| 100% | ISHOULDHAVE | 11 | With 17-Across, the B-side to "A Hard Day's Night" |
| 55% | BEATLES | 7 | They performed A Hard Day's Night, The __ |
| 52% | BOXED | 5 | With 44-Across, Valentine's Day gift ... or a hint to the shaded squares |
| 49% | RUDOLPHTHE | 10 | With 57 Across, a more accurate way to describe the guy who works the mother of all night jobs? |
| 49% | NIGHT | 5 | "A Hard Day's ___," musical comedy film starring The Beatles members with a title track of the same name |
| 48% | ROSEPARADE | 10 | Annual New Year's Day spectacle ... and a hint to the starts of 17-, 23-, 36- and 49-Across |
| 46% | YEAROFTHEOX | 11 | 2021 in the Chinese zodiac, with a hint to 17-, 27- and 40-Across |
| 46% | HAZE | 4 | The night before, to a hard partier? |
| 46% | DONTBIGEMPTY | 12 | With 45 Across, a query put to Bob Hope in 1939's The Cat and the Canary |
| 45% | SLICED | 6 | With 38-Across, deli purchase ... or a description of the answer to 17-, 26-, 47- or 55-Across |
| 45% | OTANNENBAUM | 11 | Seasonal song with a hint to the last words in 17-, 25-, 37- and 45-Across |
| 45% | FIRST | 5 | With 5-Across, baby's milestone ... or a hint to the hidden layer in this puzzle's Across clues |
| 45% | THEBEATLES | 10 | Pop group who starred in the films A Hard Day's Night and Help! |
| 44% | TOP | 3 | With 39-Across, refill to capacity ... or a hint to interpreting the clues at 17-, 27-, 46- and 61-Across |
| 44% | KIDSAREALLRIGHT | 15 | With "The," 2010 Annette Bening/Julianne Moore film ... and a hint to the ends of 17-, 30- and 45-Across |
| 44% | EMPTYCALORIES | 13 | What many junk foods contain ... with a hint to the initials of 17-, 25-, 48- and 56-Across |
| 44% | STUFFEDTOMATOES | 15 | Rice-filled appetizers with red shells, and a hint to the words that bookend 17-, 30-, and 42-Across |
| 43% | LEFTRIGHT | 9 | With 64-Across, the political spectrum, and a hint to this puzzle's theme |
| 43% | BEASTIEBOYS | 11 | Rap group with the classic 1986 album "Licensed to Ill" … or a description of 17-, 24-, 48- and 57-Across? |
| 43% | BEEN | 4 | "It's ___ a hard day's night . . ." |
| 43% | SECRET | 6 | With 37-Across, Election Day practice ... and a hint to this puzzle's theme |
| 43% | WORLDSERIES | 11 | Championship that 17-Across won twice, with the A's and Yankees: 2 wds. |
| 43% | CUTTING | 7 | With 56-Across, indifferent student's practice, and a hint to the puzzle theme |
| 43% | CUT | 3 | With the circled letters, a hint to solving seven Across clues |
| 43% | TOOMUCHHEAVEN | 13 | 1979 Bee Gees #1 song with the lyrics "It's as high as a mountain / And harder to climb" (3 wds.) |
| 42% | BEATLES | 7 | "A Hard Day's Night" group |
| 42% | LESTER | 6 | "A Hard Day's Night" director |
| 42% | LENNON | 6 | "A Hard Day's Night" songwriter |
| 42% | BEEN | 4 | "It's ___ a hard day's night ..." (Beatles lyric) |
| 42% | TOTALECLIPSE | 12 | Event across the U.S. on 4/8/24 ... and, with 57-Across, 1983 Bonnie Tyler hit that would be apt to play during a 46-Across |