| IMPOTENCE | Lack of ability to compete in composition (9) |
| FULLMOONS | Lunar phases traditionally associated with lack of ability to sleep (4,5) |
| BREAKDOWN | Malfunction; sudden loss of ability to function efficiently; (9) |
| TOFFEE | Chewy buttery sweet treat that is small, cheap and recalled in a phrase emphasising a person's complete lack of ability to do the simplest of tasks, even for a very small reward (6) |
| ALITERACY | Certain lack of ability in adult, once little and spirited |
| MONEY | Cash, coins, etc whose apparent lack of ability to buy happiness/love is echoed in a song by The Beatles (5) |
| INCOHERENCE | Lack of ability to express oneself |
| INSOMNIA | Condition characterised by a lack of ability to sleep (8) |
| ILLITERACY | A lack of ability to read and write (10) |
| JUVENILIA | Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man etc ___ Joyce's first to see value in composition about oneself (9) |
| NORWEGIAN | No one in composition of Wagner is Scandinavian (9) |
| NEUTRINOS | Tiny particles ruin notes in composition (9) |
| REALISTIC | It is clear in composition, and practical (9) |
| BLACKBELT | A person of the highest level of ability in judo, karate or other martial arts (5,4) |
| OVERPOWER | Crush because of ability? (9) |
| PROSCRIBE | Denounce translation in composition |
| GLISSANDI | They’re sliding, as in composition |
| UNEARTHED | Discovered tune heard in composition |
| ENDURANCETEST | Trial of ability to undergo hardship (9,4) |
| IMITATION | Mock lack of ability? That's not Liberal! (9) |
