| 100% | SILICA | 6 | Oxide found in quartz and used as a flow agent |
| 42% | ACACIA | 6 | Tree which yields gum arabic, used as a thickening agent and stabilizer in the food industry |
| 40% | PARANG | 6 | Short straight-edged knife used as a weapon and tool in the Malay archipelago |
| 40% | TAR | 3 | ___ water, used as medicine, and as a scent in saunas |
| 39% | CITRIC | 6 | — acid, substance found in many fruits used as a flavouring |
| 38% | MARIGOLD | 8 | Color and flower used as a motif in Monsoon Wedding |
| 38% | YERBA | 5 | ___ mate, traditionally consumed as a drink in Paraguay and originally used by the Guaraní people |
| 37% | EPOXY | 5 | Used in wall and floor coatings, paints, and as a glue |
| 36% | ALOE | 4 | Plant used in balms and as a food additive |
| 36% | CITES | 5 | Uses as a reference in a bibliography |
| 36% | CITES | 5 | Uses as a reference in a research paper |
| 35% | SODA | 4 | Baking ___, "unsung hero" in 33a used as a leavening agent |
| 35% | PEG | 3 | Piece used as a marker in Battleship |
| 35% | OKRA | 4 | Vegetable used as a thickener in gumbo |
| 35% | BLUESTONE | 9 | Variety of basalt found in Victoria, Australia, used as a building stone |
| 35% | ACITYONAHILL | 12 | Metaphor for America's standing as a beacon of hope, and what can literally be found four times in this puzzle |
| 35% | SORBITOL | 8 | Sugar alcohol used as a sweetener and laxative |
| 35% | ARROWROOT | 9 | Plant starch used as a thickener in sauces |
| 35% | LAMPBLACK | 9 | Soot used as a pigment in paints, inks |
| 35% | BORAX | 5 | Mineral used as a cleaning agent |
| 35% | BARIUM | 6 | Element used as a radiocontrast agent |
| 35% | PAWNED | 6 | Used as security, in a way |
| 34% | PIGEON | 6 | Type of bird used as a messenger in WWII |
| 34% | CLOVES | 6 | Dry flower buds used as a spice in meat |
| 34% | RAT | 3 | Animal fittingly used as a motif in "The Departed" |
| 34% | TNT | 3 | Invention originally used as a yellow dye, in brief |
| 34% | ZEST | 4 | Citrus peel used as a garnish in cocktails, say |
| 34% | GENIPAP | 7 | Unripe fruit found in Florida that can be used as a tattoo dye (and insect repellent!) |
| 34% | FLAMINGO | 8 | Creature used as a croquet mallet in "Alice in Wonderland" |
| 34% | PIPET | 5 | Thin glass tube used as a dropper in a lab |