| 100% | CARROT | 6 | The __ and stick, way of reward and punishment |
| 51% | TEE | 3 | Sound of the letter stuck between "S" and "U" |
| 51% | TAOISM | 6 | Chinese philosophy of harmony and The Way |
| 49% | EIRE | 4 | "Sing of old ___ and the ancient ways": Yeats |
| 48% | BILLYJOEL | 9 | US singer of Just the Way You Are and Piano Man |
| 48% | EIRE | 4 | “Sing of old ___ and the ancient ways”: William Butler Yeats |
| 47% | DIAGONALPARKING | 15 | Easy way of pulling in ... and a hint to the six circled words |
| 46% | BLAXPLOITATION | 14 | Genre of the 1970s movies "Foxy Brown" and "Three the Hard Way" |
| 46% | ALPHABETIZATION | 15 | One way of ordering things, like all the consonants in rows three, six and nine |
| 46% | CARROTANDSTICK | 14 | Reward and punishment mix |
| 46% | BASTINADO | 9 | Punishment in which the soles of the feet are beaten with a stick |
| 45% | LADYGAGA | 8 | Singer of the #1 hits "Just Dance" and "Born This Way": 2 wds. |
| 45% | FREYANORTH | 10 | Author of novels The Turning Point and The Way Back Home |
| 45% | ASIDE | 5 | "Step ___ and watch how it's done!" (out of the way) |
| 45% | ASIDE | 5 | Step ___ and watch how it's done! (out of the way) |
| 44% | INREVERSE | 9 | One way to drive ... and what the last word of each starred clue really means |
| 44% | ARE | 3 | "Just the Way You ___" (title of hits by Billy Joel and Bruno Mars) |
| 44% | ITSAWHOLETHING | 14 | "Too complicated to explain," and a way to describe the end of the answer to each starred clue? |
| 43% | DOSTOYEVSKY | 11 | He of "crime and punishment" |
| 43% | STALEMATERIAL | 13 | Dated jokes ... and what the ends of four Across answers are, in a way |
| 43% | INSIDEOUT | 9 | Reversed, in a way ... and a hint to the creation of five puzzle answers |
| 43% | CUE | 3 | Stick used in "The Color of Money" and "The Hustler" |
| 43% | BLUBBER | 7 | The insulating fat layer of whales and seals |
| 43% | DUSTER | 6 | Feathery cleaner at the end of a stick ... and something that is brushed over furniture while cleaning |
| 42% | PETDOOR | 7 | Fido or Fluffy's way to go in and out of the house: 2 wds. |
| 42% | TAO | 3 | Way of the East |
| 42% | TAO | 3 | Way of the world? |
| 42% | VIA | 3 | Way of the Romans? |
| 42% | BUSHIDOCODE | 11 | Way of the samurai |