| Literally, ''I'' |
| Attend a party uninvited ... and a literal hint to five sets of circled letters |
| African city of 4+ million whose name means, literally, "haven of peace |
| Literally, "skill |
| Literally, "want of blood |
| Literally, "already seen |
| Empty hand" fighting skill, literally |
| Literally, "white mountain |
| Houses with sharply angled roofs, and what this puzzle's four longest answers literally have in common |
| Aegean group (literally "twelve islands") |
| Part of a Tibetan Buddhist title that means, literally, "ocean |
| Primitive area, and what's literally found in this puzzle's circles |
| Letters within the theme entries that are, literally, next to nothing |
| Person who's ready and able to help ... or a literal description of four occurrences in this puzzle |
| Advice for the brokenhearted ... or one of four arrangements found literally in this puzzle |
| Literally, ''at another time'' |
| Strategy for improving a business through downsizing ... and a literal description of the letters dropped from this puzzle's businesses |
| Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?" sitcom ... or, literally, occupants of this puzzle's circles |
| Literally, "Land of the Aryans |
| Skin and bones, metaphorically (not literally) |
| What a nine-to-fiver works ... or, literally, what each set of circled letters represents |
| Literally, "smothered |
| Literally, "like a donkey |
| __ noire: literally, "black beast |
| I literally ___!" (embarrassed teen's hyperbole) |
| Drop the ball, literally or figuratively |
| Literally, "of nothing |
| Literally, "ocean" in Mongolian |
| Literally, "I burn |
| Some bedcovers ... or, literally, what the four unclued answers are |