| 100% | CPO | 3 | Govt. post created in 2009, first occupied by Jeffrey Zients and currently vacant, whose focus is fed. budget and govt. reform (abbr.) |
| 24% | CUNARD | 6 | Samuel ___, who got the first British transatlantic steamship mail contract in 1839 and whose company is now owned by the Carnival Corporation |
| 24% | NATO | 4 | Post WWII alliance whose HQ is in Brussels: Abbr. |
| 23% | ALOUETTE | 8 | Song whose title is repeated before and after "gentille" in its first line |
| 23% | BROADCAST | 9 | First TV __ by Rignoux and Fournier was in 1909 |
| 22% | UGGBOOTS | 8 | Footwear whose prototypes were first worn by Australian surfers in the 1960s |
| 22% | ETNA | 4 | Mountain whose volcanic eruption was first recorded by Diodorus Siculus in 425 BC |
| 22% | CHIC | 4 | US group founded by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards whose self-titled debut album was released in 1977 |
| 22% | MOUNTEVEREST | 12 | Peak whose summit was first reached by 14-Across and 39-Across (2 wds.) |
| 22% | AMBULANCE | 9 | Vehicle whose sound is imitated by the first three Across entries in this puzzle |
| 22% | SNL | 3 | Show whose first host was George Carlin, in 1975: Abbr. |
| 22% | SNL | 3 | Show whose first host, in 1975, was George Carlin: Abbr. |
| 21% | BLOWOUT | 7 | Like when Villarreal beat Navata by 27 to zip in 2009; and this is soccer! |
| 21% | DEATHSTAR | 9 | Space station whose plans are stolen by Jyn and Cassian in "Rogue One" (2 wds.) |
| 21% | BUY | 3 | ___.com, second e-commerce site behind Amazon in 2009, was purchased by and rebranded as Rakuten in 2010 |
| 21% | NEWYORKMARATHON | 15 | Event held on the first Sunday in November, and whose path is recreated in this puzzle |
| 21% | EURO | 4 | Currency whose name was suggested by Germain Pirlot and officially adopted in Madrid in December 1995 |
| 21% | MYSPACE | 7 | Social networking service created by Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe that was popular in the 2000s |
| 21% | TIME | 4 | "Only ___ Will Tell," 2011 novel by Jeffrey Archer which is the first in the "Clifton Chronicles" series |
| 21% | OLIVA | 5 | 1964, 1965, and 1971 AL batting champ Tony whose #6 was retired by the Twins in 1991 |
| 21% | FIG | 3 | Fruit tree whose leaves were reportedly used by Adam and Eve in the Bible to cover themselves |
| 21% | FIG | 3 | Fruit-bearing tree whose leaves were used by Adam and Eve in the Bible to clothe themselves |
| 21% | TIMRAINES | 9 | Outfielder whose #30 was retired by the Expos in 2004 and then unretired by the Nationals: 2 wds. |
| 21% | FIG | 3 | Fruit-bearing tree whose leaves were reportedly used by Adam and Eve in the Bible to cover themselves |
| 21% | ATOMICPILE | 10 | The first one of these was built by Fermi and his team in 1942 |
| 21% | BLACKEYEDPEAS | 13 | Hip-hop group whose songs "Boom Boom Pow" and "I Gotta Feeling" were simultaneously #1 and #2 in 2009: 3 wds. |
| 20% | PETESAMPRAS | 11 | A retired American tennis legend whose record of 14 titles was only surpassed by Federer in 2009: 2 wds. |
| 20% | CHUCK | 5 | ___ Bednarik, linebacker who was selected first overall draft pick by the Eagles and won the Maxwell Award in 1948 |
| 20% | BROOKLYNDECKER | 14 | "Grace and Frankie" actress whose first name is also a place in New York City (2 wds.) |
| 20% | SBS | 3 | Abbr. for the phenomenon when nonspecific symptoms are reported by many people in new homes and offices |