| PIDAY | It falls on March 14, so chosen to play on the abbreviation "3.14"; it also explains the initials of our four theme entries |
| COMPASS | Instrument whose four ordinal points are represented by the initials of the four starred entries, which also explains their placement in the grid |
| ETAT | Louis XIV, so he claimed |
| HOLI | Hindu Festival of Colors, which falls on March 18 this year; it's spelled out clockwise by the colors' initials in this grid |
| LADYDAY | The quarter day in England which falls on March 25 (4,3) |
| PREDESTINATION | Perdition's neat solution for those so chosen? (14) |
| ILL | Is so chosen, badly, to be off colour (3) |
| SALVADORDALI | It may seem surreal, but a thief simply walked into a San Francisco gallery on Oct. 14, then walked right back out with a $20,000 sketch by this Spanish artist |
| CEASE | 100 reach 14 then stop (5) |
| FESTIVUS | It falls on the eve of Christmas Eve |
| ITCH | It falls on Switzerland to burn informally? (4) |
| EYEDROP | It falls on a pupil |
| DOUBLETANDHOSE | Old two-piece settee grandly unveiled repeatedly then chosen for similar (7,3,4) |
| MITT | Wrong glove, guy: The baker wasn't allowed to play on the baseball team because he insisted on wearing his oven ___ |
| DREWBARRYMORE | Actress who posted a video on Instagram on March 14 in which she called The Week "the best magazine" and its crossword "my absolute favorite crossword puzzle"; four of her movies are this puzzle's the |
| WHEELCHAIRRUGBY | Notoriously brutal Paralympics sport for Sarah Adam, the first woman to play on the US team |
| BEACH | "On the good ship, Lollipop; It's a sweet trip to a candy shop; Where bonbons play, on the sunny ... of Peppermint Bay" |
| FROST | Term for atmospheric moisture crystallizing directly on the ground and on exposed objects; it also refers to the occurrence of subfreezing temperatures that affect plants and crops. (5) |
| MCCULLUM | Current coach of the KKR, his century in the first ever IPL match set the tone for the event. It also remains KKR's only century to date. |
| SHIP | Shirley Temple sang, "On the good ... Lollipop; It's a sweet trip to a candy shop; Where bonbons play; On the sunny beach of Peppermint Bay" |
