| HANGNAILS | Annoying bits of torn skin near the fingertips |
| HANGNAIL | Torn skin near the end of a finger |
| NAILBED | Covered area near the fingertip |
| CROWSFEET | Wrinkles in the skin near the eye (5,4) |
| AGNAIL | Piece of torn skin on the upper surface of the fingertips (6) |
| CUBIT | The length of the ancient unit of measurement was supposed to be the distance from the elbow to the fingertips |
| NAILS | Tacks such as tingles or trunnels; talons; or, ungues of the fingertips, beautified in the art of manicure (5) |
| DABS | Informal word for the fingertips; aces, adepts or experts; small plaice- or sole-like flatfishes sometimes caught by trawlers or shrimpers; gentle pats or taps; or, blobs of chocolate, glue, ink, pain |
| NAIL | A fastener kept right at the fingertips |
| KEYS | Levers depressed with the fingertips when playing a piano (4) |
| THIMBLES | Metal or ceramic caps protecting the fingertips during needlework (8) |
| ZITHERS | Which musical folk instruments are played with a plectrum and the fingertips (7) |
| ZITHER | Which musical folk instrument is played with a plectrum and the fingertips (6) |
| CUTICLE | Reduced item (shorn of art) for skin near nail (7) |
| RAGRUGS | Floor coverings or mats made from a veritable patchwork of torn strips of fabric or scraps of old cloth (3,4) |
| RENTROLL | Record kept by landlord of torn bundle of notes |
| HANSARP | Worker in the medium of torn and pasted paper |
| TRONLEGACY | Sci-fi film formed by an anagram of "torn" + a synonym for "long-lasting impact": 2 wds. (Theme answer: When read from bottom to top, this puzzle's circled letters spell a phrase related to the puzzle |
| LILA | Actress Kedrova of "Torn Curtain" |
| IMBRUGLIA | Aussie singer of "Torn", Natalie ... (9) |
