| 100% | TABLE | 5 | Dining room furniture ... or the theme that connects the games found at 30a, 42a, 55a, 9d, and 51d |
| 34% | COLOR | 5 | *Shade or hue... and the theme connecting the bands you'll find at 22a, 39a, 47a, 38d, and 46d |
| 34% | RISK | 4 | Popular board game that's played with armies on a map ... and the theme connecting 21a, 40a, 47a, 9d, and 38d |
| 33% | DODO | 4 | Extinct flightless avian...and the theme that connects 27a, 30a, 48a, and 24d. |
| 33% | MONEY | 5 | "Time is ___," idiom that emphasizes the value of time ... and the theme connecting the idioms found at 27a, 44a, 46a, 54a, 22d, and 49d |
| 30% | TRAIN | 5 | Commuting option on rail ... and the theme connecting the words found at 22a, 24a, 34a, 45a, 4d, and 38d |
| 29% | TREE | 4 | Plant that provides shade... examples of which are found at the starts of 17a, 30a, and 41a |
| 29% | MALAPHOR | 8 | Informal term for a sentence that mixes two idioms or cliches, like the ones found in 20a, 42a, 58a, 24d, and 25d |
| 29% | SLUMBER | 7 | *Sleep... and a theme common amongst the animals you'll find at 19a, 31a, 41a, 55a, and 28d |
| 28% | SIDESALAD | 9 | Dish that may accompany a main course, and what can be found at the start of 17-, 25-, 38-, or 53-Across? |
| 28% | PLAYGROUND | 10 | Children's outdoor area for fun and games...and the nostalgic theme connecting 30a, 37a, 45a, and 44d |
| 27% | 60S | 3 | Decade that spawned the slogan found at the starts of 19-, 31-, 40- and 51-Across |
| 26% | BOOK | 4 | What you find in a library, or a word which can be used at the start of 20a, 25a, 35a, 48a, 55a, 31d, and 45d |
| 25% | BEE | 3 | Buzzing pollinator ... or an insect you may find at 21a, 40a, 42a, 47a, and 7d |
| 25% | ICH | 3 | German pronoun that can be found at the end of "which" or "ostrich" |
| 25% | AGE | 3 | *Birthday candle count...or a word that can be found at the end of 16a, 18a, 21a, 31a, 43a, 35d, and 40d |
| 25% | JOKERSTAIRS | 11 | Cinematic nickname for the step street that connects Shakespeare and Anderson at West 167th Street in the Bronx |
| 25% | UNITY | 5 | Appropriately named ISS module that connects the US and Russian segments and also acts as the crew dining area |
| 25% | CHANGEOFPACE | 12 | Welcome break in one's routine, or the progression found at the starts of 20-, 33-, and 43-Across |
| 25% | COLOR | 5 | Pigment or hue, and a hint for the theme words at 43a, 58a, and 42d |
| 25% | MOCKTAIL | 8 | Nonalcoholic mixed drink … or a hint to the synonyms found at the ends of 16-, 24-, 37- and 51-Across |
| 25% | BOOK | 4 | Item commonly borrowed from the library ... or a word that goes with 25a, 36a, 42a, 7d, and 37d |
| 25% | ROAST | 5 | ___ turkey, classic centerpiece in a Thanksgiving feast and the theme connecting 50a, 55a, 7d, and 46d |
| 24% | MARIOBROS | 9 | Video game franchise with characters found at the ends of 17-, 20-, 53- and 58-Across |
| 24% | SIMPLEMACHINE | 13 | Force-multiplying device that can be found at the beginning of 18-, 33-, and 39-Across |
| 24% | STEVEN | 6 | ___ Page, founding member of the band that wrote and recorded the theme for "The Big Bang Theory" |
| 24% | GOLFBALL | 8 | Sports item that can be found at the starts of 17-, 21-, 32-, 42- and 54-Across |
| 24% | HIGHDEFINITION | 14 | Like most televisions, and what can be found at the start of 20-, 36-, or 46-Across |
| 24% | GHOST | 5 | Word game ... or a word that can precede the starts of 18-, 26-, 43- and 54-Across |
| 24% | TABLE | 5 | Dining room furniture that's dined on |