| 100% | ERGO | 4 | Central part of Descartes' oft-repeated phrase that appeared in his "Principles of Philosophy" (1644) |
| 33% | COG | 3 | ___ in the machine, phrase associated with machines that means "small part of a large organization" |
| 32% | HOME | 4 | "___ stretch," common phrase used to refer to the final part of an activity, that has its origins in horse racing |
| 32% | CONJ | 4 | Part of speech that connects phrases (Abbr.) |
| 31% | TAIT | 4 | Part of retribution, in a phrase |
| 31% | NOTPASS | 7 | "Do ___ Go. Do not collect $200," phrase used in "Monopoly" that has become a part of pop culture: 2 wds. |
| 30% | RIM | 3 | Part of a margarita glass that's dipped in salt |
| 30% | SKY | 3 | Part of a landscape that may have clouds in it |
| 30% | AMES | 4 | City in the central part of 39-Down |
| 30% | AMES | 4 | City in the central part of 41-Down |
| 30% | CIRCLES | 7 | Round patterns that appear in fields of crops |
| 30% | ELM | 3 | Type of tree that appears in the title of a horror movie franchise |
| 30% | BACKSTORY | 9 | Part of a narrative that may be told in a prequel |
| 30% | LEAF | 4 | Part of a tree that might fall off in the autumn |
| 30% | THEFUNNIES | 10 | Part of a newspaper that’s in strips, slangily |
| 30% | SINAI | 5 | Part of Egypt that's in Asia |
| 30% | ESSAY | 5 | Part of an exam that might be written in a blue book |
| 30% | THE | 3 | Word that appears in ten of this puzzle's clues |
| 30% | MEERKATS | 8 | Highly social African mammals that appear in "Life of Pi" |
| 30% | AVIV | 4 | Part of a city name that means "spring" in Hebrew |
| 30% | DALAI | 5 | Part of a religious title that means “ocean” in Mongolian |
| 29% | GRID | 4 | Part of a crossword that gets filled in |
| 29% | TIGERWOODS | 10 | Considered one of the best in golf, he was central figure in a controversy that involved infidelity and ended in his divorce: 2 wds. |
| 29% | FEET | 4 | Parts of the body that are slightly larger in the evening than morning |
| 29% | MEL | 3 | Brooks who appeared in "The History of the World, Part II" |
| 29% | PERSONALAD | 10 | Where "Desperately Seeking Susan" appears in the film of that name |
| 29% | ANDTHEN | 7 | Phrase that may be repeated in a long story |
| 29% | CHORUS | 6 | Part of a song that gets repeated between verses |
| 29% | LEAF | 4 | Part of a tree that may fall in Fall |
| 29% | IRIS | 4 | Part of the eye that comes in different colors |