| MIDWINTER | December 21st, this year, in the northern hemisphere |
| DECADENT | Ten years in the Northern Territory makes one debauched (8) |
| SUMMER | Friday 21 December this year in the Southern Hemisphere (6,8) |
| SOLSTICE | Friday 21 December this year in the Southern Hemisphere (6,8) |
| WILLIE | With 35-Across: Norah Jones idolizes this 88-year-old Texan, whom she's up against this year in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal category |
| COSTA | - - - Rica, central American country that started this year in 100th position in the men's world rankings (5) |
| OCTOBER | From the Latin meaning "eight" due to its former position in the Roman calendar, the second month of autumn in the northern hemisphere, birthstone opal (7) |
| MARCH | In the northern hemisphere the vernal equinox occurs in this month |
| ANNO | Part of this year in Latin |
| TEN | Age that Amy turns this year in Coronation Street (3) |
| HYSTERIA | Finished this year in mad panic |
| SAT | Halloween, this year, in brief |
| TENTH | Leo Goskirk celebrated his landmark _ birthday earlier this year in Emmerdale (5) |
| EIGHTH | Young Carl Holliday will celebrate his ___ birthday this year in Emmerdale (6) |
| ROBINSON | Paul _, Erinsborough businessman set to return this year in Neighbours (8) |
| SUMMERSOLSTICE | Time around June 21st in the northern hemisphere when the day is longest and the night shortest (6,8) |
| JANUARY | The birthday of all racehorses in the Northern Hemisphere falls on the first of this month. (7) |
| NORTHPOLE | The point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets the Earth's surface (5,4) (5,4) |
| MUSSELS | Bivalve molluscs found in clusters attached to rocks around the Atlantic coasts in the northern hemisphere and the Mediterranean (7) |
| ARCTURUS | Brightest star in the constellation Bootes, in the northern hemisphere (8) |
