Crossed Paths: Solution
By Leland Aldridge
Answer:
RITUAL
This puzzle is a diagramless crossword—across and down clues are given as in a crossword but with no grid to fill the answers into. Determining the design of the grid that allows all the answers to fit with the proper numbers is up to the solver.
Once this is complete, the following filled grid results:
| D | I | S | G | O | R | G | E | D | S | H | E | A | F | |
| E | M | P | A | N | E | L | E | D | P | I | N | T | O | |
| W | A | L | L | C | H | A | R | T | A | D | D | T | O | |
| A | G | A | E | A | R | O | A | T | ||||||
| R | O | T | B | U | S | E | M | I | R | |||||
| S | I | X | S | T | O | N | E | |||||||
| P | O | P | G | A | M | E | B | O | A | R | D | S | ||
| A | R | E | S | E | L | I | N | A | S | P | E | T | ||
| N | I | N | C | O | M | P | O | O | P | H | R | S | ||
| A | G | A | I | N | S | I | T | |||||||
| M | I | L | D | D | R | Y | F | L | Y | |||||
| A | N | T | O | A | F | L | I | E | ||||||
| H | A | I | F | A | A | M | P | L | I | F | I | E | S | |
| A | T | E | I | N | W | R | I | T | L | A | R | G | E | |
| T | E | S | T | Y | E | S | C | A | L | A | T | E | S |
The black squares of the grid form a number of arrow shapes,
pointing to 26 Across, 32 Down, 33 Down, and 41 Across. If these
three letter-answers are taken in the direction as pointed by the
arrows, and read in a cycle starting with 33 Down, we get BAP
TIS MEG SIX, or the crossword-clue-like phrase
“Baptism, e.g. (six).” A six-letter word that a baptism
is an example of is a
RITUAL, the answer to this puzzle.