| Rating | Solver | Clue |
|---|---|---|
| EASIER | Less hard | |
| SOFTEN | To render less hard; -- said of matter. | |
| RELENT | To become less rigid or hard; to yield; to dissolve; to melt; to deliquesce. | |
| EMERY | Corundum in the form of grains or powder, used in the arts for grinding and polishing hard substances. Native emery is mixed with more or less magnetic iron. See the Note under Corundum. | |
| RHINOSCLEROMA | A rare disease of the skin, characterized by the development of very hard, more or less flattened, prominences, appearing first upon the nose a... | |
| VARNISH | ...l gloss, capable of resisting, to a greater or less degree, the influences of air and moisture. ... | |
| OAK | ... smooth nut, called an acorn, which is more or less inclosed in a scaly involucre called the cup or cupule. There are now recognized about three... | |