| MATHEMATICIAN | A man wrestling with arithmetic - not reading or writing? |
| DYNAMITE | Man wrestling with deity is explosive |
| ALGORITHMS | Aids that help with arithmetic oddly also might with reading or writing? (10) |
| HOMER | Poet in residence reading or writing? (5) |
| STURDIER | More brawny student getting to grips with arithmetic, say? |
| WITHER | What describes wordy, vague, or indecisive talk or writing? (6) |
| STUDY | An exercise in art; a musical etude; or, a room devoted to academic work, reading or writing (5) |
| GERUND | Reading or writing, but not arithmetic |
| RAILING | Reading or writing poorly is a barrier (7) |
| SARGASSUMS | Marine plants tales about Reading or Writing -- and Arithmetic (10) |
| TREASURY | What's unusually true, say, about reading or writing delightful collection (8) |
| DURRELL | Perhaps reading or writing about boring, boring writer (7) |
| ATELIER | Took in story told by reading or writing workshop? (7) |
| NORSE | Innate ability to grasp reading or writing of ancient language (5) |
| BIRO | Writer's life includes reading or writing (4) |
| EXCERPT | In bar, reading or writing piece of text |
| ERA | Reading or writing, perhaps, in each period |
| SACCADE | Word for a sudden check, jerk or pull on a horse's reins, thus a rapid movement of the eyes, as in reading or REM; or, any abrupt jolt, tic, tug, twitch or other spasmodic repositioning (7) |
| DEN | Place for reading or writing |
| BASICSKILL | Reading or writing, for example |
