| WIZARDOFOZ | Conman in work initially filling in crack leading to slow leak briefly |
| OIL | Lubricant in work initially ignored (3) |
| SEEPAGE | Loss due to slow leaks |
| CIA | Bad place to have a leak, briefly |
| KNOWTHEROPES | Be adept pupil initially filling in worksheet? No, that's wrong (4,3,5) |
| SPRAYCAN | Painter, perhaps, with some light colours initially filling in bridge (5,3) |
| INCLEMENT | Rough luck initially filling in binder (9) |
| ABSENCE | Space capsule initially filling poet's vacancy (7) |
| PAVED | Very eccentric initially filling apartment with flags (5) |
| BEHAVIOUR | Conduct live audio-visual interviews, initially filling time (9) |
| AIRLIFT | Emergency aid? One international link initially filling gap (7) |
| CREVASSE | Badly carves some smiling emojis in crack in glacier (8) |
| GANG | Bunch of crooks in north smuggled in crack (4) |
| SSSSSSSSSSSSSSS | Sound of a slow leak, perhaps, and clue to this puzzle |
| WEARISOME | Hard work initially, easier otherwise to maintain order (9) |
| TOPIARY | Attempt outside work, initially in arty garden design |
| UTOPIA | More work initially undertaking repairs to patio (6) |
| RESTRICT | Limit time off work, initially resulting in crankiness, temper |
| OCOTILLO | Ordinary firm work initially on shrub with red flowers found in the southwest US (8) |
| TOPSIDE | Time to accept work initially slicing cut of beef |
