| 100% | MOB | 3 | Surround, as fans might an idol |
| 45% | BESIEGE | 7 | Surround, as an enemy castle |
| 42% | TEEN | 4 | Member of many an idol's fan base |
| 42% | BESIEGE | 7 | Surround menacingly, as with an army |
| 41% | TEE | 3 | An oversized one might be worn as pajamas |
| 41% | TAKEAHIKE | 9 | Go away as an outdoorsman might? |
| 40% | RAG | 3 | An old T-shirt might be used as one |
| 40% | FUSSY | 5 | Not happy, as an infant might be |
| 40% | WOLF | 4 | ___ down (eat quickly, as an animal might) |
| 39% | RAG | 3 | What an old shirt may be used as |
| 39% | MOB | 3 | Gather around, as an idol |
| 38% | BRAVO | 5 | "Great job!" as an audience member might say it |
| 38% | RAG | 3 | What an old T-shirt might be used as |
| 38% | CONTACTTRACE | 12 | Track exposures to a disease, as an epidemiologist might |
| 38% | RAG | 3 | What an old t-shirt may be used as |
| 38% | CENTERCONSOLE | 13 | Car storage spot that may double as an armrest |
| 38% | AIKEN | 5 | "American Idol" runner-up whose fans are known as "Claymates" |
| 38% | UNDERWOOD | 9 | Carrie who returned as an "American Idol" judge in 2024 |
| 37% | KATYPERRY | 9 | Singer who stepped down as an "American Idol" judge in 2024 |
| 37% | LOB | 3 | ___ a softball (ask an easy question, as a journalist might do) |
| 37% | UDDER | 5 | What an inflated glove may serve as for a cow costume |
| 36% | BTS | 3 | K-pop group with an online community of fans known as ARMY |
| 36% | CAVE | 4 | Stone Age abode that one may choose as an unusual vacation stay |
| 35% | JENNIFERLOPEZ | 13 | An American idol judge who starred in movies such as "Maid in Manhattan": 2 wds. |
| 35% | HOLDONTOYOURHAT | 15 | "This may come as a shock," or an apt title for this puzzle |
| 34% | BOOM | 4 | *Loud sound that may be heard as James Bond walks away from an explosion |
| 34% | BURIED | 6 | Hid, as a squirrel might an acorn |
| 33% | ODE | 3 | One might be written to an idol |
| 33% | DENT | 4 | One might warrant an "As is" label |
| 33% | FOUNDPOETRY | 11 | Verse derived from an existing source text . . . or what the circled squares might be described as |