| BIERCE | Ambrose, U.S. wit and short story writer who created The Devil's Dictionary (6) |
| HANGOVER | Condition described as the 'wrath of grapes' by U.S. wit Dorothy Parker (8) |
| SPITANDSAWDUST | Spartan pad U.S. wit stands when settled (4,3,7) |
| RUNYON | Damon ___, US short-story writer who coined the phrase 'Hooray Henry' ('Tight Shoes,' 1936) (6) |
| CARVER | Raymond, American poet and short story writer who died in 1988 (6) |
| TREVOR | William ___, Irish novelist, playwright and short story writer who died in November 2016 |
| APPEAL | "In law, to put the dice into the box for another throw" (The Devil's Dictionary) |
| AMBROZEPIRRCE | US short story writer who authored the satirical work The Devil's Dictionary (7,6) |
| EDITOR | Newspaper or publishing boss who was 'demanding three inches of wit and six lines of religious medit |
| ESPRIT | Wit and uncanny perception artist's oddly lacking |
| ACUMEN | Wit and wisdom! (6) |
| AMINOR | "___ form of despair" ("Devil's Dictionary" on patience) |
| DAMONRUNYON | US journalist and short-story writer who wrote Guys and Dolls (5,6) |
| AMBROSEBIERCE | US journalist and short story writer, author of The Devil's Dictionary |
| AMBROSE | ___ Bierce author of The Devil's Dictionary who served in the U.S. Union Army |
| HAWTHORNE | Nathaniel - - -, American novelist and short story writer who wrote The Scarlet Letter (9) |
| HASEK | Jaroslav ___, Czech novelist and short-story writer who wrote The Good Soldier Schweik |
| POE | Short-story author who was the main character in the movie "The Pale Blue Eye" |
| ACHIEVEMENT | "The death of endeavor and the birth of disgust" according to The Devil's Dictionary |
| LARDNER | Ring --, US short-story writer who wrote "The Young Immigrunts" (sic) |
