| 100% | HOWITZER | 8 | Cannon with a short or medium barrel and a steep angle of fire |
| 41% | BOXER | 5 | Medium-sized smooth-haired breed of dog with a short nose and a docked tail |
| 34% | LABRADOR | 8 | — retriever, dog with a short dense coat of black or golden-brown |
| 34% | THRONES | 7 | A Song of Ice and Fire begins with A Game of __ |
| 34% | FLUSHING | 8 | Type of toilet with water and a button or handle |
| 33% | MATCH | 5 | *Tennis contest ... or with 15a a folder of fire-starting sticks |
| 33% | OWL | 3 | Nocturnal bird of prey with large eyes and a short neck |
| 33% | SPLITLEVEL | 10 | House with short staircases, and a hint to each row of circles |
| 32% | SIGNONTHE | 9 | With 60-Across, ink a contract ... or a feature of 17-, 25- and 37-Across |
| 32% | DOUGHBOYS | 9 | Podcast with reviews of chain restaurants and a regular "Snack or Wack" feature |
| 32% | SIKA | 4 | Mammal of the family Cervidae native to Japan, Russia and China with a short head and compact body |
| 32% | CAPTAIN | 7 | With 63-Across, superhero with "wedgie power" ... and a description of 20-, 36-, or 54-Across |
| 32% | MORTAR | 6 | Small cannon with a short range |
| 32% | SALAD | 5 | *Dish with a lot of veggies and dressing ... or a bygone genre of Spanish music |
| 32% | THERESNOTWO | 11 | With 64-Across, words of certainty ... or a hint to 23-, 40- and 56-Across |
| 32% | TSTORMS | 7 | Weather events with lightning, briefly ... or a description of 1 and 13 Across |
| 31% | TEA | 3 | "A drink with jam and bread" or a solfege note in a "The Sound of Music" song |
| 31% | BOFA | 4 | Financial institution with a stylized version of the Stars and Stripes in its logo, for short |
| 31% | PELE | 4 | Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanoes, who shares her name with a famed Brazilian soccer player |
| 31% | HIPPYENDING | 11 | Feature of a fairy tale that closes with "Groovy!" or "Peace, Love, and Harmony?" |
| 31% | FACE | 4 | *Body part with eyes and nose ... or with 15a a social media |
| 31% | FULL | 4 | With 66-Across, back to the beginning ... or a description of 21- and 48-Down? |
| 31% | RIGHTBETWEENTHE | 15 | With 67-Across, in a sudden and completely apparent way ... or a punny description of this puzzle's circled letters |
| 30% | SEASON | 6 | With 41-Across, good time for a cliffhanger ... or what each of 17-, 24-, 50- and 63-Across has? |
| 30% | HIVE | 4 | With 58-Across, collective consciousness ... or a hint to the ends of 19-, 35- and 52-Across |
| 30% | TERIYAKI | 8 | In Japanese cookery, a dish of meat basted with soy sauce and rice wine and broiled over an open fire |
| 30% | SCARLET | 7 | With 38-Across, symbols of a scandal ... or what 16-, 23-, 47- and 58-Across consist of (in their entirety)? |
| 30% | MIDDLE | 6 | With 44-Down, educational stage ... or a hint to the contents of 18-, 22-, 47- and 53-Across |
| 30% | BLACK | 5 | With 41- and 43-Across, cop cruiser ... or a description of the five animals named in this puzzle |