Path-finding by Dysart

Puzzle explanation

The unclued entries were the names of pioneers in various fields: Charles DARWIN (evolutionary biology), Joseph LISTER (antiseptic surgery), Gertrude EDERLE (first woman to swim the English Channel), Marie STOPES (family planning), John Logie BAIRD (television inventor), Marie CURIE (radioactivity; first woman to win a Nobel Prize), Claude MONET (impressionism). The initials of down clues in order of their grid entries spelt “orb, snare, broad, way-makers”, the first three words being synonyms of “world”, “web” and “wide”, and the fourth describing the unclued pioneers. The World Wide Web was invented by TIMOTHY BERNERS-LEE and the zigzag path through his name in the grid was broken in two places to form the abbreviation WWW.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation
Across
1 VINCA (IN + C) in VA
2 BOTARGO TAR in (BOG + O’)
3 ÉIRE (s)ERIE(s) <
4 SHAMBA SHAM + BA(r)
5 SQUEERS SQUEEZERS − EZ
6 SEA TERM SEATER + M(istrust)
7 EAGLET LEG * in EAT
8 SPLENDOUR (PL + END) in SOUR
9 BEST BEHEST − HE
10 RASE RAISE − I(suzu)
11 GUERNSEYS (U + GREYNESS) *
12 ABACUS CAB < in AUS
13 TREACLE TREE around (A + CL)
14 TILBURY BUILT * + RY
15 EASIER I in (t)EASER
16 OLPE L(ove) in OPE
17 ESSONNE SON in SEEN *
18 YDRED (arm)Y (storme)D (ove)R (th)E (lan)D
Down
  ABLE (t)ABLE
  AESOP AE + SOP
  ASSOTT ASS + OTT
  ATABALS SLAB < after (AT + A)
  DEQUEUE (EU + EU + QED) <
  IGAD BRIGADES − SE/RB < (on the outside)
  IRES SEI < around (wate)R
  NEEDLE NEED + LE
  NOSE homophone of KNOWS
  NYES ((see)N (a)S (the)Y (com)E) *
  OBSESS (O + BESS) around (cake)S
  PARDNER PARDONER − O
  RAMET RAT around ME
  RATTLY Y(oungste)R < around (AT + T’ + L)
  RECLINE REC + LINE
  RENEGUE (REN + (f)UE(l)) around EG
  REST 2 meanings
  RUSTRES (t)RUST RES(tores)
  SAMLOR SAILOR with M for I
  SEERED ’RE in SEED
  SEPIA S(it)E (su)P(pl)I(es) A(ny)
  SLYLY SLAY + LAY − A − A
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