| 100% | YERBA | 5 | ___ mate, traditionally consumed as a drink in Paraguay and originally used by the Guaraní people |
| 37% | SHERBET | 7 | Sweet powder eaten alone or consumed as a drink, especially in the Arab region |
| 34% | NSW | 3 | Now populous Australian state originally used as a penal colony by Britain in 1788 (abbr.) |
| 32% | AHOY | 4 | Shout used by the people in boat |
| 30% | ORC | 3 | One of a race of creatures in works by J R R Tolkien used as soldiers by Sauron and Saruman |
| 30% | RANDAN | 6 | Boat rowed by three people in which the person in the middle uses two oars and the others one oar each |
| 30% | UMIAK | 5 | Open boat made of skin used by the Yupik and Inuit peoples |
| 30% | KAYAK | 5 | Style of boat first used by the Aleut, Inuit, and Yupik peoples |
| 30% | CAMOUFLAGE | 10 | "Trick" used by the creatures found in rows 3, 5, 11 and 13 |
| 30% | OBI | 3 | Broad sash tied in a large bow at the back worn by Japanese women and children as part of the national costume |
| 30% | TNT | 3 | Invention originally used as a yellow dye, in brief |
| 29% | PARANG | 6 | Short straight-edged knife used as a weapon and tool in the Malay archipelago |
| 29% | SAW | 3 | *Tool used by a magician in the classic "cut in half" illusion |
| 28% | OPERATIC | 8 | In the style of a work by Bizet, such as Carmen |
| 28% | HERO | 4 | *Person who saves the day... and a word you may use to describe those being celebrated in this puzzle |
| 28% | CODEWORDS | 9 | Lexicon used by spies, and a key to the ends of the starred answers |
| 28% | LAVALAVA | 8 | Rectangular piece of cloth worn as a wraparound skirt by the people of Polynesia |
| 28% | AGENT | 5 | & 6D Highly poisonous herbicide used as a spray for defoliation and crop destruction by the US during the Vietnam War |
| 28% | LAV | 3 | "___-25": 8-wheeled amphibious carrier used by the USMC in both the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan |
| 28% | TEAMS | 5 | Sides in a sport, such as the Dodgers and Giants |
| 28% | AAR | 3 | De-briefing process used by the military to find out what, why and how about a particular event (abbr.) |
| 28% | TONALITY | 8 | The shading and hues used in a painting |
| 28% | CONSEQUENTIALLY | 15 | As a result, and a hint to a three-letter chunk in the five long Down answers |
| 28% | ACACIA | 6 | Tree which yields gum arabic, used as a thickening agent and stabilizer in the food industry |
| 28% | WORKTHAT | 8 | Mary J. Blige empowerment anthem used by Kamala Harris as a campaign song in 2020 |
| 28% | OZMA | 4 | Princess raised as a boy by the witch Mombi, in an L. Frank Baum series |
| 28% | EPOXY | 5 | Used in wall and floor coatings, paints, and as a glue |
| 28% | SAX | 3 | Instrument often used as the "J" in a "Jazz Club" sign |
| 27% | EDITOR | 6 | Person who is in charge of and determines the final content of a text |