| WHATSWHAT | The facts of a situation |
| NITTYGRITTY | Basic facts of a situation (5-6) |
| AUTHENTIC | Is setting out the real facts of a case, so it's genuine (9) |
| EDGE | Knife _, a critical point in the development of a situation, process of making a decision, etc (4) |
| EAR | A pig's ___, a mess of a situation |
| CONNECTSTHEDOTS | Makes sense of a situation ... and, literally, what the quartet of answers to starred clues does |
| HINDSIGHT | Recognition of the realities, possibilities or requirements of a situation after its occurrence (9) |
| INSANDOUTS | The intricacies of a situation |
| BOTTOMLINE | The basic reality of a situation (6,4) |
| DENIAL | In ___ (unable to acknowledge the truth of a situation) |
| NADIR | The lowest point of a situation (5) |
| MITIGATOR | Someone or something reducing the severity of a situation |
| UPSIDES | The more positive aspects of a situation (7) |
| INTHEFIRSTPLACE | The beginning (of a situation) (2,3,5,5) |
| UPSIDE | The more positive aspect of a situation (6) |
| DEFUSING | Taking the heat out of (a situation) (8) |
| OPPOSITION | Make short work of a situation, when out of office (10) |
| MIRRORS | Smoke and ____ , misleading information serving to obscure the truth of a situation (7) |
| REALISTS | Those who accept the true nature of a situation (8) |
| TAKESTOCK | To make an overall assessment of a situation usually before making a decision (4,5) |
