| AFFORD | Handle the expense, and, when parsed correctly, this puzzle's theme |
| HEAVENSGATE | The expense and criticism of this 1980 epic Western led to United Artists being sold to MGM |
| STOP | "Enough with the lame puns already!" (and, when parsed as three words, a hint to the theme answers) |
| TENETS | Core principles and when parsed differently, what you'll find across all of the answers to the starred clues |
| AROSE | Came up ... and when parsed, what comes up five other times in this puzzle |
| MOVESOVER | Makes room, and when parsed differently, an instruction for four answers in this puzzle |
| ATHENS | Capital of Greece...and when parsed differently, a hint to the starred clues' answers |
| LIPPSINC | Tar Heel St. city named for a part of the mouth with a trident-shaped Greek letter written on it? ... or, when parsed differently, the band with the No. 1 hit spelled out in the circled squares |
| ASTARISBORN | Thrice-remade movie ... or, when parsed as six words, a hint to the theme clues in this puzzle |
| NAMESADAY | Does some scheduling... or, when parsed differently, a hint to this puzzle's theme |
| FIVERS | Fins, or when parsed differently, a feature of the answers to the starred clues |
| PHOTOSHOP | Adobe graphics editor...or when parsed differently, a hint to this puzzle's theme |
| TENSESUP | Stiffens ... or, when parsed differently, what the answers to the starred clues collectively have? |
| CONNECTICUT | The Constitution State ... or, when parsed differently, what you gradually do with this puzzle's circled letters? |
| MOVEDOVER | Change a map of southern England? ... or, when parsed differently, what you need to do to the answers to the starred clues |
| WORDCHOICE | Author's concern that, when parsed as four parts, provides a hint to this puzzle's theme |
| WORD | Scrabble play, or, when parsed in three parts, a hint to the switch featured in this puzzle's longest answers |
| FLOSS | Dental stu__, or when parsed di__erently, what this clue su__ers _rom? |
| WORDSQUARE | Classic letter puzzle - or, when parsed differently, a hint to three Down answers in this puzzle |
| WORKSWITHOUTANET | Has no plan B ... or, when parsed differently, what each of the starred clues does vis-a-vis its answer? |
