| 100% | CEES | 4 | Beginning and ending of colic |
| 75% | EMS | 3 | Beginning and ending of modernism |
| 75% | SCHWAS | 6 | Beginning and end of "America" |
| 74% | ASH | 3 | Beginning and end of a phoenix |
| 74% | HOME | 4 | Beginning and end of many journeys |
| 73% | ALPHAS | 6 | Beginning and ending of a Greek apologia? |
| 72% | ALL | 3 | Beginning and end of 20-Across's motto |
| 71% | RAGES | 5 | The beginning and end of rampages, fittingly? |
| 69% | BACH | 4 | "The beginning and end of all music," per Max Reger |
| 69% | ARTOODETOO | 10 | Character seen at the beginning and end of "Star Wars" |
| 64% | EDEN | 4 | Eve's garden … or the letters at the beginning and end of "Eve's garden" |
| 61% | FEB | 3 | Only mo. that can begin and end on the same day of the week |
| 60% | JANUS | 5 | Roman god of beginnings and endings |
| 59% | VALENTINE | 9 | End of a question begun by part of 19-, 23-, 42- and 48-Across |
| 59% | DAWN | 4 | Beginning of the day and end of night |
| 58% | ESS | 3 | It’s near the end of August and at the beginning of September |
| 57% | BEALL | 5 | Beginning and end |
| 55% | THERE | 5 | Consolation beginning and ending |
| 55% | EMS | 3 | Millennium beginning and ending |
| 54% | ENS | 3 | Nixon's beginning and end |
| 53% | EMS | 3 | Millennium, at the beginning and end? |
| 53% | SCHWA | 5 | "America" begins and ends with this |
| 53% | XES | 3 | "Xerox" begins and ends with them |
| 53% | EFS | 3 | Start and end of a faceoff? |
| 52% | TERMINAL | 8 | Where passengers begin and end a journey |
| 52% | XES | 3 | Letters that "Xanax" begins and ends with |
| 52% | ESSES | 5 | What sitcoms always begin and end with? |
| 52% | SCHWAS | 6 | Start and end of 3-Down, phonetically |
| 52% | NEST | 4 | Start and end of many a flight |
| 52% | LONGO | 5 | Start and end of ''O Sole Mio'' |