| 100% | THEORIES | 8 | "Sandy died at the beginning of Grease" and "Ferris Bueller is a figment of Cameron's imagination," for example |
| 35% | TONGUETIED | 10 | At a loss for words, and what the starts of 17-, 23-, 38- and 47-Across can literally be? |
| 35% | ASH | 3 | Material for a forehead mark at the beginning of Lent |
| 35% | FOURQUARTERS | 12 | Change for a dollar, and what can be found at the starts of the answers to the starred clues |
| 34% | BACKBURNER | 10 | Place for a nonurgent issue, and what can be found at the end of 16-, 24-, 37-, or 53- Across? |
| 34% | ARCA | 4 | Medieval chest for valuables that is hidden at the beginning of "arcane" |
| 34% | BELL | 4 | Instrument that is rung, rung at the beginning of a boxing match |
| 33% | TEASE | 5 | Verb for which synonyms can be found at the beginnings of the starred answers |
| 33% | TOPNEWARTIST | 12 | Billboard Music Award for a performer at the beginning of their career: 3 wds. |
| 33% | WARIO | 5 | Video-game antagonist whose name is a portmanteau of the protagonist's name and the Japanese word for "bad" |
| 33% | SIMPLEMACHINE | 13 | Force-multiplying device that can be found at the beginning of 18-, 33-, and 39-Across |
| 33% | WILDPITCHES | 11 | And the tempestuous finale was played at a variety of... |
| 32% | LIES | 4 | "Love ___," hit song by Khalid and Normani which is a part of the soundtrack for "Love, Simon" |
| 32% | SUN | 3 | *Star at the center of our solar system, and a bright name for a newspaper |
| 32% | THECOLLECTOR | 12 | "And at 7 P.M. there'll be a showing of the 60's film ___..." |
| 32% | BRITS | 5 | Inventors of linoleum and the A.T.M., for example |
| 32% | DROPCAP | 7 | Large letter at the beginning of a paragraph, and what you must do to make sense of each starred answer |
| 32% | DONUT | 5 | Treat whose varieties appear at the starts of four long answers and are represented a dozen times in this puzzle |
| 31% | JULY | 4 | What the beginnings of 17-, 25-, 40- and 52-Across are each a fourth of, phonetically |
| 31% | FEE | 3 | The $1000 you shell out for you and your buddy to play a round of golf at Nevada's Shadow Creek Golf Course |
| 31% | TREE | 4 | Plant that provides shade... examples of which are found at the starts of 17a, 30a, and 41a |
| 31% | SIMONE | 6 | I was a part of the "Final Five" at the 2016 Olympics and won four gold medals |
| 31% | GIANT | 5 | N.Y. or S.F. athlete known for the beginnings of 21-, 31-, 42-, and 54-Across? |
| 31% | DUSTER | 6 | Feathery cleaner at the end of a stick ... and something that is brushed over furniture while cleaning |
| 31% | NOTIT | 5 | Child's shout at the beginning of a game of tag: 2 wds. |
| 31% | ENDS | 4 | Burning the candle at both of them is a metaphor for overextending yourself |
| 31% | PATENTS | 7 | Sony's filing of a McDonald's commercial that can be ended by shouting "McDonald's!" at the screen, and the like |
| 31% | ALA | 3 | State where the town of Spectre was built for Tim Burton's movie "Big Fish" and is now a ghost town (abbr.) |
| 31% | LOVELY | 6 | Hit song by Khalid and Billie Eilish which is a part of the soundtrack for "13 Reasons Why" |
| 31% | HAIKU | 5 | "The west wind whispered, / And touched the eyelids of spring: / Her eyes, Primroses," for a classic example |