“Twelve answers are entered with SOMETHING WRONG, namely, a misprint of one letter; wordplay in their clues leads to the misprinted form. The correct letters in clue order spell a hint to the theme. Solvers must draw four thematic items (not necessarily in the form described) including all the misprints and 24 other letters. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.
The twelve correct letters spell THIN BLUE LINE. This hint, along with the known locations of the misprints allows the solver to see that the four thematic items are representations of police tape, namely (parts of) the words POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS.
A lovely idea for a puzzle, I thought. Most enjoyable.
Notation
(xxx) = definition
[xxx] = (anagram/homophone/container/etc.) indicator
XXX* = anagram
< = reversal
Please post a comment if the explanations are not clear.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALPINE RACE | PINER (Longer) [resident in] AL (Albania), ACE (excellent) Caucasian type (10, two words) | |
| T | 10 | LATTICED (LAITICED) | LICE (Insects) D (died) [across] AIT (small island) in a criss-cross formation (8) |
| 12 | ALOO | Potato that’s [nearly] ALOOF (cold) (4) | |
| 14 | NUEVO LEÓN | < {OE (Old English) LOVE (honey)} NUN (sister) [carries] [around] state on Texan border (9, two words) | |
| 15 | SEAM | SEAMAN (Sailor) [dumps] AN out-of-date cartload (4) | |
| 17 | SPROG | < {GORP (Appalachian trail mix) S (stokes)} [returning] recruit (5) | |
| 19 | DOTIEST | DO TEST (Perform experiment) [to catch] I (one) rotting most in some parts (7) | |
| H | 20 | NOTCH (NOTCR) | Nick NOT CR (anything but crown) (5) |
| 22 | POL | Activist‘s petrol, oil and lubricants (3) | |
| 23 | COO | Breathe C O O [elements of carbon dioxide] (3) | |
| I | 25 | UNTIN (UNTNN) | U (Unionist) turned <N |
| 26 | INN SIGN | Hotel’s advertising board SINNING (causing offence) [when outsiders move in?] (7, two words) | |
| 27 | MOIRA (MOERA) | MO (Month) [with] ERA (significant date) for destiny (5) | |
| 31 | STAN | Laurel, maybe S (commonest part of SASSAFRAS) TAN (bark used for leather) (4) | |
| N | 32 | TELAMONES (TELAMOEES) | T (Time) < {SEE (to view) O (old) MALE (man) [from behind] several with chiselled features? (9) |
| 33 | ORAL | Unwritten MORAL (lesson) [in M (Master)’s absence] (4) | |
| 34 | ENSLAVER | Dominating person ENS (being) [ROD] LAVER (Aussie racketeer)? (8) | |
| B | 35 | HEIDELBERG (HEIDELIERG) | HEID (Capernoity) ELI (old priest) with ERG (a bit of work) where oldest German university is located (10) |
| Down | |||
| L | 2 | LABEL (LABEP) | < PEAL (Ring) [up] [to keep] B (British) brand (5) |
| 3 | PICAROONS | More than one pirate [crushed] {A SCORPION}* (9) | |
| 4 | NIUE | NIQUE (MARTINIQUE [half-forgotten]) [when Q (Queen) leaves] island (4) | |
| 5 | REVS | RE (Second note) VS (opposing) guns (4) | |
| 6 | ADOPTS | Takes up < {POD (case) [in] STA (station)}, [heading north] (6) | |
| 7 | CALLISTO | CALL IS TO (Communication attempt targets) moon of Jupiter (8) | |
| 8 | COOKSON | CO (County) OKS (sanctions) ON (against) northern novelist (7) | |
| U | 9 | CONVULSANT (CONVTLSANT) | [Sprinkling of] SALT* [for] E (250) [in] CONVENT (cloister) causing paroxysms (10) |
| E | 11 | CELERY (CELDRY) | CEL (Celebrated) DRY (non-fleshy), crunchy stalks (6) |
| 13 | ASSOCIATOR | One joining up SO (provided) CIA (spies) [using ASTOR (female MP) as cover] (10) | |
| L | 16 | DEPLETIVE (DEPNETIVE) | Exhausting EPNE ( |
| I | 18 | OIL SHALE (OTL SHALE) | OTLS (LOST* [out]) [on] HALE (robust) source of fossil fuel (8, two words) |
| 20 | NON-HERO | Undistinguished fellow‘s NO-NO (failure) [to entertain] HER (the girl) (7) | |
| 21 | OUNCES | O (Ordinary) UNCLES (pawnbrokers) [losing L (pound)] or fractions of it (6) | |
| N | 24 | GIGMEN (GIGMEI) | Cabriolet drivers ME (one) [spotted in] GIGI (Chevalier film) (6) |
| 28 | RACER | Speed merchant {RE (concerned with) CAR (vehicle)} [tipping over] (5) | |
| E | 29 | COED (COND) | [Part of] SECONDARY school that’s mixed (4) |
| 30 | DELL | DE (DEW [mostly]) LL (lines) small valley (4) | |
| A | L | P | I | N | E | R | A | C | E | C | C |
| L | A | I | T | I | C | E | D | A | L | O | O |
| A | B | C | N | U | E | V | O | L | E | O | N |
| S | E | A | M | E | L | S | P | L | D | K | V |
| S | P | R | O | G | D | O | T | I | E | S | T |
| O | N | O | T | C | R | O | S | S | P | O | L |
| C | O | O | L | G | Y | U | N | T | N | N | S |
| I | N | N | S | I | G | N | M | O | E | R | A |
| A | H | S | H | G | C | C | D | S | T | A | N |
| T | E | L | A | M | O | E | E | S | I | C | T |
| O | R | A | L | E | N | S | L | A | V | E | R |
| R | O | H | E | I | D | E | L | I | E | R | G |