| 100% | SIN | 3 | "To ___ by silence, when we should protest, makes cowards out of men": Ella Wheeler Wilcox |
| 26% | WAS | 3 | Sing along to this breakup song by Bruno Mars! "...do all the things I should've done when I ___ your man" |
| 25% | WAX | 3 | What Shrek takes out of his ears to make candles |
| 25% | WED | 3 | Make an honest man of, so to speak |
| 24% | MIDASTOUCH | 10 | Ability to make money out of any endeavor |
| 24% | PREACHER | 8 | Son of a __ Man, US song by Dusty Springfield |
| 24% | SUBSTITUTION | 12 | "The pizzeria's out of mushrooms, though, so he'll need to make a ___" |
| 24% | SERENADES | 9 | Pieces of music sung by a man to his lover |
| 24% | HUMBLEBRAG | 10 | "I felt so out of place when I went to the Met Gala," e.g. |
| 23% | VIS | 3 | Word added to either side of "-a-" when making a comparison |
| 23% | NECKING | 7 | Making out ... or a hint to this puzzle's four hidden articles of clothing |
| 23% | TWAS | 4 | "Love, when we met, ___ like two planets meeting": Ella Wheeler Wilcox |
| 23% | HAT | 3 | Item of clothing that a man is supposed to remove when indoors |
| 23% | CAD | 3 | Software used by engineers to make sketches with help of computer (abbr) |
| 23% | MAXIM | 5 | Words to live by, also the name of a popular men's magazine |
| 23% | GERONIMO | 8 | Apache medicine man who carried out raids to resist colonization of his homeland |
| 23% | RAFT | 4 | Structure made by fastening pieces of wood together to survive at 6d, say |
| 22% | BAIL | 4 | Payment made to get out of jail |
| 22% | IRON | 4 | "___ Man," song by Black Sabbath that has the metal used to make the Eiffel Tower |
| 22% | ITHINKHAILTO | 12 | Start of a quote by 53-Across, when asked to name his favorite song |
| 22% | GOAT | 4 | Superlative acronym spelled out by the starts of the answers to the starred clues |
| 22% | DEAL | 4 | *Pass out the cards ... or a word made by changing one letter of 25a |
| 22% | LATTE | 5 | Type of coffee that is made by adding steamed milk to a coffee base |
| 22% | DRYMARTIN | 9 | What "should be made by filling a glass with gin, then waving it in the general direction of Italy," per Noël Coward |
| 22% | WROTEAONESENTENCEWILL | 21 | Calvin Coolidge lived up to his reputation as a man of few words when he … |
| 22% | YOLO | 4 | "Carpe diem" acronym spelled out by the starts of the answers to the starred clues |
| 22% | CHRISTMASEVE | 12 | Apt phrase spelled out by the first letters of the answers to the starred clues |
| 22% | LOCKE | 5 | "Game of Thrones" man at arms sworn to House Bolton and played by Noah Taylor |
| 22% | CHARLESTON | 10 | The Capital of the only US state to have its sovereignty proclaimed by a president |
| 22% | SHRED | 5 | Make confetti out of |