| 100% | DAME | 4 | Title for 17-Across, 22-Across,
37-Across, 45-Across, and 57-Across, in addition to "Academy Award Winner" |
| 41% | APRILFOOLSDAY | 13 | Apt time for pranksters to do the starts of 17-, 22-, 50-, and 57-Across? |
| 40% | OTANNENBAUM | 11 | Seasonal song with a hint to the last words in 17-, 25-, 37- and 45-Across |
| 39% | BREAKITUPYOUTWO | 15 | Command that could be given to the title characters in 17-, 26- and 45-Across? |
| 39% | MAKEMINEADOUBLE | 15 | Drink order on a tough day, and a hint to what's in 17-, 22-, 37- and 47-Across |
| 39% | ALI | 3 | Academy Award winner for "Moonlight" and "Green Book" |
| 38% | CAPTAIN | 7 | With 37-Across, title for the hidden individuals in 16-, 23-, 46-, and 58-Across, thanks to the circles in each answer? |
| 38% | COUNTTHESQUARES | 15 | How to find out what "this many" is in 17-, 21-, 52- and 57-Across |
| 37% | STICKEMUP | 9 | "Hands in the air!" ... or a literal hint to 17-, 23-, 37- and 46-Across |
| 37% | ELEMENTSOFSTYLE | 15 | Principles for good prose in a classic writing guide by Strunk & White … or a hint to the wardrobe assembled at 17-, 25-, 47- and 57-Across |
| 36% | THEPLOTTHICKENS | 15 | "Now things are getting interesting" ... or a hint to the first words of 17-, 24-, 45- and 57-Across |
| 36% | JENNIFER | 8 | With 45-Across, "Silver Linings Playbook" Oscar winner who stars in 21-Across and 37-Across |
| 35% | YES | 3 | "That's correct" ... or a hint to the ends of 17-, 28-, 45- and 59-Across, in different languages |
| 35% | NOGO | 4 | Canceled ... or a hint to answering 17-, 27-, 34-, 45- and 57-Across |
| 35% | ONEPLUSONE | 10 | Basic math operation found in 17-, 23-, 37- and 45-Across |
| 35% | LEI | 3 | Award for Miss Hawaii, in addition to a tiara |
| 35% | LADYGAGA | 8 | Academy Award winner for "Shallow" who was the halftime headliner at the Super Bowl in 2017 (2 wds.) |
| 35% | PAGE | 4 | Geraldine ___, Academy Award for Best Actress winner from "The Trip to Bountiful" |
| 35% | SALLY | 5 | ___ Field, Academy Award for Best Actress winner from "Places in the Heart" |
| 35% | IFIWEREYOU | 10 | Lead-in to a bit of advice, and a hint as to how 17-, 24-, 37- and 45-Across might arise |
| 35% | QRCODE | 6 | Scannable black-and-white square … or a hint to 17-, 30-, 45- and 57-Across |
| 35% | MIDSIZE | 7 | Neither large nor small ... or a phonetic hint to 17-, 30-, 45- and 57-Across |
| 34% | STARTINGQB | 10 | Brady or Mahomes, and a hint to 17-, 31-, 37- and 45-Across |
| 34% | JUSTINBIEBER | 12 | 26-time "Billboard" Music Award winner who had five Top 10 hits in 2020, including 17-Across and 39-Across (2 wds.) |
| 34% | STOUT | 5 | Kind of beer ... or a multi-word hint to 18-, 22-, 37-, 51- and 57-Across |
| 34% | FIRSTMATES | 10 | Title of this puzzle, in reference to 17- and 39-Across and 11- and 26-Down |
| 34% | NOMADLAND | 9 | 50-Across film that won Academy Awards in 2021 for Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Director |
| 34% | GABRIELLEZEVIN | 14 | 16-Across and 28-Across writer whose novel "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" won the Goodreads Choice Award Winner for Best Fiction in 2022 (2 wds.) |
| 34% | EYECONTACT | 10 | Asset for a public speaker ... or a hint to 17-, 24-, 37- and 52-Across |
| 34% | BEFOREHAND | 10 | Earlier ... or a hint to the words circled in 17-, 21-, 37- and 51-Across |