| CANARY | Until the practice officially ended in 1986, this bird was often the first in the coal mine (or lemon-adjacent shade) |
| USSR | Cold War federation that officially ended in 1991 (1,1,1,1) |
| IBIS | This bird was a symbol of the deity Thoth in ancient Egypt, and it is often depicted in ancient Egyptian art. Mummified bodies of this bird have discovered; one tomb housed 500,000. |
| HERON | A rare variety of this bird was recently spotted in Mayo. (5) |
| PROHIBITION | It officially ended 12/5/33 |
| LEEDORSEY | American singer whose biggest hits were Ya Ya and Working In the Coal Mine (3,6) |
| MELBOURNE | In 1956 this city was the first in the southern hemisphere to host the Olympic Games |
| SLACK | Idle in the coal-mine (5) |
| HELLO | Often the first thing out of characters' mouths in The Inferno is to do with love (5) |
| CALM | No noise in the coal mines, just peacefulness (4) |
| MEMPHISBELLE | Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress whose aircrew was the first in the US Eighth Air Force to complete 25 missions in Europe and return to the United States |
| RISING | Hannibal ____ is, chronologically, the first in the series which includes The Silence of the Lambs |
| ULCER | Peptic disorder treated with surgery until they discovered it was often the result of a treatable He |
| BODY | A corporal frame or trunk, be it mine, or of a porcupine or swine; or, the fullness of flavour in a fine wine (4) |
| REEF | Gold- or quartz-bearing vein in the earth; the non-diamondiferous rock of a diamond mine; or, a ridge of coral (4) |
| SNOWDROP | Woodland, parkland and garden flower, often the first sign of life after the winter and thus a harbinger of spring (8) |
| CHAMPION | Hawthorn's first in flower - the first in the field (8) |
| OFALLWORK | A maid ____ was often the only servant in a Victorian household (2,3,4) |
| OBERLIN | Ohio college that was the first in the U.S. to award degrees to women |
| ROSYTH | Town on the Firth of Forth whose dockyards were the first in the Royal Navy to be privatised |
