| MIDDLEAGESPREAD | Fortysomething's woe, or this puzzle's theme (see letters 7, 8 and 9) |
| CALAMARI | *Official appetizer of the Ocean State (... letters 7-8) |
| ANIMOSITY | Hostile feeling, or an antonym of the word formed by letters 1, 4, 7, 8 and 9 |
| WONDERFUL | Magnificent, or an antonym of the word formed by letters 1, 2, 5, 7, 8 and 9 |
| CRAMPING | Arnold's leg woe, or a speed-solver's wrist woe? |
| TEAR | Bit of woe or joy |
| THEBALLAD | and 8 and 9 "Lo and behold, a trifle gaga" (anag) - poem by 20 (3,6,2,7,4) |
| SMARTASAWHIP | Very brainy (see letters 7 to 9 in this answer) |
| IFIWEREARICHMAN | *Aspirational "Fiddler on the Roof" song (In this clue's answer, see letters 7-9) |
| SHIPMATES | (with 8 and 9) Fellow Woman's Deliberate sailors name (9) |
| LEADEROFTHEPACK | 1964 #1 hit by the Shangri-Las... or this puzzle's theme |
| DOUBLEK | Certain ranch name... or this puzzle's theme |
| AFLASHOFGREEN | John D. MacDonald book or this puzzle's theme |
| TEMPS | Fill-in workers or this puzzle's theme |
| WHOLESOME | Like feel-good memes, or this puzzle's theme? |
| GOINCIRCLES | Fail to make progress, or this puzzle's theme |
| CLAPBACK | Return fire on social media, or this puzzle's theme |
| ALLIN | Risking everything in poker ... or this puzzle's theme |
| CAP | Investment money, briefly, or this puzzle's theme, backward |
| METOO | Silence breakers' hashtag, or this puzzle's theme |
