| 100% | OCTAVIA | 7 | Butler who wrote, “In order to rise / From its own ashes / A phoenix / First / Must / Burn” |
| 78% | ASHES | 5 | "In order to rise from its own ___ a phoenix first must burn" (Butler) |
| 33% | PHOENIX | 7 | Mythical bird that rises from its own ashes (or the capital of 51-Across) |
| 33% | DIAMONDJIMBRADY | 15 | Tycoon who was the first person in New York City to own a car |
| 32% | AUSTEN | 6 | Novelist who wrote, “The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid” |
| 31% | REBORN | 6 | Like a phoenix rising from the ashes |
| 30% | MILNE | 5 | Who wrote, in a classic children's book, "It is hard to be brave ... when you're only a Very Small Animal" |
| 29% | ROM | 3 | It can't be written to, in a PC |
| 29% | PHOENIX | 7 | Bird that ignites in flames to rise from the ashes |
| 29% | JOE | 3 | Whom Kamala calls to say, "We did it," in a meme |
| 28% | SEDARIS | 7 | Humorist David who wrote his first diary entry on a diner placemat in 1977 |
| 28% | CERES | 5 | It was upgraded from an asteroid to a dwarf planet in 2006 |
| 28% | RANCH | 5 | In Buffalo, it's a faux pas to order this with Buffalo wings |
| 28% | HONDAACCORD | 11 | First car from a Japanese manufacturer to be made in the U.S. (1982) |
| 28% | ALFIE | 5 | To whom Dionne Warwick asked "What's it all about?" in a 1967 hit |
| 27% | MICHAELCAINE | 12 | "Alfie" actor who played a butler in "The Dark Night Rises": 2 wds. |
| 27% | DRSEUSS | 7 | Who wrote "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not" |
| 27% | BAIN | 4 | Donald who wrote a 1963 "memoir" seen in the first words of 17-, 30-, 46- and 60-Across |
| 27% | CAHN | 4 | Sammy who wrote the lyrics to "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" |
| 27% | REBA | 4 | McEntire who is the first woman to portray Colonel Sanders in a KFC ad |
| 27% | ITO | 3 | Olympic skater who was the first woman to land a triple axel in competition |
| 27% | ITO | 3 | Skater Midori who was the first woman to land a triple axel in competition |
| 27% | DESADE | 6 | "In order to know virtue, we must first acquaint ourselves with vice" speaker |
| 27% | METER | 5 | You might "feed" it in order to get a parking space |
| 27% | PHOENIX | 7 | Bird that rose from its ashes |
| 27% | DIAMONDJIMBRADY | 15 | Tycoon who was reputedly the first person in New York City to own an automobile |
| 27% | THEOTHERAMERICA | 15 | Read the first letter in each clue to get a quote from this '67 speech |
| 27% | JAMESFRANCO | 11 | "127 Hours" actor who earned a master's in writing from Columbia University: 2 wds. |
| 27% | MAX | 3 | Horse from the royal army who becomes a reluctant sidekick to Flynn Rider in "Tangled" |
| 27% | DOLLYPARTON | 11 | "9 to 5" actress who plays a beauty shop owner in "Steel Magnolias" (2 wds.) |