| 100% | GOAT | 4 | Curse of the Billy ___, Cubs "jinx" that ended in 2016 |
| 45% | ESSAY | 5 | Component of the SAT that became optional in 2016 |
| 45% | CRIMEAN | 7 | War that ended with the "Treaty of Paris" in 1856 |
| 43% | ONETHIRD | 8 | Fraction of months that end in the letter “Y” |
| 42% | ROTTENLUCK | 10 | Curse of the jinxed |
| 42% | KEEPER | 6 | Small piece that holds the end of a belt in place |
| 42% | INCA | 4 | Member of an empire that ended in the 16th century |
| 41% | BELO | 4 | ___ Horizonte, one of the five cities in Brazil that hosted the football matches during the 2016 Summer Olympics |
| 41% | BUZZER | 6 | Loud noise that marks the end of a quarter or a game in basketball |
| 41% | THECURSEOF | 10 | With 59-Across, 80+ year jinx that ended in 2004 |
| 40% | RING | 4 | Bell ___, loud chiming sound that signals the start or end of a round in boxing |
| 39% | IDOL | 4 | "American ___" (TV series that ended in April 2016) |
| 39% | ADE | 3 | Ending in the names of citrus beverages |
| 38% | DREAMT | 6 | The only English word that ends in "mt" |
| 38% | ADE | 3 | Ending in the names of some sweet beverages |
| 38% | ADE | 3 | Ending in the name of a lemony drink |
| 38% | ADE | 3 | Ending in the names of some sweet drinks |
| 38% | DEN | 3 | Home of the Cubs, in 9a. |
| 38% | ACHY | 4 | First word in the title of the Billy Ray Cyrus song that popularized line dancing |
| 38% | 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. |
| 38% | ADE | 3 | Ending in the name of a lime-flavored drink |
| 37% | EVIE | 4 | One of the Wilcoxes in "Howards End" |
| 37% | DIE | 3 | Word that appears in the titles of three Bond films (or four, if you count one ending in “s”) |
| 37% | CRIMEAN | 7 | War that ended with the "Treaty of Paris" |
| 37% | ILIAD | 5 | Poem that ends with the funeral of Hector |
| 37% | ILIAD | 5 | Poem that ends with the burial of Hector |
| 37% | DYLAN | 5 | Winner of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature |
| 37% | ZED | 3 | End of the alphabet, in Canada |
| 37% | ZED | 3 | End of the alphabet, in England |
| 36% | PAXROMANA | 9 | Period that ended with the death of Marcus Aurelius |