| Spine locale | 12 |
| Shirt holder | 12 |
| Safety, for one | 15 |
| Safety, e.g. | 12 |
| Running attachment | 18 |
| Quarter, half or full | 21 |
| Player like O.J. | 16 |
| O.J., for one | 13 |
| O.J. was one | 12 |
| No longer on vacation | 21 |
| Lion tamer's warning | 24 |
| Lead-in to lash or log | 22 |
| Involuntary extension of troop tours | 36 |
| Forth's opposite | 20 |
| Football man | 12 |
| Drive in reverse, with "up" | 37 |
| Dorsum | 6 |
| Dorsal area | 11 |
| Bet on | 6 |
| Before hoe or down | 18 |
| Be an angel | 11 |
| "The Empire Strikes ___" | 34 |
| "Spring forward, fall ___" | 36 |
| "___ to the Future" | 29 |
| ___ to school . . . or a hint to the puzzle theme suggested by the ends of five answers | 87 |
| Where bottles of alcohol sit | 28 |
| Bottle storage spot | 19 |
| Straw, to a camel? | 18 |
| Torturous task | 14 |
| Exhausting task | 15 |
| Place for low-priority items | 28 |
| Sleeping sunbather, at times? | 29 |
| Range's spot for an item off the shelf | 42 |
| Place for low-priority issues | 29 |
| Place for deferred plans | 24 |
| Boondocks | 9 |
| Rural area | 10 |
| The boonies, e.g. | 17 |
| Remote rural area | 17 |
| Music performed while facing away from the audience? | 52 |
| Pretended to have written earlier, as a letter | 46 |
| Clandestine | 11 |
| Way out, at times | 17 |
| Rear entrance | 13 |
| Fall behind | 11 |
| Setting | 7 |
| Scrim, perhaps | 14 |
| Piece of scenery | 16 |
| Stage curtain, e.g. | 19 |
| Scenery hung at the rear | 24 |
| Gymnast's move | 18 |
| Part of a gymnastics routine | 28 |
| Remote acreage on a ranch | 25 |
| Remote farm parcel | 18 |
| Board game | 10 |
| Game for two | 12 |
| Game with a bar in the middle of the board | 42 |
| Support Bacon? | 14 |
| Popular board game | 19 |
| It evolved from the Royal Game of Ur | 36 |
| Dicing game | 11 |
| Personnel investigation | 23 |
| Security screening | 18 |
| Security clearance procedure | 28 |
| Security clearance prerequisite | 31 |
| Pre-employment screen | 21 |
| It might reveal a skeleton in the closet | 40 |
| Employer's security screening | 33 |
| They may be checked in personnel departments | 44 |
| Working again | 13 |
| At work again | 13 |
| Once again in control | 21 |
| In control, again | 17 |
| Aerosmith "Rocks" classic | 35 |
| Inventory | 9 |
| What's not done yet | 23 |
| Unprocessed orders | 18 |
| Unfilled orders | 15 |
| Tasks as yet undone | 19 |
| In-box pileup | 13 |
| Buildup of unfinished work | 26 |
| Accumulation at the factory | 27 |
| Lists of orders yet to be shipped | 33 |
| Index's location | 20 |
| Hike | 4 |
| Rough it | 8 |
| Student's carryall | 22 |
| Hiker's carryall | 20 |
| Mount Whitney activity | 22 |
| Scenic route | 12 |
| Rural way | 9 |
| Helps (a start-up) start up | 27 |
| Bankrolls | 9 |
| Endorses | 8 |
| Tackles' teammates | 22 |
| Some football players | 21 |
| Subsidizes | 10 |
| Stands behind | 13 |
| Sponsors | 8 |
| Spines | 6 |