New York Times, Wednesday, September 18, 2019

I started this puzzle with the "pipe" part. I had originally hoped it would connect words like DRAIN and SEWER, but that proved to be too difficult. Next, I added the revealer. DOWN THE PIPE was my third choice, but I think it works well. This gave me room to add three more theme words. My first choices were SLIP ON CLOGS, MEDIA LEAKS, and PAINT DRIPS. Eventually, I discovered that OIL PLATFORM fit nicely with WATER TOWER and GAS STATION.

Let the debate begin: Is the correct phrase "down the pike" or is it "down the pipe"? According to Merriam-Webster, "down the pike" entered the dictionary first. The "pike" in this case referred to a turnpike. Conflation with the similar-meaning phrase "in the pipeline" lead to the rise of "down the pipe." Both hrases are in use today. I chose a baseball-related definition in my clue in hopes of avoiding confusion, but I have found examples of both phrases used interchangeably.

On my soapbox: Millions of homes get their water through pipes made of toxic lead that can leach out and poison our families. Isn't it time to require the removal of all lead pipes from our water system?

Drink up everyone, DOWN THE HATCH!

Er, DOWN THE WRONG PIPE!

Would you believe, DOWN THE PIPE?

As in … a perfectly pitched baseball? Isn't that best described by "right across the plate"?

Man, my baseball knowledge is minor league.

It was difficult to figure out if DOWN THE PIPE is a term used in the MLB since so many of the search hits were grammar wonks wonking about the "down the pipe" vs. "down the pike" debate. Most of them described "down the pipe" as "impending," as in "coming down the pipe." No mention of baseball.

Eventually, I did find a site that supports DOWN THE PIPE as a baseball term (warning, NSFW!). Not the most compelling case for featuring it as today's revealer.

That said, the grid presents such a pretty image of appropriate words coming DOWN THE PIPE. It didn't take long to figure out that something was missing in those five answers, but that didn't take away from the aesthetic value. There's something so elegant about the five theme phrases perfectly stair-casing down.

It's bold to kick off your puzzle with HO HUM. I found the gridwork anything but, with such nice bonuses as WATER TOWER, GAS STATION, OIL PLATFORM.

Hey, wait a second. Is this a crossword, or Sim City?

Working in all that long material, plus AIRSHIPS and CLUB SODA — with just a bit of ORO TERA as speed bumps — is SPIRITED work.

It's a shame that OIL PLATFORM wasn't directly tied into the theme somehow. So much potential left on the table, maybe that OIL PLATFORM kicking off an underground PIPEline leading to the GAS STATION? Or perhaps the Brothers Mario and Luigi could have been invoked? (Said the nerd who spent most of his teenage years trying to complete every version of Super Mario Bros. ever released.)

I enjoyed the pleasing visual of those pipes, so regular and regimented, but I was left wondering what could have been.