| 100% | CARB | 4 | Sugar or starch, in slang |
| 61% | CARB | 4 | Sugar or starch |
| 59% | CARB | 4 | Sugar or starch, for short |
| 51% | ENFUEGO | 7 | Really hot, in slang or in Spanish |
| 49% | NABE | 4 | Weho or Soho, in slang |
| 49% | OLDLADY | 7 | Wife or mother, in slang |
| 48% | FIVEO | 5 | Cops, in slang ... or a hint to this puzzle's theme |
| 47% | DARLA | 5 | Role in "Our Gang" or "Queen Sugar" |
| 47% | CINQUES | 7 | Fives, in old cards or dice slang |
| 47% | OWIE | 4 | Bruise or scrape, in toddler slang |
| 47% | MONEY | 5 | "Green" or "bacon," in slang |
| 47% | DOPE | 4 | "Cool" or "drugs," in slang |
| 46% | DRIPPING | 8 | Dr Crippen, or bread and __ in rhyming slang |
| 46% | OHIO | 4 | Weird or cringe, in Gen Alpha slang |
| 45% | DOUGH | 5 | Pizza base ... or 25a in slang |
| 45% | CLAMS | 5 | Chowder mollusks ... or 25a in slang |
| 44% | STIRRING | 8 | Using a spoon to dissolve sugar in tea or coffee |
| 44% | TOOKANL | 7 | Suffered humiliation or defeat, in slang |
| 43% | SNAFU | 5 | Big-time mess or mistake, in military slang |
| 43% | SKIVING | 7 | Skipping work or school in British slang |
| 43% | SWEETANDSOUR | 12 | Sauce made from sugar and vinegar or lemon popular in Chinese cookery |
| 42% | TWINKILLING | 11 | Baseball double play, in slang ... or a hint to understanding the 12 Across answers that have circles |
| 42% | BACON | 5 | Crispy breakfast strip ... or 25a in slang |
| 42% | ADULTING | 8 | Paying bills, fixing the dryer, or cooking for the kids, in modern slang |
| 41% | IDIOT | 5 | Preceder of box or light, in slang |
| 41% | BEIGEFLAG | 9 | Odd habit that's not necessarily a good or bad sign, in dating slang |
| 41% | SAGO | 4 | Starch in puddings |
| 41% | RICE | 4 | Starch in sushi |
| 41% | STAPLE | 6 | Sugar or flour |
| 41% | RAY | 3 | Sugar or Aldo |