| 100% | BACALL | 6 | 11-Down's partner in life and in "To Have and Have Not" |
| 56% | BENING | 6 | 47-Down's partner in life and in "Bugsy" |
| 56% | JOLIE | 5 | 54-Down's partner in life and in "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" |
| 54% | TAYLOR | 6 | 5-Down's partner in life and in "The Taming of the Shrew" |
| 49% | TYLER | 5 | With 32-Across, entertainment mogul who partnered with Oprah to bring his series "The Haves and the Have Nots" to OWN in 2013 |
| 47% | SONNYBONO | 9 | Cher's former partner in life and music |
| 46% | OLE | 3 | Her s___ purpose in life was to provide for herself and her family |
| 42% | PADMA | 5 | ___ Lakshmi, celebrity chef who did not go to culinary school and has a degree in theatre and literature |
| 42% | FOOT | 4 | It's not good to have in one's mouth |
| 41% | HOLD | 4 | "... to have and to ___ ..." (phrase in wedding vows) |
| 41% | UPS | 3 | ___ and downs in life |
| 40% | BACALL | 6 | "To Have and Have Not" actress Lauren |
| 40% | SHAKER | 6 | What "salt" has been put in to make 1-Across and 6-Down? |
| 40% | TOPHATS | 7 | Partners of tails ... and what's found in the answers to starred clues |
| 39% | SLID | 4 | What Elizabeth Warren's poll numbers appear to have done in December and January |
| 39% | CATS | 4 | 2019 flop whose Variety review began "Nine may not be enough lives for some of the stars to live down their involvement in this …" |
| 39% | LOWHANGINGFRUIT | 15 | Simple things to pick ... or what 5-, 11-, 29- and 38-Down have? |
| 39% | HORSERACE | 9 | Who's ahead and who's not in campaign coverage, so to speak |
| 39% | FALSESTARTS | 11 | What 17-Across, 11 and 35-Down all have in common |
| 39% | BALTIMOREORIOLE | 15 | 36-Across song from "To Have and Have Not" |
| 39% | HOWLITTLEWEKNOW | 15 | 36-Across song from "To Have and Have Not" |
| 39% | SETTLED | 7 | To have put down roots in a foreign land |
| 38% | MIA | 3 | "Go for the Goal: A Champion's Guide to Winning in Soccer and Life" author Hamm |
| 38% | UPS | 3 | Life has its ___ and downs |
| 38% | FELLONHARDTIMES | 15 | Lost your money and had problems in life |
| 38% | ASL | 3 | Syst. in which bobbing one’s fist up and down translates to “yes” |
| 38% | SEEINGSTARS | 11 | In pain, and what you're doing for the answers to 17- and 38-Across and 11- and 29-Down |
| 37% | FIRSTMATES | 10 | Title of this puzzle, in reference to 17- and 39-Across and 11- and 26-Down |
| 37% | TIDAL | 5 | Having ups and downs, in a way |
| 37% | MEARA | 5 | Stiller’s partner in love and comedy |