| 100% | SHEE | 4 | Fairy-like Irish being that lives underground or in an alternate universe and which is sometimes preceded by the word "ban" |
| 32% | DARK | 4 | "___ Matter," book by Blake Crouch that is set in an alternate universe |
| 31% | BOGGLE | 6 | Flummox ... or a classic word game represented by the central grid of shaded squares, in which 15-, 17- and 55-Across can be found |
| 30% | GALWAY | 6 | "___ Girl," song by English singer Ed Sheeran which has the name of an Irish city in its title that is home to Eyre Square |
| 30% | WATCHMEN | 8 | Comic book maxiseries published by DC Comics and is set in an alternate reality in the '80s |
| 29% | KIDS | 4 | New ___ on the Block, boy band that debuted in 1984 and which is known for the song "Step by Step" |
| 28% | SONGOFSOLOMON | 13 | 1977 novel by Toni Morrison which is about the life of an African-American man living in Michigan: 3 wds. |
| 28% | EXPRESSIONISM | 13 | Art movement that originated in Germany at the beginning of 20th century which is characterized by distorting or exaggerating the subject |
| 28% | ROMANTICISM | 11 | Art movement that originated in Europe towards the end of 18th century which is characterized by its emphasis emotion and individualism |
| 27% | SAND | 4 | "Love Letters in the ___," song with an ocean-related word in the title, a version of which was sung by Pat Boone |
| 27% | SAND | 4 | "Love Letters in the ___," song with an ocean-related word in the title, a version of which was sang by Pat Boone |
| 27% | CASUMARZU | 9 | Sardinian sheep milk cheese that is banned in US as it contains live maggots and can be consumed only while the maggots are still alive: 2 wds. |
| 27% | ELLIS | 5 | Island over which New York and New Jersey had a long-standing territorial dispute that was settled by the Supreme Court in 1998 |
| 27% | DONTSTARTWITHME | 15 | Words that might begin (or prevent) an argument, and a grammar tip for the three speakers in this puzzle |
| 27% | LUGE | 4 | Winter Olympic sport which is also a small one or two person sled that rhymes with "huge" and was first played in the 1870s |
| 27% | WEST | 4 | Word after "South" for an airline that is the third-largest in the world and can take you to your travel destination |
| 27% | PLANE | 5 | Playful paper projects! Flight that may be created as an origami craft, and used by kids to pretend-fly in the air |
| 27% | JELLY | 5 | What quivering legs feel like ... or a word that can precede the starts of 17-, 27-, 45- and 60-Across |
| 27% | LIBRETTO | 8 | Words that are sung or spoken in an opera |
| 27% | CARTOON | 7 | Animations like "Tom and Jerry" that might be created by a creative person, and a word with 16a hidden in it |
| 26% | PINA | 4 | "If you like ___ coladas and getting caught in the rain ...," lyrics from "Escape" by Rupert Holmes which may be his preferred drink |
| 26% | AERIE | 5 | The largest one of these was in Florida, weighted an estimated 4,000 lb plus and built by one or more pairs of Haliaeetus leucocephalus |
| 26% | HABITAT | 7 | The area in which an animal or species lives |
| 26% | USAGE | 5 | The way in which words are spoken or written |
| 26% | MALIBU | 6 | Hit song by American artist Miley Cyrus which depicts a city in California that is known for its celebrity homes and the sandy Zuma Beach |
| 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 |
| 26% | VON | 3 | Word that precedes Bismarck in a German surname or Trapp in an Austrian surname |
| 26% | CHOLESTEROL | 11 | Solid found in most body tissues that is synthesized by the liver |
| 26% | TUNE | 4 | Melody that may be whistled or sung (hidden in the word "fortune") |
| 26% | PHRASING | 8 | The way in which an idea is expressed in words |