| DOUBLEHEADERS | Baseball rarities nowadays ... or a phonetic hint to the starts of 17-, 26-, 48- and 57-Across |
| NOHITGAMES | Baseball rarities |
| TIES | Baseball rarities |
| FACERECOGNITION | Technology used by smartphones nowadays ... or a hint to the ends of 16-, 24-, 44- and 57-Across |
| TEASEAPART | Carefully distinguish ... or a phonetic hint to the first and last letters of 17-, 26-, 48-, and 61-Across |
| BREAKFAST | Free motel offering nowadays ... or what 18-, 26-, 40- and 52-Across do? |
| SUGARSUBSTITUTE | Artificial sweetener ... and what the end of 17-, 26-, 48- and 58-Across is, literally |
| STARTOFSPRING | Vernal equinox, and what the last words of 17-, 26-, 48- and 60-Across might be considered |
| HANGMAN | Pencil-and-paper diversion where the starts of 17-, 25-, 48- and 57- Across denote incorrect guesses |
| PENCILMEIN | Tentative "It's a date" ... or a hint to the starts of 17-, 26-, |
| YELLOWJACKETS | Certain wasps, or the words that wrap around 17-, 23-, 48 and 57- Across? |
| ISNOT | One side of a childish debate ... or a phonetic hint to the answers to the four starred clues |
| ISTOO | Other side of a childish debate ... or a phonetic hint to the answers to the four double-starred clu |
| PASSABLE | Barely adequate ... or what the starts of 17-, 26-, 37- and 50- Across are |
| CASEY | Strikeout victim of poetry, and a phonetic hint to the answers to starred clues |
| FORTIES | Decade in which the Slinky debuted ... and a phonetic hint to the answers to starred clues |
| IDEATMYSHOE | Hyperbolic pledge if the improbable were to happen, and a phonetic hint to the theme answers |
| DECAY | Go to pot ... or a phonetic hint to the answers to starred clues |
| KEEPANEYEOUT | "Stay alert!," or a phonetic hint to the answers to the starred clues |
| MARINECORPS | "Semper fi" group...and a phonetic hint to the middles of the starred clues' answers |
