quickly, then the symphonies followed, then realized that 13 and 70 must be asking for the actual notes and had to go to the piano to see what they were (having the G in mgrs helped), and was really startled to see that the note was e-flat! So that was fun.

    And guess I’m the oddball, but I love all the foreign words — have to hark back to high-school French, etc — it’s a good exercise.

  10. 9 down would have been a bit easier if my newspaper had like bbq pits as the clue. 9 down in the Sacramento Bee was pale-faced.

  11. Was hit and miss most of the way until getting to BEETHOVEN. Clever theme, great music. Enjoyed the solve until upended by a surprise rebus square.

  12. If you don’t take music is e-flat just supposed to jump out at you. What a crock …. assuming you do it on paper like me.
    No errors …. in theory

  13. One error on the E-FLAT square. What made me miss this was the fact that I had never before encountered one single square used as a rebus. I am used to several rebuses being scattered out all over the grid but it just never occurred to me that there would be a lone one.

    I knew that my guess at “DEED” for the crossing Down did not make sense. I even went through the musical scale from A to G but I forgot to count the flats at the half-steps. This puzzle will teach me to be ever-alert for new tricks from our intrepid gang of constructors. Never assume that you have seen it all.

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