| 100% | CROSSINGSWORDS | 14 | Intersection of “dogshit” and “bullshit” in a puzzle’s grid? |
| 57% | RAISINGTHEFLAG | 14 | Activity depicted in a famous 2/23/1945 photograph ... and in three of this puzzle's answers |
| 55% | RIGHTBETWEENTHE | 15 | With 67-Across, in a sudden and completely apparent way ... or a punny description of this puzzle's circled letters |
| 55% | GEARSHIFT | 9 | Auto part, and a clue to what's going on in five rows of this puzzle |
| 54% | GREATWALL | 9 | Landmark that, in a way, is a border feature of this puzzle and a hint to what's missing from 10 answers |
| 54% | EAR | 3 | In one ___ and out the other (how a word may travel through someone's brain--or through this puzzle grid) |
| 53% | INSIDEOUT | 9 | Reversed, in a way ... and a hint to the creation of five puzzle answers |
| 53% | {SUGAR}CUBE | 11 | Lump in a cup of tea, and an element found three times in this puzzle |
| 52% | PATTON | 6 | Oswalt seen in A.P. Bio and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. |
| 52% | BYATT | 5 | A S —, author of the novels Still Life and The Virgin in the Garden |
| 51% | IDIOM | 5 | Figure of speech ... and a synonym of the puzzle's alternate title, spelled left to right in the circled squares |
| 49% | TIC | 3 | First syllable in a game of X's and O's |
| 49% | COLDOPEN | 8 | Certain TV intro ... or a description of each of 12 letters in the grid (the starts of six Across entries and then six Down entries) that spell out an alternate title for this puzzle |
| 48% | MYRRH | 5 | Tree of Africa and S Asia that exudes a resin used in perfume and medicine |
| 48% | LIFECHANGING | 12 | Influential in a big way ... and a hint to this puzzle's circles |
| 48% | NONE | 4 | Number of Qs in this puzzle's grid |
| 48% | ALLRISE | 7 | Bailiff's request, and a feature of this puzzle |
| 48% | TAKEBYSTORM | 11 | Rapidly achieve success in, and a description of the juxtaposed circled words at the top of the puzzle |
| 48% | GRANT | 5 | Ulysses S. ___, 18th President of the U.S.A. and the second to sport a beard in office |
| 47% | TOPSY | 5 | Title twin sister in a series of children's books by Jean and Gareth Adamson |
| 47% | SECRETSAUCE | 11 | Subtle element in a success story ... and what's revealed by each set of circles |
| 47% | CRYPTOGRAM | 10 | Sort of encoded message found in this puzzle's grid [SEE NOTE] |
| 47% | WRITERSBLOCK | 12 | Novelist's bane, and a seven-time feature of this puzzle |
| 47% | LOWPH | 5 | Characteristic of acid, and of this puzzle, in a way |
| 47% | NIECE | 5 | Sibling's daughter ... and a homophone of a city in France |
| 47% | NIECE | 5 | Sibling's daughter... and a homophone of a city in France |
| 47% | TRUMAN | 6 | Harry S. ___, 33rd President of the U.S.A. and the last (so far) to sport a beard in office |
| 46% | SECRET | 6 | With 46-Across, some areas in Clue … or a hint to the first, fourth, twelfth and fifteenth rows of this puzzle |
| 46% | ONE | 3 | Number of K's in this puzzle's completed grid |
| 46% | TREERINGS | 9 | Indicators of age ... and a hint to this puzzle's theme |