| STIRTHEPOT | Create tension among friends, or a hint to this puzzle's circled letters |
| GROUPCHAT | Conversation among friends ... or a hint to the animal collectives in the starred answers and the conversations that follow them |
| DISCODISCORD | Tension among the Bee Gees? |
| DETENTE | Easing of tensions among nations |
| SQUADGOALS | Ambitions among friends ... or what seven answers in this puzzle represent? |
| POWWOW | A meeting for discussion, especially among friends or colleagues (6) |
| AREYOUOKAY | Question when checking on a friend ... or a hint to two pairs of letters in 17-, 30- or 43-Across |
| WAIF | What can be a child without a home and friends or a thin and small woman? (4) |
| CIRCLE | Planet's orbit; social group of friends; or, a parallel of latitude (6) |
| CLOSE | Whether referring to a cathedral precinct, a courtyard, a cul-de-sac or a tight relationship with a friend or a mutt, it's a word for "near, secure, shut" (5) |
| SPAR | A cleavable crystal such as calcite; a boxer's practice fight; an informal word for a close friend; or, a boom, mast, yard or other nautical pole (4) |
| ATTACHMENT | A bond with a bestie, betrothed or four-legged friend; or, a file appended to an email before hitting "send" (10) |
| STIRUPDRAMA | Create tension in a group, and a direction that was followed when forming the answer to each starred clue? |
| MIXTAPE | This-and-that recording for a friend or a party |
| SLEEVENUT | Arm fanatic? This can create tension in turn |
| SUSPENSE | South American writer's dream, essentially, is to create tension (8) |
| STRAINER | Does he create tension as a sieve? (8) |
| GROWNAPART | Cut ties gradually, as with a close friend or a family member |
| CHUM | Friend or a mixture used to attract sharks |
| PANTRY | Word, from Latin's "bread", for a baker's bountiful buttery, a cupboard for crust and crumb, a larder for loaves, staff of life's store or other place for a fragrant food broken with friends or topped |
