Theme: Classical puns. Beethoven-related subject matter with naughty (altered) meanings. 62A. Naughty—and with 63-Across, composer Beethoven? (born 12/16/1770): LEWD. 63A. Toupee: WIG. (Ludwig)
20A. Naughty object of Beethoven's affections?: IMMORAL BELOVED. Immortal beloved is the name used in three love letters composed by Beethoven.
38A. Beethoven's naughty opus?: EROTICA SYMPHONY. The Eroica (heroic) symphony was originally dedicated to Bonaparte while the revolution was on and idealistic, but when NB later declared himself Emperor, Beethoven became disgusted and went to the table where the completed score lay. He took hold of the title-page and scratched the name Bonaparte out so violently with a knife that he created a hole in the paper and later renamed it.
53A. Where to hear Beethoven's naughty music?: BANNED CONCERTS. Band concerts like JZB performs in? Jazz, do you play any "improved" classical works?
Hi all, Al here.
Well, John has managed to blend a little bit of English (cryptic) clue phrasing into today's puzzle. A word like "naughty" can simply mean that the words or the arrangement of letters in a word are not behaving correctly, or can be a play on words. Also scattered throughout the puzzle are some additional bonus clue references to Ludwig Van (which, incidentally, is what we named our first Dodge Caravan, oh, so many years ago).
ACROSS:
1. A whale has a long one: JAW. Yeah, right, his jaw was the first thing that came to mind.
4. Short pencil: STUB.
8. Sign of military respect: SALUTE.
14. Tokyo-born artist: ONO. That kind of blends together, doesn't it? Tokyoko.
15. Lake Titicaca is partly in it: PERU. The rest is in Bolivia, where the city of Copacabana also lies.
16. Previously, previously: ERE NOW.
17. Pure: VIRGINAL. Not naughty.
19. Nursery rocker: CRADLE.
22. X rating in old Rome?: TEN. A naughty Roman numeral. At least it wasn't a math problem.
23. Cringe: COWER. Actually unrelated to "coward", which comes from Old French coart. Cower comes from German kuren or kauren "lie in wait", or similar Scandanavian words kura, kure, to squat and to doze.
24. Dollar bills, e.g.: CASH. Sigh, had ONES at first.
27. Choir male, often: TENOR. As in the finale to Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.
30. Mil. honors: DSMS. Distinguished Service Medals.
33. Ding Dong relatives: HOHOS.
35. Yoga position: LOTUS. It's not only a yoga position.
37. Swipe: COP. Northern British dialect, "to seize, to catch," possibly from Latin capere "to take".
41. Agcy. concerned with fraud: FTC. Federal Trade Commission.
42. Malaise symptom: NO PEP.
43. __-ground missile: AIR-TO.
44. Nordstrom rival: SAKS. Started in Tennessee, now owns McRae’s, Parisian, Younkers, Herberger's, and Carson Pirie Scott & Co. which included Bergner's and Boston Store.
46. Biblical beasts: ASSES. Sampson slew an entire army with only the jawbone of an ass. Hmmm, isn't that what Congress does?
48. Romeo or Juliet, e.g.: TEEN. Hormones are wasted on the young.
49. Semi-sheer curtain fabric: VOILE. Apparently it can be used for more than just curtains. Ok, this is just wrong...
51. Doctrine: ISM. In Latin a doctor was a "religious teacher, adviser, scholar".
59. ::: COLONS. A colon is Latin for "part of a poem". Meaning evolved from "independent clause" to the punctuation mark that sets it off.
60. Parker and Roosevelt: ELEANORS.
61. "CBS Evening News" anchor: COURIC. Katie. I think someone must have said "Could you turn that up? I can't hear you."
64. Anxiety: UNEASE.
65. Dieter's triumph: LOSS. Clever meaning reversal clue.
66. Boozer: SOT.
DOWN:
1. Rocker Bon __: JOVI. It takes a certain kind of confidence to sing a duet with Luciano Pavarotti.
2. Lively, to Beethoven: Abbr.: ANIM. Animato
3. Low life?: WORM.
4. High point?: SPIRE. From Old English spir "sprout, shoot, stalk of grass. A spear of asparagus.
5. High-rise occupant: TENANT. Apartment dweller.
6. River through southern Russia: URAL.
7. Socket insert: BULB. I confidently entered BALL for this first...
8. Novus ordo __: Great Seal phrase: SECLORUM. Translated, means "A new order of the ages". It was meant to signify the beginning of the new American era, beginning in 1776. The symbolism of the Great Seal explained.
9. Cupid's missile: ARROW. Eros, Amor. Son of Venus (and Mars). With Psyche, had a daughter named Roman: Voluptas (voluptuous) or Greek: Hedone (from which we get hedonism).
10. Like trees in summer: LEAVED. I had to hesitate whether it should be an F or a V.
11. Sign of stress?: UNDERSCORE. Underlined text to be stressed, or emphasized. Also italics or bolding.
12. Squealed: TOLD. Ratted on.
13. She used to be a lambkin: EWE. A pet name perhaps, John?
18. Began to win a lot: GOT HOT.
21. Environmental subgroup: ECOTYPE. a genetically distinct geographic variety, population or race within species, which is adapted to specific environmental conditions.
24. Toque wearers: CHEFS.
25. Heart line: AORTA.
26. Provocation potential, as of a Howard Stern segment: SHOCK VALUE.
28. Passed, as time: ELAPSED.
29. Busybodies' active organs?: NOSES.
31. Three-card con: MONTE.
32. Watch, secret agent-style: SPY ON. Used here as a verb, not James Bond's Rolex 1016 Explorer.
34. Transgression: SIN. Like being naughty...
36. Steamy resort: SPA.
39. Come together: COALESCE.
40. Scary contract hirees: HITMEN.
45. State bordering Arizona: SONORA. Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora in Mexico.
47. Tendons: SINEWS.
50. Longtime civil rights leader Roy: INNIS. National Chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) since 1968.
52. A plethora: SCADS. Cornish name for a type of fish abundant on the British coast; perhaps a variant of shad. From Late Latin, plethora "fullness" originally a medical word for "excess of body fluid".
53. Timely benefit: BOON.
54. Pocket vibrator, at times: CELL. They might sell more if they had an intensity setting in place of volume.
55. Dairy bar: OLEO. In the dairy case, I suppose, but since it is mostly trans-fat, you shouldn't really eat it.
56. Garden lines: ROWS.
57. Beethoven's "Archduke," for one: TRIO. Piano Trio No. 7 Op. 97 in B-flat major. It was dedicated to the amateur pianist and composition student of Beethoven, Archduke Rudolph of Austria.
58. High-ranking NCO: SSGT. Staff Sergeant.
59. Hosp. heart ward: CCU. Coronary Care Unit. Could also be Critical Care Unit.
Answer Grid
Along with today's puzzle, John has provided some more samples of his photographic composition work. You can see them here.
Al
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