| 100% | ACUTE | 5 | Severe and sudden, like an illness |
| 63% | ACUTE | 5 | Severe and short, as an illness |
| 50% | CHRONIC | 7 | Frequently recurring, like an illness |
| 49% | ACUTE | 5 | Like an illness that's not chronic |
| 46% | CHRONIC | 7 | Ongoing for a long time like an illness |
| 46% | TYPEA | 5 | Like an impatient and competitive personality |
| 45% | OBTUSE | 6 | Like an angle between 90º and 180º |
| 45% | OBTUSE | 6 | Like an angle between 90° and 180° |
| 41% | PHI | 3 | Greek letter that looks like an I and O superimposed |
| 41% | BADCASE | 7 | Severe form, as of an illness |
| 41% | ACUTE | 5 | Severe but short, as an illness |
| 41% | AIRLEAK | 7 | Wheezing laughter like an ___ in an old tire and deep blushing |
| 40% | MEATY | 5 | Like a substantial and complicated role, to an actor |
| 40% | CELEBRATE | 9 | Party and acknowledge an event, like Easter |
| 39% | OOHS | 4 | Sounds from an enthusiastic crowd, like aahs and ___ |
| 39% | SWIVELS | 7 | Turns round and round like an office chair |
| 39% | DOWNPOUR | 8 | An extremely heavy and sudden rainfall |
| 39% | CHIC | 4 | Smart and trendy, like an outfit |
| 39% | OVOID | 5 | Round and empty, like an egg |
| 39% | AIRY | 4 | Breezy and open, like an atrium |
| 39% | PERKS | 5 | Benefits like a company car and an expense account |
| 38% | ORKAN | 5 | Like Orson and Mork, on an old sitcom |
| 38% | SILKY | 5 | Smooth and lustrous, like an expensive blouse |
| 38% | ATASLANT | 8 | Like an escalator, and, aptly, like the six-letter word that begins where 40-Across ends |
| 38% | TRAGIC | 6 | Like a play with an unhappy ending, such as "Romeo and Juliet" |
| 38% | METEORIC | 8 | Sudden and swift, as an actor's rise to stardom |
| 38% | PAPERY | 6 | Thin and dry, like an onion's skin |
| 38% | PANT | 4 | Huff and puff, like an athlete after training |
| 38% | PRIM | 4 | Stuffy and proper, like an old-timey schoolmarm |
| 37% | GAPTOOTHED | 10 | Like some smiles in an orthodontist's office ... and like three puzzle rows |