| INTHEFIRSTPLACE | The winner was expressing an initial consideration (2,3,5,5) |
| FIRSTREADING | Initial consideration of proposed legislation (5,7) |
| FIRSTBLUSH | Initial consideration |
| XFACTOR | The ?, ITV talent show whose first winner was Steve Brookstein in 2004 |
| APPRENTICE | The ___ , TV business reality show that began in 2005 whose first winner was Tim Campbell (10) |
| PGA | ___ Championship (tournament whose 2023 winner was Brooks Koepka) |
| NBL | Basketball competition whose inaugural 1979 winner was St Kilda (1,1,1) |
| INNER | Winner was docked being internal (5) |
| EPITHET | Term applied expressing an attribute |
| LISZT | Composer expressing an inclination (5) |
| AIRING | Ventilating / publicly expressing an opinion |
| MOTTO | Short sentence expressing an ideal |
| PHRASE | Group of words expressing an idea (6) |
| DISAPPROVING | Expressing an unfavourable opinion (12) |
| VERB | Word expressing an action (4) |
| DATIVE | Expressing an indirect object |
| OUTONALIMB | Expressing an unpopular opinion (3,2,1,4) |
| THEXFACTOR | ITV talent show whose first winner was Steve Brookstein in 2004 (3,1,6) |
| REFRIGERANT | Another big winner was managing that stuff making your fridge work or finding better stuff. (11) |
| AMADEUS | Which film, 1984's Best Picture Oscar winner, was filmed in Prague? (7) |
