| 100% | LOL | 3 | Response to a funny text, and a hint to this puzzle's five longest answers |
| 69% | BANDE | 5 | Burglary, for short ... and a hint to this puzzle's four longest answers |
| 69% | PANDL | 5 | CFO's monetary report, and a hint to this puzzle's four longest answers |
| 68% | CREW | 4 | With 65-Across, private dos, and a hint to this puzzle's five theme answers |
| 67% | NOPE | 4 | Casual refusal ... and, another way, a hint to this puzzle's four longest answers |
| 65% | ALITTLERNR | 10 | Quaint vacay, and a hint to five long answers in this puzzle |
| 65% | PCS | 3 | Some laptops, and a hint to five long answers in this puzzle |
| 61% | SKIPPER | 7 | Ship's captain, informally, and a hint to help you to understand five answers in this puzzle |
| 59% | ELMORE | 6 | "Rum Punch" writer Leonard, and a hint to this puzzle's theme answers |
| 59% | EFFRONTERY | 10 | Boldness, and a hint to five long puzzle answers |
| 59% | YOUSEE | 6 | "It's like this," and a phonetic hint to the five longest Across answers |
| 59% | BORDERTOWNS | 11 | Mexicali and Calexico, and a hint to this puzzle's perimeter answers |
| 59% | ATTHEDROPOFAHAT | 15 | Without hesitating, and a hint to five answers in this puzzle |
| 58% | RIGHTLYSO | 9 | For good reason, and a hint to five answers in this puzzle |
| 58% | STOP | 4 | Word on a red sign, and, when parsed in three parts, a hint to this puzzle's longest answers |
| 58% | NOUSE | 5 | Pointless, or a phonetic hint to five of this puzzle's long answers |
| 58% | ELSIE | 5 | Borden cow ... and a phonetic hint to this puzzle's four longest answers |
| 57% | CSPAN | 5 | "Gavel-to-gavel" broadcaster, and a hint to six long answers in this puzzle |
| 57% | COUNTDOWN | 9 | What might end the year, and a hint to five answers in this puzzle |
| 57% | LEGUP | 5 | Boost, and a hint to four of this puzzle's answers |
| 57% | INREVERSE | 9 | Backwards, and a hint to four of this puzzle's answers |
| 57% | PARADISELOST | 12 | John Milton epic, and a hint to how four long answers in this puzzle were formed |
| 56% | CHANGETHESUBJECT | 16 | Switch topics, and a hint to solving this puzzle's theme answers |
| 56% | SPILLTHETEA | 11 | "Give me some gossip!" ... and a hint to this puzzle's sets of circles, which affect four Across answers |
| 56% | TRIPOLI | 7 | Capital of Libya, and a phonetic hint to a feature of this puzzle's four longest answers |
| 56% | KEEPITPG | 8 | "Tone down that PDA, there are kids around," and a hint to five answers in this puzzle |
| 56% | TURNONAD | 8 | With 69-Across, change quickly, and a hint to completing three other long answers in this puzzle |
| 56% | INTHEHOLE | 9 | Warning before a detonation ... and a hint to 16 of this puzzle's answers |
| 55% | INOVERTIME | 10 | When some contests are resolved, and a hint to ending this puzzle's theme answers |
| 55% | RANDD | 5 | Company's creative dept., and a hint to the five long Across answers |