| 100% | GUN | 3 | Jump the ___, phrase that originated in track racing that means to act before the appropriate time |
| 48% | DOWN | 4 | ___ to the wire, phrase that originated in horse racing that refers to a situation where the outcome is decided at the last possible minute |
| 46% | BEAT | 4 | ___ someone to the punch, phrase that originated in boxing that means to anticipate someone's actions |
| 46% | TREE | 4 | Barking up the wrong ___, phrase that originated in hunting that means to make the wrong choice |
| 45% | BATH | 4 | Go for an early ___, phrase that originated in rugby that means to stop doing something before you've finished |
| 42% | WIRE | 4 | "Down to the ___," common phrase meaning "until the last minute," that has its origins in horse racing |
| 38% | FOLLOWSUIT | 10 | Term originating through card games that means to copy the actions of the one before you: 2 wds. |
| 35% | BOSSANOVA | 9 | Dance similar to the samba that originated in Brazil |
| 35% | BOARD | 5 | "Across the ___," common phrase meaning "affecting everything and everyone in a particular group," that has its origins in horse racing |
| 35% | HOME | 4 | "___ stretch," common phrase used to refer to the final part of an activity, that has its origins in horse racing |
| 34% | SPADES | 6 | In ___, term originating through card games that means to have in a great amount |
| 34% | BALL | 4 | Keep one's eye on the ___, phrase that's common in multiple sports that means to give attention to one's current task |
| 34% | NECK | 4 | Word used on both sides of "and" to make a common phrase meaning "a close contest," that has its origins in horse racing |
| 33% | BOLERO | 6 | Spanish dance in triple time that originated in the 18th century |
| 32% | HELL | 4 | "All ___ broke loose," phrase referring to pandemonium that originated in Milton's "Paradise Lost" |
| 32% | MAFIA | 5 | Secret criminal organisation originating in Sicily that spread to mainland Italy and the US |
| 32% | MAFIA | 5 | Secret criminal organization originating in Sicily that spread to mainland Italy and the US |
| 32% | DON | 3 | River that rises in the Cairngorm Mountains before flowing east to the North Sea |
| 32% | FLAGRANTE | 9 | In __, Latin phrase meaning "caught in the act" |
| 31% | RENAISSANCE | 11 | Art movement that originated in Europe between 14th and 17th century marking the transition from the middle ages to modernity |
| 31% | BITE | 4 | "___ the dust," phrase meaning "to suffer a defeat" that was used in Samuel Butler's translation of "The Iliad" |
| 31% | HOME | 4 | "Chickens come ___ to roost," idiom meaning "actions have consequences" that originated in poems by Robert Southey |
| 31% | SELAH | 5 | Word of uncertain meaning that appears in the Bible seventy-four times |
| 31% | DETAIL | 6 | "Attention to ___," complete the phrase with a word that ends in "ail" |
| 31% | POLECAR | 7 | The vehicle that is first out on the track in Indy racing, say: 2 wds. |
| 31% | LENA | 4 | River in Russia that rises in Siberia before flowing to the Laptev Sea |
| 31% | HALA | 4 | Fictional planet in Marvel Comics that is home to the alien race Kree |
| 31% | HOLE | 4 | Ace in the ___, term originating through card games that means an effective or decisive argument held in reserve |
| 30% | COG | 3 | ___ in the machine, phrase associated with machines that means "small part of a large organization" |
| 30% | HANDS | 5 | "___ down," common phrase meaning "easily, without question" that has its origins in horse racing |