The Countryside Answers All Country Related - C/d 31 Dec.

[Stanman2]

1. To be shifty or evasive in an argument
2. Included in confidence with you and me
3. Historically, an English freeholder, free from feudal servitude
4. High rise accommodation for insects
5. In theatre slang, to hiss off the stage
6. You might hear one in the clear air
7. To charge for work before it is done
8. Slang for a large old fashioned watch
9. In the bird world, when it’s up it’s down, when it’s down it’s up.......what?

[geevo41]

Thanks, mallyh - let's hope Stanman2 comes back and possibly amends letter count or someone gives a better answer with 8 letters.