| 100% | OUTSIDETHEBOX | 13 | How you have to think to solve this puzzle |
| 61% | DOWN | 4 | Look ___ (advice on how to solve this puzzle contest, assuming you're not solving on paper) |
| 61% | FRUITLESSLY | 11 | How I hope you don't try to solve most contest crosswords...except this puzzle |
| 59% | GALAXYBRAIN | 11 | Having ideas far too profound for anyone else to comprehend ... and what might help you solve this puzzle? |
| 57% | FREEASSOCIATION | 15 | How to solve this puzzle's starred clues |
| 54% | MERGELEFT | 9 | What you might have to do for some highway construction … or a first hint to solving this puzzle's theme |
| 53% | AHAMOMENT | 9 | What you may have while solving this puzzle? |
| 53% | CROSS | 5 | With 57-Across, what you must do four times to solve this puzzle |
| 53% | ININK | 5 | How you might bravely solve this puzzle |
| 52% | ATABOIL | 7 | How you might feel after solving this puzzle |
| 52% | INNERCIRCLE | 11 | Brain trust, and what you need to add to solve 16 clues in this puzzle |
| 51% | CUTOUTTHEMIDDLEMAN | 18 | What you have to do before entering seven answers in this puzzle? |
| 49% | DROPMEALINE | 11 | "Don't be a stranger!" ... or what you have to do three times in this puzzle |
| 48% | STBERNARD | 9 | French abbot thought to have originated the saying depicted symbolically in this puzzle |
| 48% | TAKEITDOWNANOTCH | 16 | Reduce one’s excitement slightly ... or what you have to do to the final letter of five long answers in this puzzle? |
| 47% | ANTE | 4 | You have to be upfront about this |
| 47% | HAPPYFACE | 9 | Response to solving this puzzle |
| 47% | USEYOURNOODLE | 13 | Best way to solve this puzzle |
| 47% | ANAGRAMTHE | 10 | Trap #1 to solving this puzzle |
| 47% | TENPM | 5 | Appropriate time to solve this puzzle? |
| 46% | ANA | 3 | Item you should be able to see 16 times if you've solved this puzzle correctly |
| 46% | EMAIL | 5 | Something you could send to crosswords@vox.com saying how great these puzzles are, for example |
| 46% | FLIP | 4 | Action you need to take to understand this puzzle's starred clues |
| 46% | UTURN | 5 | One of four required to solve this puzzle |
| 46% | POPINJAYS | 9 | Coxcombs (and a hint to solving this puzzle) |
| 45% | EEE | 3 | Apt shoe width to wear when solving this puzzle? |
| 45% | ITHASCIRCLES | 12 | With 50-Across, how one can tell that this puzzle was up all night waiting to be solved? |
| 45% | AIRLIFTS | 8 | Some special deliveries, and a hint to solving this puzzle |
| 45% | CROPROTATION | 12 | Common farming technique ... or a hint to solving this puzzle |
| 45% | DONTLOOKATME | 12 | “I had nothing to do with it!” . . . or how to make sense of twelve of this puzzle’s clues |