| 100% | SCUD | 4 | Name of a missile used in the gulf war, which means to move quickly like clouds |
| 38% | SCUD | 4 | Soviet surface-to-surface missile used in the Gulf War |
| 36% | SCUD | 4 | Missile used in the first Gulf War |
| 33% | MRMOJORISIN | 11 | Phrase used in the song "L.A. Woman," by Jim Morrison which is an anagram of his name: 3 wds. |
| 33% | BOBSUPANDDOWN | 13 | Moves like a buoy in the ocean ... or a hint to the circled parts of this puzzle? |
| 32% | ARRESTED | 8 | "___ Development," TV series in which the Bluths misinterpret a doctor's use of "all right," leading to a comical confusion over homonyms |
| 32% | RECUT | 5 | Like the 1997 Special Edition of “Star Wars: A New Hope,” in which Greedo shoots first |
| 32% | DIAL | 4 | Word before "up" to mean a form of internet access used in the '90s |
| 32% | OOLONG | 6 | The name of a kind of tea that means "black dragon" in Chinese |
| 31% | TONI | 4 | First name of the first Black woman to win a Nobel Prize in Literature |
| 31% | NEE | 3 | Used with the name of a married woman to identify former family |
| 30% | TOE{LO}OP | 9 | Jump in which a figure skater uses the pick to launch |
| 30% | SENATORS | 8 | Ottawa ___, Canadian ice hockey team in the NHL whose name sounds like a group of politicians |
| 30% | SCUD | 4 | Missile in the Gulf War |
| 30% | AMSTERDAM | 9 | A city in Missouri, which shares its name with the capital of the Netherlands |
| 30% | NEE | 3 | Used to indicate the maiden name of a married woman |
| 30% | EBOLA | 5 | River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after which a severe infectious viral disease is named |
| 30% | TOWER | 5 | Eiffel ___, a piece of which was used to embellish the 2024 Olympic medal |
| 30% | AER | 3 | Name of the large veil used to cover the bread and wine for the Eucharist in the Eastern Orthodox Church |
| 30% | ROLEREVERSAL | 12 | Plot device used in "Freaky Friday" ... or a hint to the interior of 20-, 26- or 42-Across |
| 30% | EXOCET | 6 | Antiship missile used in the Falklands War |
| 29% | DROPBOX | 7 | Big name in the cloud, and a hint to the starred answers |
| 29% | SUWANNEE | 8 | US river rising in the Okefenokee Swamp on the Georgia-Florida border which flows to the Gulf of Mexico |
| 29% | TAHOE | 5 | California freshwater lake with a name that translates to "edge of the lake" in Washoe |
| 29% | SKEET | 5 | Sport in which a shotgun is used to shoot at clay targets thrown into the air |
| 29% | PEN | 3 | James Bond uses a modified one to melt the iron bars of his cell in Octopussy |
| 29% | XXXXXX | 6 | First part of a name in the "Star Wars" universe |
| 29% | ANN | 3 | Name of a doll in the Toy Hall of Fame |
| 29% | NMI | 3 | Letters used in the absence of a letter |
| 29% | QUAIDORSAY | 10 | Street in Paris whose name is used figuratively to refer to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs |