Each of the cryptic clues can be solved as normal. The words on each card all start with the same letter, using each of the letters from A through O, giving an order to the cards.
The flavor text heavily clues Morse code, along with several cryptic indicators for reversing. When solvers translate the answers to Morse code, they should notice that each of the words, in Morse, are almost palindromes. That is, there is a dot/dash in the second half of the word that can be flipped to make it a palindrome.
| Clue | Answer | Wordplay | Wrong Morse bit |
| "Approximately she said" loses all first serves. (6) | DISHES | /(SHESAID-A) | . |
| A stewed lobster finally turns into you, for sure. (8) | ABSOLUTE | /(ALOBSTE(R->U)) | - |
| Slowly at first, a directed acyclic graph illustrates objects. (6) | ADAGIO | initials | - |
| A line reportedly set in a line. (5) | ALIGN | hom(A LINE) | - |
| Cold smell coming from river (5). | CREEK | C+REEK | . |
| End of mountain-climbing game became adult instrument. (7) | CELESTA | CELEST(E->A) | . |
| A tired face off Delta massaged in lunchroom. (9) | CAFETERIA | /(ATIREDFACE-D) | . |
| Loan essentially massacred Italians. (6) | CREDIT | massaCREDITalians | . |
| Dead sick after strikeout earned displeasure at first. (6) | KILLED | ILL after K plus ED (initials) | . |
| Doctor Britain can make an encyclopedia. (10) | BRITANNICA | /BRITAINCAN | - |
| Ended brief edition after part of shark, sort of. (8) | FINISHED | ED after FIN+ISH | . |
| Incorrect past tense of feeling often heard in a meadow. (5) | FIELD | hom(FEELED) | - |
| Iron row of words is a bit catty? (6) | FELINE | FE+LINE | . |
| Jedi energy for the modern era. (5) | FORCE | FOR+CE | . |
| Importance: the meaty sauce captured it. (7) | GRAVITY | IT in GRAVY | - |
| It's unclear originally going right's a 'yes'. (4) | GRAY | initials | - |
| An honorific, for example, could go back and be a spreader of disease. (4) | GERM | rev(MR+EG) | - |
| John's brief weed is a top prize. (7) | JACKPOT | JACK+POT | - |
| Early American settlement brewed whiskey with jam and stone. (9) | JAMESTOWN | /(W+JAM+STONE) | - |
| Man captured in clergy. (8) | MINISTER | IN in MISTER | . |
| French hand to not move location is something depended on. (8) | MAINSTAY | MAIN + STAY | - |
| Most of jury became intoxicated; stomach is hurt. (7) | INJURED | INTOXICATED, TOXICAT->JUR | . |
| Stimulate Nickelback returning English rips. (7) | INSPIRE | rev(NI)+rev(E+RIPS) | - |
| Naturally, first I say hello before I hear Liszt believes that life is meaningless. (8) | NIHILIST | N+I+HI+hom(LISZT) | - |
| Steal a jolly saint. (4) | NICK | ddef | - |
| Pollution first becomes nothing, then is left out. (8) | OMISSION | EMISSION, E->O | . |
| Sarcastically laugh before a lair? It increases defense. (6) | HARDEN | HAR+DEN | - |
| Lighter form of hell before the French jeer. (6) | HECKLE | HECK+LE | - |
| Abnormal clues that she owns could go the distance. (8) | HERCULES | HER+/CLUES | . |
| Wear the veiled dirt. (5) | EARTH | wEARTHe | . |
| Last venison approaching mate in a chess game. (7) | ENDGAME | END+GAME | - |
| Please tell me the location of chicken byproducts. (6) | EXCITE | hom(EGG SITE) | . |
| Flow out of strange manatee. (7) | EMANATE | /MANATEE | . |
| Why real broadcast with no hot attorney? (6) | LAWYER | /(WHYREAL-H) | - |
| Rumble rumbled wood. (6) | LUMBER | /MANATEE | . |
Taking the wrong Morse bits (i.e. the ones in the second half that needs to be changed to make a palindrome), grouping them by card, and reading in order A through O spells OTHELLO GAME NAME, cluing the answer: REVERSI.