| TALKSHOP | What boutique owners do when asked 'how is business?' Speak out, in a firm way, on a day off! (4,4) |
| ELMO | Muppet who went viral on X in January when he asked, How is everybody doing? |
| SHOPKEEPER | Delicatessen or boutique owner |
| TRAINCATSANDDOGS | What some pet owners do? |
| POSSES | Almost what owners do for police bands (6) |
| SAYNOTHING | Don't answer or do, when asked what the much ado is about (3,7) |
| GRANTPERMISSION | What Ulysses might do when asked for consent? |
| SAYSTEVIEWONDER | What to do when asked who recorded "Superstition" |
| STREEP | When asked how she learns accents, she said "I listen" |
| IMGREAT | Positive reply when asked, "How's it going?" |
| MADAM | "Call me ____" (Betty Boothroyd, when asked how she should be addressed as speaker of the House of Commons) |
| BORE | Per an oft-quoted aphorism, someone who, when asked how he's doing, actually tells you |
| DOWNFROMAGOOSE | When asked how does one down from a horse, the smart aleck said "You dont, you get...": 4 wds |
| OWN | When asked how many husbands she had had, Zsa Zsa Gabor replied, "You mean apart from my ...?" |
| ANSWEREDCOYLY | What the Brooklyn girl did when asked, "What kind of hair is that?" |
| ALIBI | Any lapse is business is primarily an excuse (5) |
| EXEC | In Devon, a current company leader is business manager (4) |
| BRANDISHED | In Devon, a current company leader is business manager (4) |
| CALICO | Given material for dress, girl shortly in is business |
| COMPACT | Firm is business without any piece of legislation |
