| FALSE | Not so, or word that can precede the first word of 17-, 30-, 48-, or 65-Across |
| AZIMUTH | Rhizomatous? Not so, or it could be an angle (7) |
| BOARDMEETING | High-level get-together, or an apt description of the pairing found in 19-, 25-, 30-, 48-, or 56-Across? |
| HELLOKITTY | Fictional feline from Japan ... or how one might greet 17-, 24-, 54- or 65-Across |
| KING | Nickname for Elvis, with "The" (and what has been dropped from 17-, 30-, 48-, and 66-Across) |
| GAG | Joke, and a hint to what's literally inside 17-, 30-, 48-, and 64-Across |
| LOL | Text tee-hee found in 17-, 30-, 48- and 62-Across |
| RULE | Govern, or word that can follow the first word of the four longest puzzle answers |
| SHOE | Mule, or word that can precede the first word in 20- and |
| BODYANDSOUL | Wholeheartedly, or words that can precede the first and second parts, respectively, of 17-, 31- and |
| CHESS | Word that can precede the first word of the answers to the asterisked clues |
| WIND | Word that can precede the first word of the answers to starred clues |
| HARD | Word that can precede the first word of the six longest puzzle answers |
| CROSS | Word that can precede the first word of the twelve starred entries in this puzzle |
| COLD | A synonym for the puzzle's title word, it may precede the first word of each of the long entries |
| BAIN | Donald who wrote a 1963 "memoir" seen in the first words of 17-, 30-, 46and 60- Across |
| BUILDABEAR | What you can do by combining the last words of 17-, 30- and 44- Across |
| PROOF | Evidence, or word that can follow the starts of answers to starred clues |
| LAST | Final (and a word that can precede the first word of this puzzle's longest answers) |
| BOX | Carton, and word that can precede the first word of answers to starred clues |
