| ZEROTOHERO | Overnight star's path ... and a description of the word ladder at the starts of 18-, 24-, 41- and 53-Across? |
| GANDT | Simple mixed drink, briefly, or a description of 18-, 24-, 41-, 52-, and 63-Across |
| SPARETIRE | Trunk item ... or what has been put on 18-, 24-, 41- and 53-Across? |
| POLARIS | Star's path originally followed by sailor adrift (7) |
| BACKROADS | They're off the beaten path, and a hint to the circled letters |
| FORKINTHEROAD | Cross between a well beaten path and a track less travelled, perhaps |
| PROSANDCONS | Both sides of an argument ... and what can literally precede the starts of 18-, 24-, 53- and 60-Acro |
| POOLPARTY | Summer shindig, and a hint to the starts of 17-, 24-, 41- and |
| WARANDPEACE | Classic novel of 1,000+ pages ... or a hint to the word ladder formed by the answers to the starred |
| SHARP | *Pointed ... and the end of the word ladder |
| WIND | *Renewable energy source ... and the end of the word ladder |
| ATWORLDSEND | The third "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie (and where you might find the first part of 18-, 24-, 34- |
| SUNRISESUNSET | Classic Broadway show tune, or a hint to the word ladder revealed by the answers to the eight starre |
| CARROLL | Pen name of the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland who invented the word ladder puzzle (7) |
| TRAIL | Type of footpath through the countryside with long-distance examples including the Cotswold Way, Pennine Way, South West Coast Path and the Yorkshire Wolds Way (5) |
| COOKSON | Author of some 100 books including The Cinder Path and those in the Tilly Trotter trilogy (7) |
| GOGO | *End of the word ladder |
| SOUP | *Start of the word ladder |
| SILT | Part 3 of the word ladder |
| WILT | Part 4 of the word ladder |
