| 100% | MISTERSCOTT | 11 | Member of this puzzle's shaded squares who might say "I cannot change the laws of physics, Captain!" |
| 35% | PAT | 3 | TV show host Sajak who may say the phrase found in the starred clues of this puzzle before 4d |
| 33% | BLACKJACK | 9 | *Casino game associated with the sum of this puzzle's shaded squares |
| 32% | SCOOPEDUP | 9 | Eagerly obtained ... or a hint to the contents of this puzzle's shaded squares? |
| 32% | MONTH | 5 | Any of 12 represented in this puzzle's shaded squares |
| 31% | TIMES | 5 | Square where the words in this puzzle's dropping balls may be heard at the end of a song's first verse |
| 31% | SPOONBENDING | 12 | Display of mentalism ... or a hint to this puzzle's shaded squares |
| 30% | TWO | 3 | Approximate shape of this puzzle's white squares ... and a synonym of the circled letters |
| 30% | ROUTESIXTYSIX | 13 | Theme of this puzzle, which winds its way nearly 2,500 miles through all the shaded squares herein |
| 30% | TINAFEY | 7 | Writer of the bestseller spelled out in this puzzle's circled squares |
| 30% | EMBEDDED | 8 | Like aleph in the central black squares of this puzzle's grid |
| 29% | GETCRACKING | 11 | Hop to it ... or what to do to the various eggs in this puzzle's shaded squares? |
| 29% | THREE | 5 | Number of squares in the width and height of this puzzle's city blocks |
| 29% | WILEECOYOTE | 11 | Devious character who's the subject of this puzzle |
| 28% | ANGELA | 6 | Davis who said "I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept" |
| 28% | GREEKCROSS | 10 | Religious symbol resembling a plus sign ... or a hint to the three groups of shaded squares in this puzzle |
| 28% | SMOKEYBEAR | 10 | Character who's wary of the starts to this puzzle's theme answers |
| 28% | SYLVESTER | 9 | Animated character who's the subject of this puzzle's theme |
| 27% | EARTHRISE | 9 | Phenomenon witnessed from space … or a hint to this puzzle's sequence of shaded squares |
| 27% | FALLINGDOWN | 11 | Like the contents of this puzzle's circled squares, in a nursery rhyme |
| 27% | ANTS | 4 | Tiny critters in the shaded parts of this puzzle |
| 27% | STAFF | 5 | Locale for this puzzle's shaded squares |
| 27% | USS | 3 | Inits. for this puzzle's shaded squares |
| 27% | EGS | 3 | I'm happy to say that there are none of these in this puzzle's clues! |
| 27% | FLIMFLAMARTISTS | 15 | People who do what’s at the ends of nine answers in this puzzle |
| 27% | JUSTICEGINSBURG | 15 | Subject of this puzzle, who once said "Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you" |
| 27% | AFTERTHOUGHT | 12 | “P.S.” comment ... or where the ends of eight answers in this puzzle might appear? |
| 27% | FAB | 3 | With the circled squares of 35-Across, subject of this puzzle |
| 27% | VERTEX | 6 | What each of this puzzle's circled squares represents |
| 27% | ASHOWABOUTNOTHING | 17 | Description of the TV series spelled out in the circled squares (as well as this puzzle's theme) |