| ISTOO | Playground retort, and a hint to the theme of this puzzle |
| NOYOUARE | Playground retort, and a phonetic hint to how each starred clue's answer was formed |
| ISNOT | Schoolyard retort, and hint to this puzzle's theme |
| SNAPBACK | Retort and pans (4,4) |
| BONEIN | Like a porterhouse, and a hint to the theme of this puzzle |
| PUSHBACK | Resist a policy or regulation, and a hint to the theme of this puzzle |
| LEA | Verdant tract of land and hint to the theme of the puzzle |
| NOLO | Literally 'I am unwilling,' and a hint to the theme of this puzzle |
| TWOTIME | Cheat on, and a hint to the theme of this puzzle |
| INXS | "Need You Tonight" rock group, and a hint to the theme of this puzzle |
| DOGSTAIL | It's chased in futility, and is a hint to the theme of this puzzle |
| GETUNDERWAY | Start, and a hint to the theme of this puzzle |
| CANES | Nickname for a team from Miami, and an aural hint to the theme of this puzzle |
| OFFEND | Insult, and a clue to the theme of this puzzle (when divided properly) |
| AANDE | "Dog the Bounty Hunter" network, and a hint to the theme in this puzzle's four longest answers |
| MANDM | Piece of candy that's appropriate to the theme of this puzzle (3 wds.) |
| IDEATMYSHOE | Hyperbolic pledge if the improbable were to happen, and a phonetic hint to the theme answers |
| COMPOUNDW | "The wart stops here" product, and a hint to the theme found in eight puzzle answers |
| BLACKJACK | Casino game, and hint to the theme in last words of answers to starred clues |
| NAVAL | Related to the theme of this puzzle |
