Crossword Genius

State of California if left in chaos (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

carolina

'state' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'california if left in chaos' is the wordplay.
'left' suggests deleting specific letters (some letters have left).
'in chaos' indicates anagramming the letters.
'california' with 'if' taken away is 'calornia'.
'calornia' is an anagram of 'CAROLINA'.

'of' is the link.

(Other definitions for carolina that I've seen before include "Girl" , "North or South, it's a state" , "former colony" , "It's north and south in southern US" , "North and South US states" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian and The Globe and Mail.
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