| INEPTNESS | Was one pent up, at the end, to point to incompetence (9) |
| FOOLPROOF | Impervious to incompetence |
| HOPELESSNESS | Despair due to incompetence (12) |
| LETOFFSOMESTEAM | Release one's pent-up emotions |
| VENTED | Expressed one's pent-up frustration |
| LETTINGOFFSTEAM | Airing one's pent-up emotions |
| LEGISLATE | One gets all up, at the end, to enforce the laws (9) |
| EXONERATE | Let one off the hook when one extra turned up at the end (9) |
| ENDEAVOUR | Try hard to get a vendor to turn up, at the end (9) |
| NEGOTIATE | Get into a mess-up, at the end, so has to hammer out a deal (9) |
| DETONATES | Tend to oats growing up, at the end. It set things off (9) |
| REPLICATE | Did cart pile up, at the end, to make an exact copy? (9) |
| DESPERATE | Old man rested up, at the end, when he was distressed (9) |
| ENUMERATE | May tear menu up, at the end, to make it count (9) |
| DOCTORATE | Patch things up, at the end with the right qualifications (9) |
| RETROUSSE | Of nose, turned up at the end (9) |
| APATHETIC | Indifferent when name comes up at the end of a course (9) |
| BUCCANEER | Bruce can turn up, at the end, with an old pirate (9) |
| SALTPETRE | Chemical or condiment man turned up at the end (9) |
| LOUSINESS | Incompetence, a condition that brings out the nit-picker? (9) |
