| 100% | WIRE | 4 | "Down to the ___," common phrase meaning "until the last minute," that has its origins in horse racing |
| 67% | HANDS | 5 | "___ down," common phrase meaning "easily, without question" that has its origins in horse racing |
| 65% | BOARD | 5 | "Across the ___," common phrase meaning "affecting everything and everyone in a particular group," that has its origins in horse racing |
| 63% | NECK | 4 | Word used on both sides of "and" to make a common phrase meaning "a close contest," that has its origins in horse racing |
| 62% | HOME | 4 | "___ stretch," common phrase used to refer to the final part of an activity, that has its origins in horse racing |
| 58% | DARK | 4 | "___ horse," common phrase used to refer to an unexpected winner, that has its origins in horse racing |
| 51% | DOWN | 4 | ___ to the wire, phrase that originated in horse racing that refers to a situation where the outcome is decided at the last possible minute |
| 40% | GUN | 3 | Jump the ___, phrase that originated in track racing that means to act before the appropriate time |
| 38% | PAM | 3 | Product that becomes an item to which it's applied after shifting the last letter one spot down in the alphabet |
| 38% | SPOONFEED | 9 | Longest common word in the English language ... that has its letters in reverse alphabetical order |
| 37% | BELL | 4 | "The ___ doesn't dismiss you, I do!" phrase to keep students in class until the lesson is over that you have probably heard from your teacher |
| 36% | BALL | 4 | Keep one's eye on the ___, phrase that's common in multiple sports that means to give attention to one's current task |
| 35% | BEAT | 4 | ___ someone to the punch, phrase that originated in boxing that means to anticipate someone's actions |
| 35% | MRDARCY | 7 | To whom it is said, “I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry” |
| 34% | FOLDPAGESOAANDBARELINED | 23 | With 14-Down, what to do on the dotted lines to reveal six hidden things that have something in common with this puzzle |
| 34% | PANAMA | 6 | Country that issued its only banknotes in 1941, only to have them withdrawn several days later |
| 33% | PITTSBURGH | 10 | City that had the final letter of its name removed in 1891, only to be restored in 1911 |
| 33% | TREE | 4 | Barking up the wrong ___, phrase that originated in hunting that means to make the wrong choice |
| 32% | BITE | 4 | "___ the dust," phrase meaning "to suffer a defeat" that was used in Samuel Butler's translation of "The Iliad" |
| 32% | NAILBITER | 9 | Contest that goes down to the last second: Hyph. |
| 31% | UTAH | 4 | State that has voted Republican in the last 13 presidential elections |
| 31% | FLAN | 4 | Dessert name that has different meanings in the UK and US |
| 31% | GRINDR | 6 | Gay dating app that had its I.P.O. in late 2022 |
| 31% | GOA | 3 | Org, founded in 1975 that, according to its website, has "never wavered from its mission to defend the Second Amendment" (abbr.) |
| 30% | WIRE | 4 | Down to the ___ (until the very last moment) |
| 30% | SLALOM | 6 | Race that winds down in the winter? |
| 30% | ZEBRA | 5 | Type of mussel that was partly the cause of water shortages in the Dallas area due to pipelines having to be shut down |
| 30% | ALSORAN | 7 | Horse that fails to finish first, second, or third in a race |
| 30% | PTA | 3 | Grp. that often has its first meeting in the fall |
| 30% | TREESNAKE | 9 | Reptile that flattens its body to glide in the air |