NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD

Interpreting the central block of black squares as the letter “H,” the shaded squares spell BEETHOVEN and EARPHONES.

ACROSS

1 Blondie’s maiden name in “Blondie” 10 Post something 12 One taking a lot of

credit, maybe? 14 Sly remarks? 15 Many necklines 16 Spot for Spot 18 Abbr. on a

foundation stone 20 Mosaicist 21 Pomeriggio

follower 22 High-grade? 24 Novelist who wrote “I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living” 25 Hamburger order 26 Nocturnal predators of fiction 28 “Because

I said so” is not one

29 Tony ___, official character voice of Donald Duck 30 Spartan, e.g. 31 Land north of England, in poetry 32 Turned sickly

yellow

33 Aligns

34 Song royalties

org.

35 Pasquale ___, baritone at the Metropolitan Opera

36 Meals for seals 37 Standard & ___ 39 In ___

(untouched) 40 “The Big Bang Theory” character

41 Like certain ecclesiastical councils 43 Critically examine 44 Democratic

principle

47 Setup for a Netflix

film, say 48 Gigantic

DOWN

1 Canine command 2 Airing 3 William Wordsworth, e.g. 4 Its player may have a yen for gambling 5 Things that cover all the bases? 6 Grow, as sympathies 7 Whiskered, fish-eating creature 8 Maker of thousands of cars annually 9 Term of endearment 10 Hip-hop icon born

Lisa Williamson 11 Paper signed before filming begins 12 Kind of pie that’s

actually a cake 13 Howdy Doody

and others 14 Toadyish

response

17 Was successful

in the end

19 Files away? 21 Doesn’t go

straight, in a way 23 Sparta, e.g.

25 Big name in

windows 27 Nashville awards

org.

28 Subj. of tax

exemption 30 Changers

of locks

32 Sands 34 Beautiful,

in Bogotá 37 Material for a

baking vessel 38 Name changed in

Genesis 17:15 41 A taste

42 Turn on the ice 45 Tiny amount 46 Gray head?