| 100% | RISKPRONE | 9 | Descriptive of an investor who plays long odds to get the chance at huge pay-offs |
| 30% | MALEK | 5 | Rami ___, actor who plays Safin, an adversary of 8a in the movie "No Time to Die" |
| 27% | ELEVATORPITCH | 13 | Chat with an investor who gets in on the ground floor? |
| 27% | RUBHERDUCKIE | 12 | What she did to get the soap off of the bath toy? |
| 27% | GORDIEHOWE | 10 | Hartford Whalers winger who, at age 52 in 1980, became the oldest person to play in an NHL game (2 wds.) |
| 27% | GEORGEBLANDA | 12 | Oakland Raiders placekicker who, at age 48 in 1976, became the oldest person to play in an NFL game (2 wds.) |
| 27% | KARYNPARSONS | 12 | Actress who played the snobbish cousin of 17-Across in "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," which is rumored to be getting a reunion: 2 wds. |
| 27% | SATCHELPAIGE | 12 | Kansas City Athletics pitcher who, at age 59 in 1965, became the oldest person to play in an MLB game (2 wds.) |
| 27% | ITS | 3 | "The ___ Man", who appeared at the start of each Monty Python's Flying Circus episode only to be cut off after a single word |
| 26% | PRO | 3 | One who gets paid to play |
| 26% | PROGAMER | 8 | One who gets paid to play |
| 26% | ANGELABASSETT | 13 | "What's Love Got to Do with It" Oscar nominee who earned an MFA from the Yale School of Drama in 1983 (2 wds.) |
| 26% | PRO | 3 | One who gets paid to play sports |
| 26% | BEP | 3 | ___ Guidolin, former NHL player who holds the record of being the youngest player to play his first NHL game at only 16 years, 337 days |
| 26% | BEARSFRUIT | 10 | Pays off ... or a hint to the starts of 17-, 24-, 38-, and 47-Across |
| 25% | RALPH | 5 | ___ Fiennes, actor who plays head of MI6 in the movie "No Time to Die" |
| 25% | SHAKESPEARE | 11 | Whom the first use of the nine long adjectives is credited to |
| 25% | BEERPONG | 8 | Game you likely get worse at the longer you play |
| 25% | SNAPDECISION | 12 | Choice to make an audible at the line of scrimmage? |
| 25% | SHALHOUB | 8 | Actor Tony who plays the father of 48-Across on an Emmy-winning Amazon series |
| 25% | BORSTEIN | 8 | Actress Alex who plays the manager of 48-Across on an Emmy-winning Amazon series |
| 25% | TOKSOLAGUNDOYE | 14 | Actress who plays the head of an Ivy League psychology department on "Frasier" (2 wds.) |
| 25% | LANDLORD | 8 | Owner of the place you live, who you pay rent to |
| 25% | HILARYSWANK | 11 | "Amelia" actress who plays an astronaut heading to Mars on the Netflix series "Away": 2 wds. |
| 25% | WALSH | 5 | M Emmet —, US actor who played Calvin Murks in 1994 film drama The Music of Chance |
| 25% | WALTZ | 5 | Christoph ___, actor who plays Ernst Stavro, archenemy of 8a in the movie "No Time to Die" |
| 25% | BIBI | 4 | & 1D Swedish actress who played Catherine Stockmann in 1978 film drama An Enemy of the People |
| 24% | EARLY | 5 | With 1-Down, people who get up at the crack of dawn |
| 24% | BED | 3 | Furniture you look forward to at the end of a long day |
| 24% | HEYYOU | 6 | What to yell to get the attention of an unknown person: 2 wds. |