Crossword Genius

Laid blame on defendant (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

accused

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'defendant' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'laid blame on' is the wordplay.
'laid' becomes 'd' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'blame' becomes 'accuse ' (I've seen this in another clue).
'on' says to put letters next to each other.
'd' put after 'accuse' is 'ACCUSED'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for accused that I've seen before include "Defendant appearing on a criminal charge" , "Charged with an offence" , "Charged with a crime" , "One tried" , "He who stands in the dock" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app