These are some grown-up words, but I remember when they were cute little things:
Sisko's rank, for the first few seasons _*_
Things that spin around real fast and pick up houses and drop them on witches *___
Mean look that rhymes with "bowel" ___*
Point at something; or activate your turning signal; or, if you're an actor, do a lousy job of conveying real emotion _*____
Country where Mma Ramotswe solves crimes and drinks bush tea *_____
Works by pseudo-Eratosthenes, or pseudo-Apollonius, or pseudo-Aquinas, or Hermes Trismegistus ____*_
Answer Checker:
Hints: The words you're supposed to put in the blanks are a couple steps removed from each clue. The answers to the clues each have a substring that's an animal word. Each "grown-up" animal word corresponds to a "baby" animal word.