| 100% | ALONGSIDE | 9 | Next to a ship or the pier, as in docking |
| 46% | HAHA | 4 | Wall or fence set in a ditch so as not to interrupt the landscape |
| 44% | BEAMUP | 6 | Transport to a ship, as in ''Star Trek'' |
| 44% | ENTER | 5 | Key that moves the cursor to the next line ... or a hint to answering five clues in this puzzle |
| 44% | DOUBLEBOOK | 10 | Reserve twice in error, as an airline seat ... or a hint to the two-part answers to starred clues |
| 43% | SAIL | 4 | Leave the pier in a ship |
| 43% | TWO | 3 | Pair count or the next number in a New Year's countdown (go to 45d to find out what you can do next year) |
| 43% | FOUR | 4 | Beatles count or the next number in a New Year's countdown (go to 35d to find out what you can do next year) |
| 43% | THREE | 5 | Trio number or the next number in a New Year's countdown (go to 37d to find out what you can do next year) |
| 43% | SEVEN | 5 | Oft lucky number or the next number in a New Year's countdown (go to 18d to find out what you can do next year) |
| 43% | NINE | 4 | Cat lives count or the next number in a New Year's countdown (go to 3d to find out what you can do next year) |
| 42% | PARAPHRASES | 11 | Puts in other words, or, if read as three pieces, a hint to the starred answers |
| 42% | EIGHT | 5 | Number that sounds like "ate" or the next number in a New Year's countdown (go to 7d to find out what you can do next year) |
| 42% | HEIR | 4 | Next in line, as to the throne |
| 41% | VERSUS | 6 | In contrast to or as the alternative of |
| 41% | STARRED | 7 | To have appeared as the lead in a movie or play |
| 41% | ADAPTATION | 10 | *2002 movie in which a Susan Orlean work is described as “that sprawling New Yorker shit” . . . or what the answer to each starred clue is |
| 40% | LEVELUP | 7 | To progress to the next stage in a video game |
| 40% | AGROUND | 7 | To run a ship onto the beach or on land |
| 40% | MAIL | 4 | Shipping method used by Jim to send Dwight's desk to New Mexico as a prank in "The Office" |
| 40% | SUCCESSOR | 9 | Heir or next in line to the throne |
| 40% | FIVE | 4 | Half of a decade or the next number in a New Year's countdown (go to 34d to find out what you can do next year) |
| 40% | LEVELUP | 7 | Progress to the next stage in a video game |
| 40% | TESTSFOR | 8 | Tries to detect, as a substance in the body |
| 39% | FLORA | 5 | All the plants in a region, as opposed to "fauna" |
| 39% | ETCH | 4 | To write something down, or a popular toy known as the ___-a-sketch |
| 39% | AMEND | 5 | Modify, as the Constitution... or a word that ends in "end" |
| 39% | AMENDED | 7 | Made changes to, as a bill in the House of Representatives |
| 39% | TRACT | 5 | A passage in the body, as the digestive or respiratory |
| 39% | SERVE | 5 | Bring to the table, as food in a restaurant |