| SILENTNIGHT | Song of 1859 ... or what the five circled letters represent? |
| LIONSHARE | Almost all ... and a hint to the five circled letters |
| SPLITPEA | Kind of soup, or what the five theme answers demonstrate |
| RISINGDOUGH | What a baker gets after adding yeast, or what the circled letters represent |
| FISHHOOK | Device at the end of the line, and what each set of circled letters represents |
| CORPORATEBONDS | Capital-raising vehicles, or what the circled letters represent |
| OPENMARKET | Accessible commerce with few restrictions, or what the circled letters represent |
| TOWNSQUARES | What the six groups of circled letters represent |
| STEPMOM | Wicked relative of Cinderella ... or what each set of circled letters represents? |
| DAYSHIFT | What a nine-to-fiver works ... or, literally, what each set of circled letters represents |
| ACUTABOVETHEREST | Superior ... or what this puzzle's circled letters represent? |
| YOGAPOSES | What the five formations of circled letters in this puzzle represent |
| PARALLELPARKS | Does a driving test task - or an apt description of the five circled diagonals in this puzzle |
| DOT | It precedes any of the five circled "words" |
| DOUBLEDOWN | Blackjack bet ... or a hint to applying the five circled regions in this puzzle |
| COMPASS | What the circled letters represent |
| WATER | What the circled letters represent |
| SPLITHAIRS | Nitpick, and what this puzzle's circled letters represent |
| TAXBRACKET | Earnings division, and what each trio of circled letters represents |
| XWORDS | Black-and-white puzzles, colloquially ... and what the five sets of parentheses contain |
