| PIVOT | Person having central role |
| PYRE | Occupy residence having central heating? |
| VARIABLE | Something unstable - having central part removed - will work! |
| BELOVED | Accepted having central characters destroyed by ring that's "precious" |
| DEPARTED | Act, taking on central role, then quit (8) |
| ELDEST | First-born of Israel destined for central role? |
| CALLANT | Central role in Jedburgh festival (7) |
| FULCRA | They play a central role with university credit in English association (6) |
| CUT | Refuse to acknowledge central role in public utility (3) |
| KNOLL | A grassy ___ plays a central role in theories about the Kennedy assassination. (5) |
| COSET | In group theory, term for a type of subset forming a central role in Lagranges theorem (5) |
| TIGER | What kind of animal plays a central role in the Life of Pi? (5) |
| THORN | What kind of object plays a central role in the story of Androcles and the Lion? (5) |
| BRACKNELL | Which Lady has a central role in Oscar Wilde's the Importance of Being Earnest? (9) |
| BEER | Alcoholic beverage that plays a central role in the Oktoberfest celebrations |
| ANCHOR | Can chorus line play the central role in the show? (6) |
| SACREDLOTUS | Aquatic plant, Nelumbo nucifera, playing a central role in the art of Indian religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism (6,5) |
| IGOR | He played a central role in Frankenstein's reinvigoration. (4) |
| SYLVIAKRISTEL | Dutch actress who played the central role in several of the Emmanuelle films |
| STARPART | Begin to take equal, then central, role (4,4) |
