| SPINY | Covered in thorns or quills (5) |
| STARFISH | Known collectively as a galaxy, an echinodermatous marine asteroid, such as a blue linckia, crown of thorns or the "chocolate chip" example (8) |
| GETWORSE | Wet bum covered in thorns? Don't recuperate! (3,5) |
| FEATHERS | Plumes or quills traditionally fitted to arrows by fletchers or used as pens; or, long tufts of hair on the fetlocks of heavy horses (8) |
| PENS | Large feathers; or, quills from which ink and words flow (4) |
| PASTA | Food in shapes including seashells, bow ties, quills, ribbons and spirals (5) |
| BARBS | Quills have sharp tips and overlapping scales or ___ that make them difficult to remove once they are stuck in another animal's skin |
| PENNE | Pasta quills (5) |
| ACANTHA | In biology, a thorn or prickle (7) |
| HORN | Antler caught in thorns |
| HAIRS | Quills |
| PRICKLE | Thorn or spike on a plant (7) |
| PLECTRUM | A pick or quill with which to pluck, strike or strum musical strings (8) |
| NOUN | Pencil, pen, or quill |
| PEN | Word after "fountain" or "quill" |
| FEATHER | Plume or quill (7) |
| PENNATE | From "feather, fin, wing", word used to denote a botanical folio with a distinctly plume- or quill-like shape (7) |
| PENNER | Word for a writer or composer; a case for carrying their nibs, quills or stylographs; or, one who corrals, herds or shepherds cattle, pigs, sheep or other livestock into folds, stalls or sties (6) |
| CINNAMON | Ground or rolled in quills, an aromatic spice used to flavour foods including French toast, apfelstrudel, poached pears or golden turmeric latte (8) |
| PORCUPINE | Rodent covered in quills (9) |
