| FULLCIRCLE | Back to the beginning (like how this puzzle's theme goes) |
| ROTS | A certain three-letter word, appropriate to this puzzle's theme, goes in the unnumbered center squar |
| FROMTHEWORDGO | Right at the beginning like you start a game of Monopoly (4,3,4,2) |
| PUTONTHEDL | Sidelined by injury, in baseball lingo, and a hint to how this puzzle's theme puns are formed |
| NOSAINT | Hardly a model of perfection, and a hint to how this puzzle's theme puns are derived |
| DISH | Rhyme runaway, and how this puzzle's theme answers are formed? |
| HIGHEST2LOWEST | Spike Lee's latest joint ... and how this puzzle's theme entries are arranged |
| AROUND | What a seasoned person has been, and how this puzzle's theme answers each literally go |
| REWIND | Button to put the tape back to the beginning |
| REWINDS | Goes back to the beginning of the tape |
| STARTOVER | Go back to the beginning, as with this puzzle's theme answers? |
| ALIENLIFEFORUM | Discussion board with topics like "How to get back to your home planet"? |
| RESTART | About to make sudden move and go back to the beginning |
| RUN | Sprint back to the beginning in the nursery (3) |
| DROPTHEACT | "We're on to you!" (and a hint to how this puzzle's other four longest answers were created) |
| OHYOU | Words to a kidder, and a hint to how this puzzle's five longest answers were created |
| SCOFF | Speak derisively, and a hint to how this puzzle's long answers were created |
| FLYINGSTART | Promising beginning, like Tom Cruise in, Top Gun tense (6,5) |
| CASANOVA | Notorious player of Chelsea's beginning like a star (8) |
| REAMED | Made the hole bigger - like how you buy paper for the printer (6) |
