| LINKINGVERB | Word such as "be" ... or a punny description of the seven-letter word that can create new action words when its letters are inserted in the breaks of the circled action words |
| SINS | Subject of the seven-letter mnemonic PALE GAS |
| ISAACNEWTON | Create new action as scientist (5,6) |
| ELLA | Queen of Jazz, as be-fitz her. (4) |
| EYESONTHEPRIZE | "Stay focused"... or a punny description of the placement of this puzzle's circled letters |
| VICIOUSCYCLES | Hard patterns to break ... or a punny description of the climbs up the circled letters |
| EQUALLLY | On a June 2022 broadcast, staff let a typo sneak into Final Jeopardy!, when a double letter in a common seven-letter word was tripled to this |
| SATIRE | Scrabble sextet that can form a seven-letter word with 18 of the 26 |
| IFS | Possibilities DIRECTIONS: Make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row. Add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. "Blanks" used |
| STEWARDESSES | One of the only 12 letter words that typists can produce with just the left hand on a standard keybo |
| OYSTER | Mollusc with a species that can create a pearl from a grain of sand (6) |
| OVERLOADED | Carrying way too much, and a punny description of four Across answers in this puzzle |
| SPOONER | W A ___, English clergyman renowned for his transposition of the initial consonants of a pair of wor |
| THEFEW | Name for the Allied airmen of the Royal Air Force who fought the Battle of Britain in the Second Wor |
| RUNNINGJOKES | *Recurring gags... and a punny description of this puzzle's theme |
| BLEEP | Five-letter word that replaces a four-letter word? |
| EARHART | Pioneer lady aviator Amelia ..., disappeared in July, 1937, while nearing the end of a round-the-wor |
| SEQUOIA | What is the only seven-letter word to use all five vowels and Q? |
| PAC | ___ animal (punny description of a donkey or elephant?) |
| RACKET | Sort of bat that can create a loud noise (6) |