Related Clues:

• XXXE, perhaps, just for a present, for instance
• Tight in verbal form
• Not so slack in any verbal way
• Ioxe up tight?
• Not ruled enough, perhaps, for emphasis
• Uptight in verbal form
• In such verbal form one would be uptight
• Definitely 8 across
• One can be definite that there are mice around the path
• Not relaxed verbally
• Verbally strained
• Make them sound fat, I see, in a definite manner (8)
• Verbally tight
• Not verbally relaxed
• No relaxation in verbal form