| 100% | TOOKCALCULATEDRISKS | 19 | Ada Lovelace and Grace Hopper knew they had to chance it in the unknown field of computer science, so they... |
| 29% | INS | 3 | "You have to know the ___ and outs of this machine to use it properly." |
| 27% | CHOCOLATEO | 10 | It has a chance of sprinkles in the morning |
| 26% | AIDS | 4 | There are over 1.2 million people in the US who are living with this disease, 1 in 8 of them don't know they have it yet |
| 26% | NUDE | 4 | Second single from Radiohead's album in 18a, that had a different title originally and was supposed to be part of the album "OK Computer" |
| 25% | OWED | 4 | "Never in the field of human conflict was so much ___ by so many to so few": Churchill |
| 25% | EVELYNASHFORD | 13 | The first track and field athlete to run 100 meters under 11 seconds in an Olympic Games and who has won a total of 5 Olympic medals: 2 wds. |
| 25% | EFI | 3 | U of Chicago org. devoted to interdisciplinary research in the sciences, named after one of its Nobel winning laureates (abbr.) |
| 24% | COLDFRONT | 9 | It ushers in lower temperatures ... and what the answers to starred clues can have |
| 24% | PITTSBURGH | 10 | City that had the final letter of its name removed in 1891, only to be restored in 1911 |
| 24% | BULLET | 6 | Bit of ammo that one might want to "dodge" and has a "bull" in its name |
| 24% | IHOP | 4 | Popular breakfast chain in the USA that is known for flapjacks and has a smile on its logo: Abbr. |
| 24% | MIRREN | 6 | Only person to have won the Triple Crown of Acting in both the U.S. and the U.K. |
| 24% | ROLLTHEDICE | 11 | Take a chance, and how to form the sequence in each set of circled letters |
| 24% | OBOE | 4 | It has a brief solo in the first movement of Beethoven's Fifth |
| 23% | RUMI | 4 | Poet whose work was set to music by Philip Glass and Robert Wilson in the chamber opera “Monsters of Grace” |
| 23% | HOME | 4 | "___ stretch," common phrase used to refer to the final part of an activity, that has its origins in horse racing |
| 23% | HOPPER | 6 | Scientist and naval officer Grace ___ who was one of the first three pioneers in computer programming |
| 23% | SAMUELMORSE | 11 | Inventor known to have contributions in developing the Morse code and the commercial telegraph: 2 wds. |
| 23% | WHITEHOPE | 9 | Term for heavyweight boxers thought to have a chance of ending Jack Johnson's dominance of the division in the 1910s |
| 23% | LBJ | 3 | Only politician in the 20th century, other than RMN, to have been president, VP and member of the House and Senate |
| 23% | SEX | 3 | “Same-___ couples, too, may aspire to the transcendent purposes of marriage and seek fulfillment in its highest meaning”: Obergefell v. Hodges |
| 23% | SLIP | 4 | In cricket, the position of the fielder who stands a little behind and to the offside of the wicketkeeper |
| 23% | HARDWARE | 8 | In IT, the tangible parts of a computer |
| 23% | GREENBACK | 9 | Dollar bill, e.g. ... and what the ends of the answers to starred clues have in common |
| 23% | ELI | 3 | ___ Manning, football quarterback who retired in 2020 and has made it to the Pro Bowl four times |
| 23% | MARSHAL | 7 | ___ Yanda, football guard who retired in 2020 and has made it to the Pro Bowl eight times |
| 23% | SCOOBYDOO | 9 | The name of the Great Dane in the titular animated series, known for being able to speak and his love of eponymous snacks: Hyph. |
| 23% | IWOJIMA | 7 | Island in the Pacific also known as Iwo To; scene of prolonged fighting between Japan and the US in World War II |
| 23% | TIDAL | 5 | Having to do with the rise and fall of the sea |