| Playing the ___ (improvised verbal contest) | 43 |
| Playing to someone's vanity, maybe | 38 |
| Playing two cellos at once, maybe? | 34 |
| Playing unusually well | 22 |
| Playing various venues | 22 |
| Playing video games, say | 24 |
| Playing will a full deck | 24 |
| Playing will a full deck, so to speak | 37 |
| Playing with a full deck | 24 |
| Playing with bubble wrap | 24 |
| Playing with dolls | 18 |
| Playing with the bow bouncing lightly off the strings | 53 |
| Playing ___ (court activity) | 28 |
| Playing ___ (field) | 19 |
| Playing-card combo | 18 |
| Playing-card pack | 17 |
| Playing-card package | 20 |
| Playing-card spot | 17 |
| Playing-card spots | 18 |
| Playing-card units: Abbr. | 25 |
| Playing-fields school | 21 |
| Playing-it-safe quality | 23 |
| Playing-time link | 17 |
| Playless? | 9 |
| Playlet | 7 |
| Playlets | 8 |
| Playlist category | 17 |
| Playlist player | 15 |
| Playmaker, metaphorically | 25 |
| Playmakers? | 11 |
| Playmaking group | 16 |
| Playmate | 8 |
| Playmate for Spot | 17 |
| Playmate for the lonely | 23 |
| Playmate of bro. | 16 |
| Playmate of Piglet | 18 |
| Playmate of Po | 14 |
| Playmate of Spot | 16 |
| Playmate of Tinky Winky, Dipsy and Po | 37 |
| Playmate who m. an oil mogul | 28 |
| Playmates for Poms | 18 |
| Playmates for Poms, perhaps | 27 |
| Playmates in a primer | 21 |
| Playmates? | 10 |
| Playmobile | 10 |
| Playoff boon for the 49ers? | 27 |
| Playoff breathers | 17 |
| Playoff coups | 13 |
| Playoff disappointment | 22 |
| Playoff game settler, perhaps | 29 |
| Playoff locales | 15 |
| Playoff part | 12 |
| Playoff passes | 14 |
| Playoff rounds | 14 |
| Playoff series finale ... or an apt title for this puzzle considering the number and length of its theme entries | 112 |
| Playoff setting | 15 |
| Playoff setting, perhaps | 24 |
| Playoff setting, sometimes | 26 |
| Playoff spots | 13 |
| Playoff survivor | 16 |
| Playoffs | 8 |
| Playpen comments | 16 |
| Playpen crowd | 13 |
| Playpen item | 12 |
| Playpen items | 13 |
| Playpen occupant | 16 |
| Playpen pile | 12 |
| Playpen player | 14 |
| Playpen toy | 11 |
| Playpen toys | 12 |
| Playright Bogosian | 18 |
| Playroom abrasion | 17 |
| Playroom fixtures | 17 |
| Playroom item | 13 |
| Playroom item, perhaps | 22 |
| Playroom locale? | 16 |
| Playroom piece | 14 |
| Playroom pieces | 15 |
| Playroom scrape | 15 |
| Playroom scrapes | 16 |
| Playroom threat | 15 |
| Playroom toy endorsed by a Beastie Boy? | 39 |
| Plays | 5 |
| Plays "Wheel of Fortune" | 34 |
| Plays (with) | 12 |
| Plays 18 holes | 14 |
| Plays a bagpipe | 15 |
| Plays a bass? | 13 |
| Plays a campus prank on, informally | 35 |
| Plays a child's game | 24 |
| Plays a course | 14 |
| Plays a few rounds | 18 |
| Plays a game | 12 |
| Plays a guitar | 14 |
| Plays a Halloween prank on, informally | 38 |
| Plays a hole to its "quota," say | 42 |
| Plays a kazoo, basically | 24 |
| Plays a kids' game involving centrifugal force | 50 |
| Plays a part | 12 |
| Plays a part onstage | 20 |