| 100% | REST | 4 | "Today is the first day of the ___ of your life" |
| 63% | REST | 4 | "Today is the beginning of the ___ of your life" |
| 61% | HAS | 3 | "This ___ been the best day of my life!" |
| 61% | YTD | 3 | Period of time from the first day of the year till today: Abbr. |
| 60% | IREAD | 5 | First words of the Beatles' "A Day in the Life" |
| 59% | TAILGATE | 8 | Game day is here! Time to head to the parking lot for your first ___ party (involving the trunk of your car) |
| 58% | ANERA | 5 | ''Today is the last day of __ past'': Yeltsin |
| 58% | KELLYCLARKSON | 13 | "Before Your Love" singer who was the first winner of 40-Across (2 wds.) |
| 57% | BASICS | 6 | They might be covered on your first day of employment |
| 56% | HEROINE | 7 | Nora Ephron, be the __ of your life not the victim |
| 56% | PEAR | 4 | On the first day of Christmas, your true love may send you a partridge in this "poached fruit" tree |
| 56% | NIGHT | 5 | Twelfth ___, post-Christmas tradition of celebrating the last day of the season that is rarely observed today |
| 55% | THREE | 5 | Number of days the first Thanksgiving was celebrated for |
| 55% | MAYDAY | 6 | The first day of the fifth month |
| 55% | INAWE | 5 | "He was ___ of her from the first day" (bowled over) : 2 wds. |
| 54% | SANDS | 5 | "Like ___ through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives" |
| 54% | JOHNSON | 7 | He was US president for the first 20 days of 1969 |
| 53% | JOHNOFARRELL | 12 | Author of the novels This Is Your Life and May Contain Nuts |
| 53% | BREAKFAST | 9 | The first meal of the day |
| 53% | MONDAY | 6 | First day of the work week |
| 53% | PARISHILTON | 11 | "The Simple Life" star whose first name is the capital of France: 2 wds. |
| 52% | TOM | 3 | Landry who was the first coach of the Cowboys |
| 52% | MON | 3 | First day of the work week: Abbr. |
| 52% | MON | 3 | First day of the workweek, typically (abbr.) |
| 52% | MON | 3 | First day of the workweek, typically: Abbr. |
| 52% | SAT | 3 | First day of the weekend, for short |
| 52% | OPENS | 5 | Is the first act of a concert |
| 52% | SLEDS | 5 | Toys that might be dusted off on the first snow day of the year |
| 52% | CALENDS | 7 | First day of the month, in ancient Rome |
| 52% | MONDAY | 6 | The first day of Lent in Greece: Clean __ |