| Clue | Source | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Under strain, soundly taught for a scholarly end (6) | ||
| How guitars are strung | New York Times | 25 Dec 2022 |
| How bowstrings are strung | New York Times | 15 May 2020 |
| Without any slack | ||
| Not loosely | ||
| How tense words are spoken | ||
| How tense words are spoken | ||
| Not loosely | ||
| In a tense manner | ||
| Without slack | ||
| Without slack | ||
| In a tense manner | ||
| With great tension |