| ABBREVIATE | Contract bridge: one's backing American in a dubious bet (10) |
| BRACE | Contract bridge: one pair (5) |
| LIFESPAN | Functional period of large iron bridge, one's claimed (8) |
| STAKED | Some bookmakers take dubious bet (6) |
| CABINETMINISTER | Dubious bet incriminates member of PM's team (7,8) |
| POTBELLY | Puts the kettle on admitting dubious bet is the product of including too many courses (8) |
| SUPERWOMAN | Person with special ability backing American manpower in crisis (10) |
| SIGNATURES | Backing American soldiers' characters as distinguishing marks (10) |
| BALUSTRADE | Protection on landing for party backing American commerce (10) |
| SUSPENSION | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ bridge, one with a roadway hanging on cables stretched between elevated piers (10) |
| CULBERTSON | Romania-born US authority on contract bridge who died in 1955 (3,10) |
| ARCHDEACON | Bridge -- one cad played, church official (10) |
| TOTHECARDS | It's likely to happen, especially in contract bridge (2,3,5) |
| MINORSUITS | In contract bridge, diamonds and clubs (5.5) |
| FEDERALIST | Heartless first leader disturbed one backing union of states (10) |
| PIANISSIMO | Very soft pine for one backing possibly grand houses (10) |
| REPRESSION | About newspapers: number one backing for subjugation (10) |
| INTEGER | Greet, in a dubious way, a whole number (7) |
| EQUILIBRATE | Balance out, but be quiet in a dubious lair (11) |
| CHEAT | He will be discovered in a dubious act (5) |
