| GOING | One inspired by award is making progress |
| LEARNINGCURVE | Finding out bend is making progress (8,5) |
| ADVANCING | A victory in terpsichorean activity is making progress (9) |
| EVOLVING | Leader taken from Rotary is making progress (8) |
| OPPONENT | Rival, very quiet one, inspired by old books (8) |
| NIGERIAN | One inspired by high earning African (8) |
| TRINIDADIAN | Islander's father, one inspired by Searle's fictional saint |
| HAIRDO | Bob, perhaps, one inspired by tough love (6) |
| PRERAPHAELITE | Artist, one inspired by paper and leather, surprisingly |
| MESSIANIC | Terribly nice mass, one inspired by Jesus? (9) |
| MASTER | Sommelier, for example, one inspired by drink (6) |
| DANCER | One inspired by Terpsichore |
| POET | One inspired by Calliope |
| MILLIGRAM | Metric unit (large one) inspired by shocking experiment at Yale (9) |
| NIL | Disappointing score, one inspired by new libretto initially |
| SITUP | Exercise, one inspired by places from the East (3,2) |
| SITAR | One inspired by celebrity’s instrument |
| THIEVERY | One inspired by the actual crime |
| RADIANCE | Brilliant quality of artist, one inspired by art |
| RESCIND | Cancel break, no time - one's inspired by campaigners (7) |
