Constructor: Gordon Johnson
Relative difficulty: Challenging (*for* *a* *Tuesday*) (solve time over 4)
THEME: SOLID LIQUID GAS (
52A: Three main 20-Across ... with examples included in 38-Across and 11- and 26-Down) — three different STATES OF MATTER can be found at the beginning of the following theme answers:
Theme answers:
- ICE-SKATING RINKS (38A: Places to do figure eights)
- WATER TANKS (11D: Large containers often found atop buildings)
- STEAMBOATS (26D: Some Mississippi River traffic)
Word of the Day: UTICA (
29D: City on the Erie Canal) —
Utica (pronounced 
i) is a city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most-populous city in New York, its population was 62,235 in the 2010 U.S. census. Located on the Mohawk River at the foot of the Adirondack Mountains, Utica is approximately 90 miles (145 km) northwest of Albany and 45 miles (72 km) east of Syracuse. Although Utica and the neighboring city of Rome have their own metropolitan area, both cities are also represented and influenced by the commercial, educational and cultural characteristics of the Capital District and Syracuse metropolitan areas. // Formerly a river settlement inhabited by the Mohawk tribe of the Iroquois Confederacy, Utica attracted European-American settlers from New England during and after the American Revolution. In the 19th century, immigrants strengthened its position as a layover city between Albany and Syracuse on the Erie and Chenango Canals and the New York Central Railroad. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the city's infrastructure contributed to its success as a manufacturing center and defined its role as a worldwide hub for the textile industry. Utica's 20th-century political corruption and organized crime gave it the nicknames "Sin City", and later, "the city that God forgot." // Like other Rust Belt cities, Utica had an economic downturn beginning in the mid-20th century. The downturn consisted of industrial decline due to globalization and the closure of textile mills, population loss caused by the relocation of jobs and businesses to suburbs and to Syracuse, and poverty associated with socioeconomic stress and a decreased tax base. With its low cost of living, the city has become a melting pot for refugees from war-torn countries around the world, encouraging growth for its colleges and universities, cultural institutions and economy. (wikipedia)
• • •
If I could turn back time, I would turn back time because yesterday's puzzle was soooo much better. This is a conceptual mess. The two Across themers are barely and not at all coherent answers, respectively, and then ... it's just ICE, WATER, STEAM? That's it? No trick, hook, joke, wordplay? All those words used literally in their respective answers? I have no idea what this puzzle thinks it's doing. There appear to be a bunch of random water-related answers. Was that supposed to be part of this?
DEBARK (ugh) and
AWEIGH and
REBOIL and
SAILED, all symmetrical, all sort of watery ... coincidence? I hope so, because jeez louise that's a weak answer set. But at least there's a ton of Scrabble-f*cking because Who Doesn't Love Zs and Js jammed into corners, fill quality be damned, right!? (
EN AMI ... I mean, come on; that "answer" should be banned for life). Here's what I love:
EBULLIENT. Great word. Here's what I wasn't while solving this puzzle:
EBULLIENT.
[STEAMed hams! UTICA!]
BES! The more I stare at that answer, the more laughable it becomes (
22A: Wanna-___ (copycats)). I lost tons of time on
STATES OF MATTER (which has all the charm and snap of COATS OF PAINT) and
DEBARK (18D: Go down the gangplank). I don't know
DEBARK. Looking at it, I get it. But the more common word, at least as I've heard it, is "disembark." So I had DEB--- and had no idea what was happening. I also confused "gangplank" with "the plank," but that's my bad. At least I didn't write in DEBOAT, like sommmme people I know (Hi, Lena). The fill was rough, and the theme was somehow both confused and excessively simple. Overall, the puzzle felt 30+ years old, minimally. I hope you enjoyed it more than I did. Actually, I'm almost certain that you did. Mistakes of mine included JAPED for
JAWED (9A: Shot the bull) and PESTS for
PAINS (24D: Annoying sorts). Good day.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
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