| WHATSSOFUNNY | Question asked in response to the starts of both words in 20-, 28- and 48-Across |
| DEADENDS | Unfruitful paths ... or a description of both words in the answers to the seven starred clues? |
| DUCKDUCKGOOSE | Children's game ... or the circled words in 20-, 28- and 48-Across |
| SCRAMBLEDSIGNAL | Cable company's encryption, or what connects both words in 20-, 26- and 44-Across |
| LGBTQRIGHTS | Same-sex marriage and others, or a hint to the last letters of both words of 16-, 23-, 34-, 37- and 48-Across |
| GALATEA | In Greek mythology, a statue of a maiden brought to life by Aphrodite in response to the prayers of the sculptor Pygmalion |
| PLAYWITHMYFOOD | What I shouldn't do at the dinner table, except in 20-, 28-, and 44- across? |
| ARBROATH | Home of the Abbey famously known for a letter sent in response to the renewed excommunication of Robert the Bruce (8) |
| DRESSAGE | Method of training a horse to perform manoeuvres in response to the body signals of its rider (8) |
| ANTIBODIES | Proteins produced in the blood in response to the presence of antigens (10) |
| ANTIBODY | Protein produced in the blood in response to the presence of an antigen (8) |
| FREEFORALL | Fracas, and a hint to both words in the answers to starred clues |
| TEAMPLAYERS | Ones unconcerned with individual achievements ... or what both words in the answers to the starred clues are examples of |
| STREETSOFMINNEAPOLIS | 2026 Bruce Springsteen protest song written in response to the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti (7,2,11) |
| LINE | Queue, and word that can follow both words in the answers to starred clues |
| LETTER | Both words in each answer to a starred clue begin and end with the same one |
| OURGIRLS | 14 created in response to the 2014 kidnapping of Nigerian students by Boko Haram (5,4,3,5) |
| BACK | 14 created in response to the 2014 kidnapping of Nigerian students by Boko Haram (5,4,3,5) |
| BRING | 14 created in response to the 2014 kidnapping of Nigerian students by Boko Haram (5,4,3,5) |
| UNICEF | Org. established in response to the refugee crisis that followed the Second World War |
