| 100% | BEAT | 4 | ___ someone to the punch, phrase that originated in boxing that means to anticipate someone's actions |
| 56% | TREE | 4 | Barking up the wrong ___, phrase that originated in hunting that means to make the wrong choice |
| 50% | GUN | 3 | Jump the ___, phrase that originated in track racing that means to act before the appropriate time |
| 47% | BATH | 4 | Go for an early ___, phrase that originated in rugby that means to stop doing something before you've finished |
| 41% | WIRE | 4 | "Down to the ___," common phrase meaning "until the last minute," that has its origins in horse racing |
| 40% | FOLLOWSUIT | 10 | Term originating through card games that means to copy the actions of the one before you: 2 wds. |
| 40% | 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% | 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 |
| 38% | HELL | 4 | "All ___ broke loose," phrase referring to pandemonium that originated in Milton's "Paradise Lost" |
| 38% | BITE | 4 | "___ the dust," phrase meaning "to suffer a defeat" that was used in Samuel Butler's translation of "The Iliad" |
| 38% | HOME | 4 | "Chickens come ___ to roost," idiom meaning "actions have consequences" that originated in poems by Robert Southey |
| 37% | APE | 3 | Word that means to imitate someone and is also the name of a primate |
| 37% | MAFIA | 5 | Secret criminal organisation originating in Sicily that spread to mainland Italy and the US |
| 37% | MAFIA | 5 | Secret criminal organization originating in Sicily that spread to mainland Italy and the US |
| 36% | JINXBUYMEACOKE | 14 | Phrase that might send someone to the vending machine |
| 36% | SPADES | 6 | In ___, term originating through card games that means to have in a great amount |
| 35% | NONU | 4 | Phrase coined by UK linguist Alan Ross in '54 that means only apt for the hoi polloi and decidedly inapt for one's "superiors" |
| 35% | BOSSANOVA | 9 | Dance similar to the samba that originated in Brazil |
| 35% | AVA | 3 | Name that fills in the blanks to make another name: S_ _ _NNAH |
| 35% | ISPYWITHMYLITTLEEYE | 19 | Children's game phrase that should start the italicized clues … or a hint to eight squares in this puzzle |
| 34% | DETAIL | 6 | "Attention to ___," complete the phrase with a word that ends in "ail" |
| 34% | PSST | 4 | Whispered sound that's meant to get someone's attention |
| 33% | AORTA | 5 | Artery that originates in the heart's left ventricle |
| 33% | ICE | 3 | Punch landed on you in a boxing match? Press an ___ pack to numb the pain immediately |
| 33% | COG | 3 | ___ in the machine, phrase associated with machines that means "small part of a large organization" |
| 33% | KABADDI | 7 | Team sport that originated in India where the "raider" from one team tries to tag opponents without getting caught |
| 33% | STURDILY | 8 | In a way that's meant to last |
| 33% | KEY | 3 | ___ West, island in Florida that is home to the Harry S. Truman Little White House |
| 33% | COORS | 5 | ___ Light, beer brand that originated in the U.S. in 1978 |
| 32% | RENAISSANCE | 11 | Art movement that originated in Europe between 14th and 17th century marking the transition from the middle ages to modernity |