| 100% | RABIN | 5 | Figure to the left of Clinton in a famous 1993 photo-op handshake |
| 44% | TAB | 3 | The key to the left of Q in a keyboard |
| 42% | FORK | 4 | Utensil to the left of the plate in a standard table setting |
| 41% | IDIOM | 5 | Figure of speech ... and a synonym of the puzzle's alternate title, spelled left to right in the circled squares |
| 38% | BOARD | 5 | You'll need a famous one of these to figure out the contest |
| 37% | TEL | 3 | Abbr. to the left of a number |
| 37% | ONESPLACE | 9 | Column to the left of a decimal |
| 37% | ONESPLACE | 9 | It's to the left of a dot |
| 37% | DOLLARS | 7 | Value to the left of a decimal point |
| 37% | HRS | 3 | Nos. to the left of a colon, maybe |
| 37% | ONES | 4 | Column to the left of a decimal point |
| 37% | ONE | 3 | Figure in the top left of a crossword grid |
| 37% | DOLLARS | 7 | Number to the left of a decimal point, maybe |
| 37% | ONES | 4 | ___ place (space to the left of a decimal point) |
| 36% | APORT | 5 | To the left side of a ship |
| 36% | KEN | 3 | Name to the left of Watson on Jeopardy! in 2011 |
| 36% | STAR | 4 | Symbol to the left of a zero on a phone |
| 36% | TAB | 3 | Key to the left of Q, on a keyboard |
| 35% | INGOD | 5 | Words to the left of the White House flag on a $20 bill |
| 35% | TAB | 3 | Key to the left of Q on a keyboard |
| 35% | TAB | 3 | Key to the left of Q on a standard keyboard |
| 34% | CLEF | 4 | Figure at the left side of a musical staff |
| 34% | SLICEOPEN | 9 | Get to the heart of, in a way |
| 34% | POOR | 4 | According to The World Bank, in 2015, 734 million people were this, a change from 1990's figure of 1.9 billion |
| 33% | ALT | 3 | Key to the left or right of the space bar on a Windows keyboard |
| 33% | LEG | 3 | In cricket, the side of the field to the left of a right-handed batsman as he faces the bowler |
| 33% | DOUBLEPARK | 10 | Leave one's vehicle in a traffic lane, and an apt description of the answers to the starred clues |
| 33% | BUGSOUT | 7 | Leaves in a hurry, or a hint to the cluing of the starred answers |
| 32% | CLARITY | 7 | The quality of being clear, esp. in a photo |
| 32% | FURLOUGH | 8 | A leave of absence, like in the armed forces |