Tunnel Vision by Chalicea

Puzzle explanation

The extra letters in wordplay spelt “shade title, his origin, dormant stage and what emerges”, referring to the 1969 children’s book The VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR by Eric Carle, and the titular character’s stages of development: EGG, PUPA and BUTTERFLY. The highlighting of CATERPILLAR followed the shape shown on the book’s cover and passed through the unclued entries APPLE, PEARS, PLUMS, LOLLIPOP and ORANGES, some of the things he ate his way through (in chronological order apart from the last two). The puzzle’s title refers to the caterpillar tunnelling through the foods he eats, which is reflected by holes in the book’s pages. Highlighting of any of the contiguous arrangements of the letters of EGG was accepted.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation [extra letter]
Across
1 STAGGARD STAG[S] + DRAG <
6 STILB T[H]IS * + L + B(rightness)
10 INTERVIEWS IN + TE[A]R + VIEWS
12 LEONIAN LEONI[D] + AN(y); ref. 20ac
13 BALLAT (A + L) in BL[E]AT
14 KELTER KEL[T] + TER
15 POINT P[I] + OINT
16 ELUVIA [T]EL + U(ncovered) + VIA
17 PILLAGE ([L]EGAL + LIP) <
19 REMAP MER[E] < + AP
20 LEO (mobi)LE [H]O(me)
21 CATER CAT + [I]RE <
23 FRIAR FR around AIR[S] <
26 ARMED [O]AR + MED
28 PEAL PEA[R]L
29 UMPIRES [I]MPI in URES
31 THORNY (THON[G] + (part)Y) around R; ref. 26ac
33 NULLS NULL[I]TIES − TIE
34 SHOE PEGS SHO[N]E + PES around G
36 GREIN GRIN around E[D]
37 EASTS SEAT * around [O]S
39 RING DIAL RING + LAI[R]D <
40 PUPA PU[M]P + A
41 YEGGMAN (MAN[A]GE + G(uilt)Y) *
42 SEARAT homophone of SEE + RA[N]T
Down
1 SILVERY SIL[T] + VERY
2 ATOK [S]AT + OK
3 GENEVA VA[T] after GÊNE
4 AVATAR TAR[A] after (AV + A)
5 DEBRIEF DEB + [G]RIEF
6 SWAP (thing)S W[E] AP(proved)
7 ILLIAD [A]IL + DAIL(y) <
8 LIANG [N]IL < + ANG
9 BUTTER BUTT + RE[D] <
11 NEGLECT CART[W]HEELING * − HAIR *
18 LORD ([H]OLDER − E) *
22 TAILING ITALI[A]N * + G
24 FLY SWAT (FAWL[T]Y + T(ower)S) *
25 HUNGRY HUNG + RY[E]
27 RESEDA RES + [M]ADE <
30 MURRE (ER[E] + RUM) <
31 TOSAS (direc)TO[R]S AS(sembled)
32 RECUR [G]ROCER < with (fr)U(it) for O
35 HAIN (Lot)H(ian) + AÎN[É]
38 SPA PAS[S] *
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