Location: Coral Reef
Depth: 102

Solution to A Thousand Words

by Charles Steinhardt

Answer: ELEPHANT

The clues are given with answers in alphabetical order:

BELLY BUTTONAdam didn't have one (5 6)
BELLY DANCETurkish art form (5 5)
DEATH HEADTotenkopf: var. (5 4)
DEATH HOUSEHuntsville Unit, for example (5 5)
EARHART DEBATEFamous flyer argument (7 6)
EARHART STARTOakland in 1937 (or, perhaps, Miami later that June) (7 5)
EARNING GRASSDeserving weed (7 5)
GEAR RATTLEFlywheel noise (4 6)
GRASS SNAKEHarmless European ophidian with a yellow collar (5 5)
HEAD HUNTSRecruits personnel away from others (4 5)
INCOME EARNINGGainfully employed (6 7)
LAND DEBATEArgument over farm ownership, such as in South Africa (4 6)
LOTUS EYESFeature of many Buddha sculptures (5 4)
LOTUS LANDGanna Walska's garden (5 4)
RAIN DANCERitual drought ender (4 5)
RAIN SHOWERBrief precipitation (4 6)
RATTLE SNAKEVenomous desert animal (6 5)
SHOWER HUNTSQuick early morning puzzles, maybe? (6 5)
SNAKE MASKHalloween accessory for one with a forked tongue (5 4)
START BUTTONWindows feature (5 6)
STATE HOUSEBoston has two (5 5)
STATE RATTLEBaby toy shaped like New Hampshire (5 6)
SWIM MASKGoggles alternative (4 4)
SWIM TRUNKSBeachwear (4 6)
TAXI INCOMEMeter plus tips? (4 6)
TAXI THREE2003 Luc Besson dud (4 5)
THREE EYESToy Story character feature (5 4)
TREE GEARRopes, chainsaws, and a wood chipper (4 4)
TREE TRUNKSBoles (4 6)

These can all be put into the grid going through the given starting letters, as below.

          D N A L                     T A X I          
        E         O                 H         N        
      B             T   H E A D   R             C      
    A                 U         E                 O    
  T                 N   S E Y E   A                 M  
E                 T                 T                 E
A               S                     H               A
R               H                     O               R
H               O                     U               N
A               W                     S               I
R               E     G E A R       T E               N
T               R   D   E     A   A                   G
  R               A     R       T                   R  
    A           N   I   T     E   L               A    
N O T T U B   C       N   R         L           S      
        S   E               U         E K A N S        
              L               N         S              
                L               K       A              
                  Y               S W I M              

Several pieces of the grid are body parts (shaded), including a HEAD, EYES, two EARs, a BELLY, and most notably a TRUNK. This should help to indicate that the resulting picture is that of an ELEPHANT, the answer to the puzzle.