| 100% | CLAMBERS | 8 | Ascends awkwardly, and an anagram of this puzzle's circled word |
| 49% | CARINTERIORS | 12 | Passenger compartments, and an apt description of this puzzle's circles |
| 47% | ALLBROKENUP | 11 | Emotionally crushed, and an apt description of the circled elements in this puzzle? |
| 46% | INONESENSE | 10 | Description of this puzzle's circled letters, and a clue to what they spell |
| 45% | TWO | 3 | Approximate shape of this puzzle's white squares ... and a synonym of the circled letters |
| 45% | PENIN | 5 | Enclose, as livestock, and an explanation of this puzzle's theme |
| 45% | SCHOOLSOUT | 10 | Common June shout ... and an explanation of this puzzle's theme? |
| 44% | TEST | 4 | Any of the eight circled words in this puzzle, and what's spelled out by their intersections |
| 43% | PITCHATENT | 10 | Prepare for a night out, and an explanation of this puzzle's theme |
| 42% | THATSHALF | 9 | With 42-Across, encouraging words to someone making a good effort, and an apt description of this puzzle's circled letters |
| 41% | CHEERLEADER | 11 | Shouter of this puzzle's circled sounds |
| 41% | LOOKTHEOTHERWAY | 15 | Pretend not to notice, and a hint to this puzzle's circled words |
| 41% | CENTRALPARK | 11 | Feature of Manhattan, and of this puzzle's answers that contain circles |
| 41% | VIBECHECK | 9 | "How's everybody feeling?," e.g., and an apt description of this puzzle's circled letters |
| 41% | NEWENGLAND | 10 | White variety of this puzzle's circles |
| 41% | MANHATTAN | 9 | Red variety of this puzzle's circles |
| 41% | TAMES | 5 | Breaks ... or an anagram of the ends of five Across answers in this puzzle |
| 41% | WRONGWAY | 8 | Sign of misdirection, and a hint to this puzzle's circled letters |
| 41% | HELLBENT | 8 | Totally determined, and a literal description of this puzzle's circled letters |
| 40% | PHONETIC | 8 | Like the alphabet that includes the answers to the starred clues ... and an anagram of the eight circled letters |
| 40% | CLOSINGSALE | 11 | Going-out-of-business bargain event, and an apt description of this puzzle's circles |
| 40% | YOUREOUTOFORDER | 15 | Judge's words ... and a hint to this puzzle's circles |
| 40% | VERTEX | 6 | What each of this puzzle's circled squares represents |
| 39% | SPLITTICKET | 11 | Politically diverse ballot ... and an apt description of each set of puzzle circles |
| 39% | ALTERATIONS | 11 | Adjustments provided by businesses specializing in this puzzle's circled word |
| 39% | CHEMICALSYMBOLS | 15 | This puzzle's circled letters, for the words that precede them |
| 39% | INTERNALORGANS | 14 | Essential structures exemplified by this puzzle's circled words |
| 39% | FIFTHWHEEL | 10 | Awkward presence on a double date . . . like each of this puzzle’s circled letters? |
| 38% | NAIAD | 5 | Word that's aptly an anagram of Diana Nyad's first name and a homophone of her last name |
| 38% | UNIT | 4 | Each of this puzzle's hidden words, e.g. |