| 100% | CUTALONGTHEDOTTEDLINE | 21 | Start of instructions for what to do when this puzzle is done |
| 66% | CUTONBOLDLINES | 14 | First step of instructions for what to do with this finished puzzle |
| 53% | EXCHANGINGRINGS | 15 | Sharing in a symbol of commitment … or what four rows in this puzzle are doing to form new phrases |
| 51% | TRADINGSPACES | 13 | Reality series whose title describes what the starting sounds of eight TV titles in this puzzle are doing |
| 49% | SSORCAYREVE | 11 | Start of instructions for solving this puzzle |
| 48% | MAKINGAPACT | 11 | Formally agreeing to terms, and what this puzzle's sets of circled letters are gradually doing |
| 45% | ROOF | 4 | Now you know what to look for, but where is it? (1/5) Did it fall out when Santa landed on the ___ of the house? |
| 45% | CASTING | 7 | With 146-Across, what the center of this puzzle is doing during a 125-Across |
| 44% | STOLEN | 6 | What the starts of nine answers in this puzzle might be |
| 44% | SOW | 3 | What Tears for Fears will do to "The Seeds of Love" |
| 43% | JUSTICEGINSBURG | 15 | Subject of this puzzle, who once said "Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you" |
| 43% | JOHNGRISHAMNOVEL | 16 | What the first word of each of seven answers in this puzzle is, when preceded by “The” |
| 43% | NODOFF | 6 | At midnight when I'm still writing clues for the puzzle that absolutely has to be in Florida by 8:00 am, I have a tendency to do this |
| 42% | PESTO | 5 | What you get when you blend the results of this puzzle's recipe instructions |
| 42% | FILM | 4 | What each of this puzzle's songs also was, once you do the math |
| 42% | SNAP | 4 | What a center will do to a football at the start of a play |
| 42% | TRICKORTREAT | 12 | What is found divided at the starts and ends of nine answers in this puzzle |
| 42% | PUNNEDIT | 8 | What the puzzlemaker did to the name in each of this puzzle's theme answers? |
| 42% | BREAKINGBAD | 11 | #3 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time (as of 2016) ... and a hint to what the black squares are doing in four rows of this puzzle |
| 42% | SPOTTHEDIFFERENCE | 17 | Kind of visual puzzle ... or what to do with each line in this puzzle's two shaded areas |
| 41% | TAKESTHEEDGEOFF | 15 | Alleviates pain a little … or what this puzzle does to certain squares for literal effect |
| 41% | STAND | 5 | What to do when the national anthem is played |
| 41% | DROPMEALINE | 11 | "Don't be a stranger!" ... or what you have to do three times in this puzzle |
| 40% | GOINGIN | 7 | With 43-Across, what this puzzle is doing |
| 40% | MINCE | 5 | With 45-Across, not be direct ... or what four groups of black squares in this puzzle do? |
| 40% | FALLINGRAIN | 11 | Downpour, or when parsed another way, what can be found in this puzzle's sets of circles |
| 40% | REEDIT | 6 | What you might have to do when you find your earth-shattering column on dandelions is 372 words too long for the space allowed |
| 40% | CUTTINGTHECARDS | 15 | Part of a blackjack dealer's ritual … or what this answer is doing vis-à-vis the answers to the starred clues |
| 40% | MERGELEFT | 9 | What you might have to do for some highway construction … or a first hint to solving this puzzle's theme |
| 40% | SEESAWS | 7 | Vacillates ... or what you can do when you look at the starts of the answers to starred clues? |