| 100% | BLOCK | 5 | The 2x2 black square near the middle of this puzzle's grid, e.g., which is part of eight answers |
| 48% | INVENTIONS | 10 | Legacy of 72-Down, seven of which appear among this puzzle's answers and one more suggested by the black squares in the middle of the grid |
| 41% | FORMATION | 9 | Following the nine black squares in the center of the grid, a hint to five pairs of answers in this puzzle |
| 40% | TWODASHES | 9 | Octet of black squares in the middle of this grid, typographically |
| 39% | KCALB | 5 | The middle of this puzzle's grid, symbolically |
| 39% | FOOT | 4 | Body part whose parts are aptly found at the bottom of this puzzle's four longest answers |
| 38% | EMBEDDED | 8 | Like aleph in the central black squares of this puzzle's grid |
| 38% | PINATA | 6 | Party item depicted in the middle of this puzzle's grid |
| 36% | WEST | 4 | The half of the keyboard on which all of this puzzle's answers can be typed |
| 36% | HARDEDGED | 9 | Gritty ... and a description of this puzzle, which is also a hint to completing eight answers |
| 35% | HALFTHEBATTLE | 13 | Important part of an undertaking . . . or what can be found in eight of this puzzle’s answers? |
| 35% | WAITING | 7 | On hold ... or what the seven rows of black squares in this puzzle's grid spell in Morse code |
| 35% | PH/FONETICALLY | 14 | Middle of the quip ... and a hint to eight squares in this puzzle |
| 35% | PALINDROME | 10 | Part of eight of this puzzle's long answers |
| 34% | LATERALSYMMETRY | 15 | Feature of this puzzle's grid and the answers to the six starred clues |
| 34% | GOREVIDALNOVELS | 15 | What the first words of eight long answers in this puzzle are |
| 34% | GAIT | 4 | Horse's pace, which can be found jumping across black squares in rows 3, 6, 10 and 14 of this grid |
| 34% | HLMFFWVDMRV | 11 | Title for this puzzle ... which the answers to the eight starred clues will help explain |
| 33% | DEPART | 6 | What the last words of eight key answers in this puzzle are slangy synonyms of |
| 33% | NEWYEAR | 7 | What the last four letters of eight key answers in this puzzle might be considered, cryptically |
| 33% | KIDS | 4 | With 70- and 71-Across, what the middle of this puzzle is |
| 33% | TIMES | 5 | Square where the words in this puzzle's dropping balls may be heard at the end of a song's first verse |
| 33% | BROKENPROMISE | 13 | Result of not following through (of which there are four examples in this puzzle's grid) |
| 32% | PALINDROMICWORD | 15 | What every answer on the perimeter of this puzzle is |
| 32% | HONEYIMHOME | 11 | Cry after navigating the last parts of the answers to this puzzle's starred clues? |
| 32% | NOCLUE | 6 | "Haven't the foggiest!" … or, when the first two letters are put at the end, an essential part of seven answers in this puzzle |
| 32% | WITHINSIGHT | 11 | Visible ... or, literally, where most inner letters of this puzzle's eight other longest Across answers are situated |
| 32% | TARA | 4 | Author Westover whose memoir is spelled out in the first letters of this puzzle's eight circled schools |
| 32% | LIGHTBULB | 9 | Item suggested visually by the black squares in this puzzle's grid |
| 32% | COLUMN | 6 | This answer is in the third one of this puzzle |