| RETALIATE | Aggressive tail a terrapin displays when about to strike back (9) |
| CHELONIAN | A terrapin, tortoise or turtle |
| SLIDER | A luger; a mini burger; a mule; a sash window; a skidder; a slithering skink; a terrapin that uses a rock as a glide; or, a tricky ice-cream sandwich (6) |
| VEGETATES | See tag vet displays when becomes passive |
| GOLFER | Sportsman about to strike back (6) |
| SCREENSAVERS | Images that appear on computer displays when not used for a while (12) |
| ACROBATIC | A reptile about to strike - I must be agile (9) |
| LITHUANIA | Somehow I tail a Hun to a more easterly country |
| VESTIGIAL | With just a trace of it left, gives tail a twist (9) |
| SLIGHTING | Offensive rat about to strike (9) |
| GRAPESHOT | Scattered missiles he's got, bombs about to strike |
| DOWNTOOLS | Onto the Wolds, about to strike out? (4,5) |
| MARCHPAST | Army display when April's begun? (5,4) |
| TRANSPIRE | Happen to find terrapins at sea (9) |
| PRIDE | Collective noun for a social unit of lions; a peacocks attitude of display when fanning his tail to attract a peahen; or, one of the seven deadly sins (5) |
| BRUSH | A besom; a brief encounter; a fox's tail; a graze; or, a thicket (5) |
| SERAPH | Males when back are about to strike for an angel |
| SISKIN | With a distinctive forked tail, a garden bird resembling a cross between a greenfinch and a serin that is one of Britain's smallest finches (6) |
| PENCIL | From "tail", a painter's fine brush of hair, like a tuft at the end of such a scut; a stick of wood-encased blacklead/ graphite or chalk with which to delineate, doodle, hatch, scribble or write; or, |
| FORMALISES | Makes usual sounds maintaining right to strike back (10) |
