M | O | Z | A | M | B | I | Q | U | E | S | A | I | L | |
A | R | E | Y | O | U | N | U | T | S | I | F | S | O | |
I | C | A | N | R | E | L | A | T | E | T | I | T | S | |
D | A | L | A | N | O | D | E | S | A | C | H | A | ||
S | L | O | W | R | E | T | R | I | A | L | ||||
M | I | T | E | S | S | A | R | A | S | O | T | A | ||
H | A | N | D | S | T | A | N | G | Y | N | A | M | ||
A | R | T | S | P | E | T | C | O | D | A | Y | O | ||
S | T | E | M | E | L | E | E | C | O | D | E | S | ||
A | I | R | F | A | R | E | S | H | U | G | O | S | ||
H | A | M | I | T | U | P | R | I | B | S | ||||
E | L | I | T | E | H | A | I | T | I | N | F | L | ||
A | L | A | S | P | O | T | D | E | C | R | E | M | E | |
R | A | M | I | A | N | T | I | C | L | I | M | A | X | |
T | W | I | N | P | E | A | C | H | E | M | O | J | I |
Beethoven's Sixth Symphony, aka "Pastoral," is written in (which means it at least starts in) the key of F Major. That fact comes up in crosswords a lot. F Major is abbreviated here for the first time as FMAJ, but if a musician says it's "in F" that means the same thing. (Keys can also append "MINOR" or "FLAT". "SHARP" in a key name is extremely rare.)
Short crossword answers about keys can only be INA, INB, INC, IND, INE, INF or ING. All but INF can be clued in better ways. INF demands a musical clue, and the go-to F Major work is Beethoven's Sixth.
Why that particular work? I don't think it's because you're expected to hum the famous opening melody in your head and then go, "oh, that sounds like F Major." I suspect it's because of inertia. If you've done enough puzzles, you've probably seen that before, and the easiest way to clue it is to remind you of previous instances. More difficult later-week puzzles sometimes reference other works.
T | A | L | C | T | A | S | T | E | I | T | Z | A | P | B | A | T | ||||
I | K | E | A | E | C | H | I | D | N | A | D | E | C | O | E | N | D | |||
E | A | T | H | U | M | B | L | E | P | I | E | L | I | P | ||||||
S | T | Y | R | E | N | E | I | N | H | D | A | L | M | A | ||||||
M | A | D | A | M | A | T | O | A | S | T | Y | A | L | I | A | S | ||||
B | L | I | N | D | E | X | P | E | R | I | M | E | N | T | S | |||||
A | B | E | L | R | E | T | A | I | L | S | U | S | I | E | ||||||
P | L | U | S | H | E | A | S | E | L | |||||||||||
K | A | T | E | M | I | D | D | L | E | T | O | N | ||||||||
M | E | D | I | N | A | C | A | R | O | U | S | E | T | Y | P | O | S | |||
L | E | D | A | O | B | S | M | A | I | O | W | S | S | I | S | I | ||||
S | P | U | R | T | A | N | T | O | I | N | E | I | R | O | N | I | C | |||
S | P | A | R | R | I | N | G | P | A | R | T | N | E | R | ||||||
Y | E | N | T | A | G | E | N | I | E | |||||||||||
S | O | D | O | I | S | T | R | E | A | K | E | R | M | A | ||||||
P | I | N | K | Y | A | N | D | T | H | E | B | R | A | I | N | |||||
F | A | L | S | E | E | R | O | D | E | S | V | A | I | N | L | Y | ||||
I | R | E | S | S | T | A | G | T | A | L | E | N | T | S | ||||||
Z | E | D | F | A | T | F | I | N | G | E | R | S | Y | N | D | R | O | M | E | |
E | M | U | L | I | L | T | B | E | L | I | E | F | S | E | M | I | T | |||
R | E | P | O | L | E | C | L | A | M | A | T | O | A | S | I | S |
While solving in the app, the grid will show normal-sized squares. You'll have to double some letters with your fat fingers. When solved, the grid will show the stretched digits similar to what's shown here.
D | O | G | S | P | A | S | G | S | P | O | T | E | A | R | G | A | S | M | ||
I | N | A | P | I | L | E | I | C | O | N | S | G | R | O | U | P | I | E | ||
P | I | E | R | C | I | N | G | S | H | R | E | K | G | R | A | S | P | E | D | |
S | T | A | I | N | T | O | T | O | F | O | E | S | ||||||||
G | I | G | I | O | O | R | I | G | I | N | S | T | O | R | E | S | ||||
T | U | G | C | O | N | S | L | I | D | O | N | T | H | R | A | S | H | |||
U | T | A | H | B | E | A | T | D | E | F | I | B | A | S | P | C | A | |||
F | I | V | E | P | I | L | L | A | R | S | O | F | S | L | A | M | T | O | P | |
T | C | E | L | L | S | I | T | U | H | U | G | M | O | R | E | |||||
A | L | I | A | S | B | I | N | G | E | R | O | B | E | R | T | S | ||||
P | I | C | K | I | N | G | O | N | E | S | B | R | A | N | ||||||
P | A | P | A | D | A | M | S | T | I | N | K | A | N | O | D | E | ||||
E | G | A | D | L | A | S | A | G | A | R | F | R | O | D | O | |||||
T | E | N | C | E | R | T | I | F | I | C | A | T | E | O | F | C | L | A | M | |
E | G | I | R | L | T | O | D | A | D | G | E | A | R | A | L | M | A | |||
R | A | N | O | U | T | D | E | V | I | C | E | L | A | H | S | S | N | |||
S | P | I | T | T | I | N | G | M | A | G | E | P | I | L | O | T | ||||
C | L | O | Y | D | O | I | T | B | A | H | A | I | ||||||||
P | A | N | T | H | E | R | T | H | I | R | D | E | Y | E | B | L | I | N | D | |
E | R | A | S | E | R | S | E | E | R | I | E | T | R | E | K | K | I | E | ||
I | M | P | A | S | S | E | E | X | E | C | S | V | E | S | S | E | L | S |
RegEx can help you find words and phrases with exactly 3 inner I's, but that's just the first step. Finding good phrases that can be sensibly clued with the third I missing, even with help from a Python script, will be a mostly manual process.
M | A | A | M | S | W | H | A | P | S | |||||
G | A | L | P | A | L | H | I | G | H | E | R | |||
H | O | S | T | I | L | E | T | A | K | E | O | V | E | R |
E | S | C | A | L | E | R | T | E | D | I | P | O | ||
A | L | A | S | S | P | E | C | S | F | L | E | X | ||
D | O | R | I | S | L | A | H | S | A | L | L | Y | ||
W | A | L | K | I | E | T | A | L | K | I | E | S | ||
K | O | R | S | M | O | O | R | |||||||
N | O | T | R | E | S | P | A | S | S | I | N | G | ||
B | E | F | I | T | N | E | C | H | E | A | R | T | ||
L | I | F | E | V | I | R | A | L | S | P | E | W | ||
A | G | S | D | O | G | S | L | E | D | S | E | E | ||
T | H | E | B | A | C | H | E | L | O | R | E | T | T | E |
S | T | A | Y | A | T | I | N | U | R | E | S | |||
S | N | O | B | S | T | I | G | E | R |
C | L | A | M | H | A | S | T | A | C | A | S | T | ||
R | I | L | E | E | C | L | A | T | O | C | H | O | ||
I | B | E | X | N | E | A | T | O | L | A | I | R | ||
S | E | X | I | E | S | T | M | A | N | A | L | I | V | E |
P | L | A | C | A | T | E | D | E | V | E | ||||
A | V | E | N | U | E | S | C | O | F | F | ||||
S | W | A | N | E | E | N | Y | E | T | A | R | O | ||
H | I | G | H | S | T | A | K | E | S | P | O | K | E | R |
I | D | E | A | H | O | C | C | O | R | S | E | T | ||
N | E | S | T | S | N | O | B | A | R | S | ||||
D | O | C | N | A | P | T | I | M | E | S | ||||
M | O | R | A | L | O | F | T | H | E | S | T | O | R | Y |
A | K | I | N | B | L | E | A | K | E | V | E | R | ||
C | R | O | C | R | O | S | I | E | M | I | C | A | ||
K | A | T | E | A | R | T | S | Y | S | E | T | H |