| 100% | BREAKRANKS | 10 | Deviate from one's group, and what the black squares in rows 3, 5, 8 and 11 do |
| 66% | BRAKEJOBS | 9 | Garage offerings, and a phonetic hint to what the black squares in rows 3, 5, 11 and 13 do |
| 61% | BREAKDANCES | 11 | Street moves since the '70s ... and what the black squares on rows 3, 5, 11 and 13 do |
| 55% | CODEBREAKER | 11 | Intelligence agency employee, and what a black square acts as in rows 3, 5, 8 and 11 |
| 45% | BREAKINGBAD | 11 | #3 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time (as of 2016) ... and a hint to what the black squares are doing in four rows of this puzzle |
| 42% | CAMOUFLAGE | 10 | "Trick" used by the creatures found in rows 3, 5, 11 and 13 |
| 38% | REVERSE | 7 | What the numbers 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 are in |
| 36% | GAIT | 4 | Horse's pace, which can be found jumping across black squares in rows 3, 6, 10 and 14 of this grid |
| 36% | LUNARPHASE | 10 | What's represented by each circled space and one black square in this grid |
| 35% | FACEDTHEMUSIC | 13 | Accepted the consequences of one's actions, and what the artists did with the hits in this puzzle? |
| 35% | PARTTHEREDSEA | 13 | Emulate Moses ... and what four black squares do in this puzzle |
| 33% | BALLDROP | 8 | New Year's Eve tradition in the Big Apple, and what can be found in 3-, 8-, 33-, and 37-Down? |
| 33% | SOAKUPTHESUN | 12 | 2002 summer anthem from Sheryl Crow, and what the answers with circles do, in two ways |
| 32% | WAITING | 7 | On hold ... or what the seven rows of black squares in this puzzle's grid spell in Morse code |
| 32% | MINCE | 5 | With 45-Across, not be direct ... or what four groups of black squares in this puzzle do? |
| 31% | INVENTIONS | 10 | Legacy of 72-Down, seven of which appear among this puzzle's answers and one more suggested by the black squares in the middle of the grid |
| 31% | BREAK | 5 | With 65-Across, go against the group ... or what the circled squares literally do in the answers to the starred clues |
| 31% | CHEESE | 6 | With 58-Across, savory base for a canapé ... and the function of a black square in four puzzle rows? |
| 31% | SEEINGSTARS | 11 | In pain, and what you're doing for the answers to 17- and 38-Across and 11- and 29-Down |
| 31% | DISUNION | 8 | State of division, and what the first letters of the states divided across black squares in this puzzle spell out |
| 31% | RESERVE | 7 | What one can do to the last parts of 17- and 58-Across and 11- and 28-Down |
| 31% | THROW | 5 | What one might do to the last parts of 17- and 60-Across and 11- and 28-Down |
| 30% | USEAN | 5 | With 60-Across, disguise one's identity ... and what the answers to starred clues subtly do? |
| 30% | TAXBREAK | 8 | Common campaign promise, and what four black squares in this puzzle create |
| 30% | ADDUPTOFIFTEEN | 14 | With 98-Across, 34-Down and 48-Down, what each line in the center square should do |
| 30% | SLINGSHOT | 9 | What some of the black squares in the grid might represent |
| 30% | BACKPACK | 8 | Travel the world with one bag, and what can be found in this puzzle's circled letters? |
| 29% | DEBT | 4 | With 11 Down, much-debated political limit ... and what the puzzle's circled squares compose? |
| 29% | BARRIERSTOENTRY | 15 | Impediments to newcomers, illustrated by black squares in rows 2, 4, 12 and 14 |
| 29% | CHOPPEDLIVER | 12 | Metaphor for one feeling slighted ... and what's hidden in the answers to starred clues |