| NUPTIAL | Relating to mating |
| ENDGAME | Lead-up to mating |
| CHECK | Restraint could be prelude to mating (5) |
| CHESS | It involves moves on board that may lead to mating (5) |
| LEK | From the Swedish for "to play", a communal mating ground of black grouse, where blackcocks gather to display and joust for greyhens (3) |
| CHESSCLUB | Where to play the mating game (5,4) |
| PLAYHARDTOGET | Can't make sense of what the actors produced - presumably it's something to do with mating ritual? (4,4,2,3) |
| INERTIA | Popular time to welcome the return of mating sloth (7) |
| IBEXES | Wild goats mating returned to half of Iberia |
| TURNHEADS | Mating period's coming up and he's out to attract attention |
| SELDOM | Rarely hawk loses tail to make initial mating (6) |
| MAGNITUDE | Importance of mating due to be re-evaluated |
| HIPPOS | "Poop-opotamus" romance: During their mating season, these heavyweight honchos spin their tails to hurl their turds at the objects of affection |
| EMBARGO | Queen taking bishop in mating attack primarily to advance check (7) |
| DUCHESSES | Aristocrats expected by society to embrace the mating game |
| RUT | Word, from the Latin for "roar" in reference to the clamour of stags when challenging rivals, for the annual mating season of said animals and other ruminant mammalians (3) |
| DRAGONFLY | Travelling at speeds of up to 35mph and mating in a unique wheel formation, often on the wing, a "devil's darning-needle" such as an azure hawker, blue dasher, emerald, flame skimmer or green darner ( |
| SPEEDCHESS | One needs to be a fast mover in this mating game (5,5) |
| BROODMARE | Female horse kept for mating |
| MATCH | Mating |
