| 100% | DECADENCE | 9 | Characteristic of a wild time or a coming decline |
| 43% | PHENOTYPE | 9 | The visible characteristics of a culture or people |
| 43% | ETHOS | 5 | The central beliefs of a time period or community |
| 42% | HONK | 4 | Cry of wild goose or a car stuck in traffic |
| 42% | PREMIERE | 8 | Time when a lot of stars come out |
| 41% | DRYSPELL | 8 | Time with a lack of productivity or lack of water |
| 41% | DESCEND | 7 | * Come from a lineage or a synonym of 1a |
| 40% | SKEIN | 5 | Coiled yarn ... or a flock of wild 26 Across |
| 40% | OMEN | 4 | Foreboding or a sign of bad things to come |
| 40% | STENCIL | 7 | Cutout of a shape or design used multiple times |
| 40% | VERSES | 6 | Parts of a song that come before or after choruses |
| 39% | BLACKFRIDAY | 11 | Time of annual madness ... or a hint to four squares in this puzzle |
| 39% | MORBID | 6 | Of or relating to a disease or its characteristics |
| 39% | LAIR | 4 | A place of wild animals, villains or white worms |
| 38% | ALIBI | 5 | Suspect's explanation of where he or she was at a certain time |
| 38% | OINK | 4 | It comes out of a pen, either with or without its first letter |
| 38% | BOXINGDAY | 9 | Present time in England? ... or a hint to each set of circled squares |
| 38% | MIDDLEAGE | 9 | Crisis time, for some ... or a hint to each of the circled words |
| 38% | BABYTOY | 7 | A set of blocks . . . or the box they came in, perhaps |
| 38% | HONE | 4 | Get better or perfect over a period of time |
| 38% | AGES | 4 | A very long time ... or a hint to the starts of the answers to the five starred clues |
| 38% | PARTYANIMALS | 12 | They're always ready for a good time ... or a description of 18-, 25-, 35- and 49-Across? |
| 37% | LEASING | 7 | Loaning a property or vehicle for a period of time |
| 37% | ERA | 3 | Stretch of time sometimes named for a monarch or president |
| 37% | SATURDAYNIGHT | 13 | Popular date time ... or a phrase that can precede the starts of 20-, 33- and 40-Across |
| 37% | OPTIMISM | 8 | Characteristic of a bull |
| 37% | VATIC | 5 | Characteristic of a prophet |
| 37% | ENTHUSIASM | 10 | Characteristic of a fan |
| 37% | IRONFIST | 8 | Characteristic of a tyrant |
| 37% | OLDEN | 5 | Of a bygone time |