| 100% | LIME | 4 | Fruit you might squeeze into a margarita, and a word that rhymes with "time" |
| 51% | CRIME | 5 | Act that breaks the law, and a word that rhymes with "time" |
| 51% | MIME | 4 | Street artist who speaks through gestures, and a word that rhymes with "time" |
| 51% | PRIME | 5 | The best years of your life, and a word that rhymes with "time" |
| 50% | SLIME | 5 | Sticky stuff kids love to play with, and a word that rhymes with "time" |
| 50% | DIME | 4 | Ten-cent coin with Roosevelt's face on it, and a word that rhymes with "time" |
| 49% | ORANGE | 6 | Citrus fruit or a color, and a word that has an obscure near-perfect rhyme with "sporange" |
| 45% | THROW | 5 | Lead-in with "back" to make a nostalgic word that may remind you fond memories from earlier times |
| 43% | JEER | 4 | Something that rhymes with, and might accompany, a sneer |
| 42% | RACE | 4 | Competition where you aim to finish first and a word that goes with 36a, 53a, 4d, 15d, and 39d |
| 42% | BULB | 4 | Light source, and a word that has an obscure perfect rhyme with the word "culb" |
| 42% | LEMON | 5 | Citrus fruit that might be squeezed into a cup of tea |
| 42% | CIRCLE | 6 | Round geometrical shape, and a word that has an obscure perfect rhyme with the word "hurkle" |
| 42% | PEACH | 5 | ___ Bowl, annual NCAA game which shares its name with a cobbler fruit and that you may have watched on New Year's Day this year |
| 42% | ORANGE | 6 | ___ Bowl, annual NCAA game which shares its name with a citrus fruit and that you may have watched on New Year's Day this year |
| 42% | FILM | 4 | Another word for "movie," and a word that has an obscure perfect rhyme with the word "pilm" |
| 41% | MUSIC | 5 | Harmonious vocals or instrumental sounds, and a word that has an obscure perfect rhyme with the word "anchusic" |
| 41% | MONTH | 5 | One of the twelve divisions in a year, and a word that has an obscure perfect rhyme with the word "oneth" |
| 40% | KEYBOARD | 8 | Device that allows you to type your input into a computer ... and something with many buttons |
| 40% | BEAT | 4 | Defeat, or a word that rhymes with "defeat" |
| 40% | PURPLE | 6 | Color that is a blend of blue and red, and a word that has an obscure perfect rhyme with the word "curple" |
| 39% | HOUSE | 5 | Word with "light" to mean a bright coastal tower that you may spot on an island |
| 39% | HERO | 4 | *Person who saves the day... and a word you may use to describe those being celebrated in this puzzle |
| 38% | APARTMENT | 9 | Flat in a residential complex that might be a creative person's abode, and a word with 16a hidden in it |
| 38% | ECHO | 4 | Word you might shout into a cave or empty hallway |
| 38% | CAT | 3 | House pet that might squeeze into a shoebox |
| 38% | YEAR | 4 | Number you might type into a time machine |
| 37% | CARTOON | 7 | Animations like "Tom and Jerry" that might be created by a creative person, and a word with 16a hidden in it |
| 37% | BAA | 3 | Word repeated before "black sheep," in a nursery rhyme that may be one of the first poems you learned |
| 36% | EEK | 3 | Shriek that rhymes with a word in this clue |