04.15.12 — GRID IRON

Titanic bow SW 1988 National Geographic

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Sunday, April 15, 2012

GRID IRON, Puzzle by Kevin G. Der / Edited by Will Shortz

One-hundred years ago, the British passenger liner, the RMS TITANIC (55D. [See blurb]), sank in the North Atlantic at 2:20 a.m., two and a half hours after hitting an ICEBERG (60D. Cause of 56-Down‘s demise).

Titanic is a 1997 American film, a fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, starring Leonardo DICAPRIO (128A. “56-Down” co-star) and Kate WINSLET (125A. “56-Down” co-star) as members of different social classes who fall in love aboard the ship during its ill-fated maiden voyage.

This Sunday’s creative and sometimes riveting crossword covers a lot of ground. The visual result of the complex, commemorative puzzle is succinctly illustrated by Patrick Merrell, HERE.

The electronic version utilizes circles for the “smokestacks” while the deadwood version features gray squares. The note accompanying the crossword heads the page and is clearly meant to be read, as is the notepad in the electronic version. Those trying to speed through this crossword may hit upon a very cold experience.

The Note: When this puzzle is finished, 12 special squares, along with the special [and/or] circled squares, will create an image of 56-Down. The 12 squares corresponding to the "reflection" of the special squares, when read clockwise from top left, will spell an alternative name for 56-Down (e.g., SHIP OF DREAMS).

While the framework of Titanic was of steel and the hull of iron, thousands of the rivets were of sub-standard wrought-iron which failed upon the collision, thus the title of this puzzle, “GRID IRON“. Article on the rivets, HERE.

The Sinking of the Titanic Drawn by Henry Reuterdahl from Wireless Description.

Other interrelated answers: SOUTHAMPTON (29A. Where 56-Down embarked), I’M THE KING OF THE WORLD (33A. Iconic line shouted in “56-Down“), MY HEART / WILL GO ON (35- & 37-Down. #1 song from “56-Down“), ELEVEN ACADEMY AWARDS (141A. Record-tying achievement for “56 Down”) and LUXURY LINER (152A. 56-Down, e.g.).

The subject of the Titanic most recently appeared as a New York Times crossword titled "100 Years Ago," Sunday, March 11, 2012, HERE.

The remainder of today's crossword is composed of this-and-that and bits and pieces — full steam ahead!

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Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Plushlike; 5. Anjou relatives; 10. “Love Train” singers, with “the”; 15. Brit. Decorations; 19. Low men?; 24. Peace Nobelist Root; 26. Without problems; 27. Holiday decoration; 24. Stress reliever; 32. Actress Téa; 39. Martini go-with?; 40. Bit of chiding; 41. Shiva’s wife; 42. Cat genus; 45. Italian holiday; 45. Sinn ___; 47. Easter ___; 50. Forest specimens; 52. “Be my guest”; 58. Silence indicator; 59. Cool” amount; 62. In ___ place; 64. Rafael, to friends; 66. Trims, say; 68. Jefferson or Madison; 69. Rest on; 71. High clouds; 73. Mess of a mess; 75. Auto-___; 76. Footstool; 78. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum site; 80. Slowpokes’ fines; 62. Filled, as an office; 83. Coup d’___; 84. Builder of a 2x2 vessel?; 85. Blue Ribbon maker; 86. Hosp. scan; 87. Winner of a 1970s’’80s war; 90. Singer Jones; 92. Literally, “my Lord”; 94. Amount before overtime; 96. Shake; 100. Tried to win; 102. Major operation?; 104. To this moment; 108. Fads; 108. Run together in a way; 109. Tater; 110. Toddlers’ coddlers; 112. Third string; 113. Once more: Abbr.; 114. It’s not basic; 116. Dict. Info; 117. Tabula ___; 119. Yorkshire river; 121. Flags; 123. Clear (of); 124. Triumphant end?; 132. “King Lear” role; 133. Pittance; 138. Protection around the world?; 139. Some buggy drivers; 149. Said yea or nay; 150. Bank support?; 151. Spirit; 153. Pulitzer-winning critic Richard; 154. It’s hard to get across; 155. Palm products; 156. Flight data: Abbr.; 157. Some salads. — DOWN: 1. Look; 2. Oil producer; 3. Implement with a spatulalike blade; 4. Where dawn arises; 5. Latvian, e.g.; 6. Cry to a matador; 7. Brake; 8. They carry needles; 9. Omelet holders; 10. Aware of; 11. Dear person?; 12. Exist; 13. Jabber; 14. Stuffed ___; 15. Ski ___; 16. Muslim mystic; 17. Slugger Mel; 18. “Zip it!; 19. Autobahn sights; 20. Pig in ___; 21. Orchestra grp.; 22. Roman sun god; 23. Like Beethoven’s Second; 25. Caspian feeder; 27. “Top Gun” jets; 28. Funnyman Philips; 29. Ban-Ki-moon and others: Abbr.; 30. Insurance giant; 34. Professor Chomsky; 38. Widespread; 38. Invention; 43. Parts of yards; 44. Small-runway aircraft, briefly; 45. Is alarmed; 46. “It ___” (answer to “Who’s there?”); 48. Tennis’s Steffi; 49. Bad slip; 50. Stable supply; 51. Nutritional stat; 53. Saverin who co-founded Facebook; 54. Shield bearer, typically; 55. Small flute; 57. Frozen; 58. Many a Wi-Fi hotspot; 61. About a month, for a fruit fly; 63.Rotted; 65. Bad blood; 67. Devote; 69. Supercilious one; 70. Wild banana; 72. Mark up, say; 74. Conrad ___, early matinee idol; 77. Chiwere speaker; 79. Furthermore; 81. Prof’s helpers; 82. Harden; 87. Golfs, e.g., briefly;88. Emulate a frog; 89. Unpleasant thing to hit; 91. Rival suitor’s expletive; 92. “Shalom ___” (Hebrew greeting); 93. Martinique, e.g.; 94. One with a terrible opening; 95. Oenologist’s concern; 97. How it’s done; 98. Slanted column?; 99. Interference detector?; 101. Voice of Carl in Piuxar’s “Up”; 103. Acts the middleman; 103. Dundee denial; 107. Discovery Channel subj.; 110. Ginnie ___; 111. Mrs. Abroad; 113. “Gimme ___”; 115. “In my view …”; 118. Zero-emissions vehicle; 120. Athlete’s pointer?; 122. Scottish hillsides; 124. Cower; 125. Didn’t go straight; 125. Polo competitor; 127. Bottled mineral; 128. Palais Garnier star; 129. “Kidnapped” inits.; 130. Suffix with luck; 131. “Now you speak”; 133. Hoedown attendee; 134. Together, in music; 135. Cashier’s cry; 137. Late-night fliers; 140. Word of indifference; 142. Suffix with alk-; 143. Barracks V.I.P.; 144. Setting for some wrestling; 148. “___ truly” (abbreviated sign-off); 146. Biological chain; 147. It appears overnight; 148. Grads-to-be: Abbr.