Trailblazers by Dysart

Puzzle explanation

The puzzle was based on The Blue Cross, the first Father Brown story by G. K. Chesterton, in which the adversaries were Father Brown and the criminal Flambeau. The unclued entries represented spilt SOUP, upset APPLES and a broken WINDOW, which were part of a trail of strange clues left by Father Brown and followed by the French detective Valentin. In the story, Flambeau has switched parcels with Father Brown in order to steal the silver cross with sapphires that he was carrying, represented in the initial grid by BLUE X in PARCEL on the main diagonal. However, Father Brown has switched the parcels back, so Flambeau’s parcel contains only lead and paper, represented by PB (or Pb) in PAPER in the final grid.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Misprint Answer Explanation
Across
10   PEASED P + EASED
12   ARILLI RILL in AI(r)
13 (B)ait ADAPT DAP in (A + T(ank))
15   PROTEIN T(h)E in PROIN
16   MAWR W in RAM <
18   VALENTINO VALENTIN (detective in the story) + O
19 ti(L)t CAMBER C + AMBER
20   ENGINED END around (GIN + E)
21 cr(U)mpled ECRU (lik)E CRU(mpled)
22   BLIT BLIT(hely)
26   CHOU homophone of SHOO
28   RUSHEN SHE in RUN
30   URCHIN LURCH − L + IN
32   EAST SEAT with S (south) moving east
35   POXY (POLY − L) around X
36   DAUB BUD < around A
37   LA PLATA (CATALPA − C) < after L
39   PACTUM P + FACTUM − F
42   EXCERPTUM (EXCEPT + MU <) around R
43   EPEE (k)EEPE(r) <
44   AMORINI (IN + I + ROMA) <
45   GOLEM OLE in GM
47   SAMITI AM in SIT-I(n)
48 Fin(E) FAERIE F + AERIE
49   CYBERNATION (BY CONTAINER) *
Down
2   TEA-WARE AWARE after ET <
3 Chan(C)e HAP (s)HAP(e)
4   REEVE E in REVE(l); ref. The Canterbury Tales
5   REPLETE ’ELP < in RETE
6 hu(R)t WRONGOUS ((s)NOW GROUS(e)) *
7   NITTIEST TIES in (N + ITT)
8   OLEINS (g)OLE(m) (45 across) + IN + S
9   ALINE L in AINE
11   STAB BATS <
14   SARI (A + R) in SI (“if” in French)
17 p(O)int ACCORD ACC + ORD
23 (S)ingle LONE (co)LONE(ls)
24   DRAX D + RAX
25   LEGUME GUM in LEE(k)
26   CHOLERIC C + HOLE + RIC(hes)
27   HILARITY IT in HILARY
29   NOBLEMAN NOB + LEMAN
31   APATITE A + P(hosphate) A(dmixture) T(hat’s) I(n) T(ooth) E(namel)
33   NAUPLII (IN A LUPIN − N) *
34   UPCOME CO in (UP + ME)
38   AXMAN (P)AXMAN
40   AMBAN MA < + BAN
41   CAGE BOSCAGE − BOS
46 pa(S)try ORT (t)ORT(e)
Back to 2011 menu