| FRANCOLIN | Girl's given boy the bird |
| SOPRANI | The girls given the highest scores (7) |
| SHORT | Best Animated ___ Film (Oscar category won by The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse in 2023) |
| MALARIA | Embracing the boy, the girl got the fever (7) |
| INDIA | Country in which novels including A Suitable Boy, The Jewel in the Crown, The White Tiger and Shantaram are set (5) |
| KITE | It's in the toy cupboard. Give the boy the key (4) |
| OMIT | Forget to give the boy the ball back (4) |
| DETAIL | In particular the backward boy: the unruly Ali (6) |
| PIPES | "Oh Danny boy, the ..., the ... are calling" |
| ANN | A girls given name (3) |
| ABOUT | Mad ___ The Boy: the latest Bridget Jones novel, published last year. (5) |
| SETH | Author of A Suitable Boy, the novel in verse The Golden Gate and five volumes of poetry including Beastly Tales (4) |
| OBSERVER | He watches the old boy, the one starting tennis match (8) |
| TREVOR | Irish author of novels including The Old Boys, The Boarding House and The Children of Dynmouth (6) |
| FAKES | Fall Out Boy "The Patron Saint of Liars and ___" |
| MYALGIA | My boy the soldier has a painful muscle condition |
| LADLE | Boy, the French produce scoop! (5) |
| SALADCREAM | Condiment as ordered by boy - the best |
| TROTTER | Del Boy, the scoundrel (7) |
| NOBLE | Initially nice old boy, the French aristocrat |
