| 100% | THERE | 5 | "___ once was a ..." (beginning of many limericks) |
| 61% | WAS | 3 | "There once ___ a ..." (start of many limericks) |
| 61% | GRACE | 5 | Beginning of many a meal |
| 61% | CHAPTERONE | 10 | Beginning of many a story |
| 60% | LIL | 3 | Beginning of many a rap name |
| 57% | THERE | 5 | "___ once was a ..." (common starting words for a limerick) |
| 56% | THERE | 5 | Start of many a limerick |
| 55% | THERE | 5 | First word of many a limerick |
| 55% | WAS | 3 | Third word of many a limerick |
| 55% | WAS | 3 | Second word of many a limerick |
| 53% | HTTP | 4 | Beginning of a URL that might be flagged as not secure |
| 52% | LESS | 4 | ___ is more (words of a minimalist) |
| 52% | NEWCAR | 6 | Part of many a showcase on "The Price Is Right" |
| 51% | PAYPHONES | 9 | There used to be a lot more of these on corners |
| 49% | CAMCORDER | 9 | What many a home movie was once shot on |
| 49% | GENERALELECTRIC | 15 | Company of which Thomas Edison was once a director |
| 49% | LIMERICK | 8 | Verse often beginning "There once was a ..." |
| 49% | WOE | 3 | "For never was a story of more ___ than this of Juliet and her Romeo" |
| 49% | EASTEND | 7 | Area of London that was once home to many dockworkers |
| 49% | ABE | 3 | Subject of Whitman's "This Dust Was Once A Man" |
| 48% | BIRTHPLACE | 10 | Beginning of many biographies |
| 48% | NINEAM | 6 | Beginning of many workdays |
| 48% | FATTAIL | 7 | Feature of a probability distribution where extreme events are more likely |
| 48% | SCREECHOWL | 10 | Despite its name, its primary call is more of a whinny |
| 47% | USS | 3 | Beginning of many ship names |
| 47% | ECO | 3 | Beginning of many green words |
| 47% | BNAI | 4 | Beginning of many synagogue names |
| 47% | LES | 3 | Beginning of many French stories |
| 47% | JULY | 4 | What the beginnings of 17-, 25-, 40- and 52-Across are each a fourth of, phonetically |
| 47% | AGO | 3 | "It was many and many a year ___" (opening line of "Annabel Lee") |