| CABALETTA | From the Italian for "horse", a word for a short or simple aria with an accompaniment evocative of said animal's cantering or galloping gait (9) |
| CAVALIER | Based of the Latin for "horse", a knight or armed horseman; a gallant or courtly gentleman acting as a lady's escort; a Royalist supporter of Charles I; or, a breed of spaniel (8) |
| SHEEN | From "beautiful, white horse", a word for brilliance; lustre; glistening or splendid attire; or, a thin slick of oil (5) |
| TOCCATINA | A short or simple musical composition (9) |
| TEMPORARY | For a short or limited period (9) |
| MASH | A brewer's mixture of crushed malt grains and hot water; a warm porridgelike bran feed for horses; a champ-like puree of butter, milk and potatoes; any other soft pulpy concoction; or, northern dialec |
| DITTY | Short or simple song (5) |
| BILLET | Word for a short document originally, later a written military order to provide lodging for a soldier; the civilian quarters requisitioned; a brief note; or, with "doux", a sweet letter (6) |
| ARABS | For horses, a beastly disease that is to be avoided |
| HANDLESS | Word for a short enumeration or inventory without detail, for convenient characteristically easy-to-reach reference at one's fingertips (8) |
| MEMO | A truncated word for a short note serving as a reminder (4) |
| MERC | A short or informal name of a car symbolised by a three-pointed star; or, a soldier of fortune (4) |
| HEATHER | A moorland plant with nectar used to make honey; the national flower of Norway; or, a type of wool with colours evocative of the Scottish countryside (7) |
| DOVE | A columbarium- or cote-dwelling bird symbolising peace, hence a gentle person or pacifist, as opposed to a pro-war hardliner or "hawk"; or, a browny, buff, cream or greyish colour, evocative of said " |
| EASY | Word for something carefree or simple, as in the ABC, child's play, falling off a log or a walk in the park (4) |
| BERRY | A soft fruit such as the red variety traditionally used to make an accompaniment for turkey; or, a former GBBO judge and author of a number of cookery volumes including Christmas Collection (5) |
| APPLESAUCE | Name of an absolute "nonsense" of a pomaceous puree or compote of Bramleys or other cookers as an accompaniment for roast pork (5,5) |
| TABBY | Watered silk taffeta, originally from Baghdad; a cat with a brindled, mackerel or streaked coat, evocative of this; a gossip; a grey-brown mottled moth; or, coquina-like concrete (5) |
| HOLLY | Once used by boys and men of Tenby, Wales, to whip unsuspecting girls on Boxing Day in a courting ritual of "holming", a plant with prickly leaves evocative of Christ's crown of thorns at the Crucifix |
| PONCEAU | French word for the coquelicot colour of the corn poppy; or, a scarlet-red pigment evocative of this (7) |
