| 100% | 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) |
| 84% | 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) |
| 83% | 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) |
| 83% | 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) |
| 83% | 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) |
| 83% | 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) |
| 82% | 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) |
| 45% | SIX | 3 | Half of a dozen or the next number in a New Year's countdown |
| 34% | WINTERARC | 9 | Season-long alternative to a New Year's resolution, or what the letters in the shaded squares represent? |
| 32% | BEATIT | 6 | Michael Jackson hit ... or what you can do to the start of each answer to a starred clue |
| 32% | BOX | 3 | Container (and, in a way, what you will find outlined by this year's clues related to the mega-meta) |
| 31% | BACKUPTHETRUCK | 14 | "Wait, what did you just say?," or a hint to the circled letters in this puzzle |
| 30% | PASSGO | 6 | Round a corner in 65-Across ... or what you must do to answer the clues for 20-, 34-, 43- and 56-Across |
| 30% | BOEING | 6 | Are you ready to travel through time? First, let's go to the 1970s! What will you see here? ___ 747 Jet, airplane that you could take a ride in |
| 29% | BALLDROP | 8 | New Year's Eve tradition in the Big Apple, and what can be found in 3-, 8-, 33-, and 37-Down? |
| 29% | YOUSWEAR | 8 | Something done on a stack of Bibles or in response to someone stealing the cheesecake you were going to eat for breakfast |
| 29% | BOOK | 4 | What you find in a library, or a word which can be used at the start of 20a, 25a, 35a, 48a, 55a, 31d, and 45d |
| 29% | ONE | 3 | (5/5) End of a New Year's countdown...or the number that follows 31 on the calendar |
| 29% | GOALS | 5 | What you score in soccer or hockey, or resolutions that are set as a New Year's tradition |
| 29% | RAISEEMUP | 9 | Words before a toast, and what you can do to the ends of the starred answers |
| 28% | ONE | 3 | Last number shouted in a New Year's Eve countdown |
| 28% | TAKETHAT | 8 | "So there!" ... or what you can do to the ends of the answers to the starred clues? |
| 28% | OPENHOUSE | 9 | Realtor's big day ... or what each word in the answers to the starred clues can do |
| 28% | BREAK | 5 | Intermission ... or what you can do to the starts of 17-, 24-, 38-, 46- and 59-Across |
| 28% | CHEERS | 6 | Rallying words from fans in the stands, or a cry to mark the New Year's tradition of raising glasses |
| 28% | SEESAWS | 7 | Vacillates ... or what you can do when you look at the starts of the answers to starred clues? |
| 28% | STUFFIT | 7 | "Shut up already!" ... or what you can do to the start of the answer to each starred clue |
| 28% | SEE | 3 | With 46-Across, be angry ... or what you can do inside the answers to the six starred clues |
| 28% | SITONIT | 7 | Hold in abeyance, and what you can do to the ends of 17-, 27-, 46- and 61-Across |
| 28% | FRESHSTART | 10 | What a new year can give you ... or what 17-, 23-, 34-, and 49-Across can have? |