| 100% | BEARUP | 6 | Laugh in the face of being strangled by a gorilla, maybe |
| 42% | CLOSEDRANKS | 11 | United in the face of a challenge |
| 42% | EVE | 3 | Woman who was tempted by a serpent in the Book of Genesis |
| 41% | FAERIES | 7 | Creatures of which Gloriana is the “Queene,” in a work by Edmund Spenser |
| 41% | DEFIED | 6 | Flew completely in the face of, in a way |
| 41% | MAKEITMAKESENSE | 15 | Rhetorical plea in the face of a dissonant reality |
| 40% | TICKLEMEELMO | 12 | By the end of 1996, one million of this toy was sold in a shopping frenzy |
| 40% | WEAPON | 6 | The "what" of a Clue accusation, whose identity is hinted at by the three circled answers in this quadrant |
| 40% | ROOM | 4 | The "where" of a Clue accusation, whose identity is hinted at by the three circled answers in this quadrant |
| 40% | SUSPECT | 7 | The "who" of a Clue accusation, whose identity is hinted at by the three circled answers in this quadrant |
| 39% | SAND | 4 | "Love Letters in the ___," song with an ocean-related word in the title, a version of which was sung by Pat Boone |
| 39% | SAND | 4 | "Love Letters in the ___," song with an ocean-related word in the title, a version of which was sang by Pat Boone |
| 39% | CANDLE | 6 | "___ in the Wind 1997," charity single by Elton John that was rewritten as a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales |
| 39% | LILIES | 6 | "...And ___ face the March-winds in full blow..." (2nd line of a spring-themed poem written by 14a) |
| 39% | BLUE | 4 | "Tangled Up in ___," 1975 song by Bob Dylan which is a part of his album, "Blood on the Tracks" |
| 39% | SNOOKI | 6 | Jersey Shore star who was punched in the face by a gym teacher |
| 38% | CLARITY | 7 | The quality of being clear, esp. in a photo |
| 38% | ANN | 3 | "Barbara ___," number-one hit released by The Beach Boys in 1965 which was a cover of a song by the Regents |
| 38% | ROLL | 4 | "Rock and ___ Music," hit released by The Beach Boys in 1976 which was a cover of a song by Chuck Berry |
| 38% | EASTERNCOUGAR | 13 | A subspecies of puma from North America which was formally declared extinct by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2018: 2 wds. |
| 38% | LEIS | 4 | May 1 was a day chosen by Don Blanding, then of the Honolulu Star Bulletin, in 1927 for a celebration of these |
| 37% | OPERATIC | 8 | In the style of a work by Bizet, such as Carmen |
| 37% | NED | 3 | Only Springfield resident whose house is destroyed by a hurricane, in an episode of The Simpsons |
| 37% | ANGELS | 6 | __ in the Outfield is a 1994 remake of a 1951 film |
| 37% | PROFILE | 7 | In art, the side view of a face |
| 37% | BINGO | 5 | Game in which the center square of a 5-by-5 grid is marked "Free" |
| 37% | STOPCOPCITY | 11 | Georgia protest movement from which dozens of activists were charged with racketeering, in a move condemned by the A.C.L.U. (September, 2023) |
| 37% | BOGGLE | 6 | Flummox ... or a classic word game represented by the central grid of shaded squares, in which 15-, 17- and 55-Across can be found |
| 37% | DESPITE | 7 | In the face of |
| 37% | FROSTBITE | 9 | Hazard of being outside in the cold for a long time |