| 100% | DUETOBUDGETCUTS | 15 | With 34-, 40- and 60-Across, a somber message for our loyal fans |
| 49% | DONTBEGIN | 9 | With 40- and 60-Across, a cautionary message |
| 41% | HAVINGAGOODTIME | 15 | With 34-, 43- and 58-Across, message on a tourist's postcard |
| 34% | DONOTLETTHE | 11 | With 34- and 54-Across, basic instruction for [circled letters] |
| 33% | RACHEL | 6 | With 34-Across, MSNBC host of a nightly news and opinion show |
| 33% | LADY | 4 | With 34-Across, nominee for the Best Actress and Best Original Song Oscars for her work in "A Star Is Born" |
| 33% | SEA | 3 | With 40-Across, meal for a wolf eel |
| 33% | IALWAYSTHOUGHTI | 15 | With 37- and 60-Across, a musing |
| 32% | JAMES | 5 | With 34-Across, Ronald Reagan press secretary for whom a gun bill is named |
| 31% | FISTBUMPOR | 10 | With 40 and 64 Across, congratulatory choices |
| 30% | ANGEL | 5 | With 32-Across, season-leading scorer and rebounder for the 2023 champion 40-Across |
| 30% | YOULL | 5 | With 21 Across, 3 Down, 8 Down, and 20 Down, response to Ralphie's request for a BB gun in "A Christmas Story" |
| 30% | SIGNONTHE | 9 | With 60-Across, ink a contract ... or a feature of 17-, 25- and 37-Across |
| 30% | ALLTHATWESEE | 12 | With 33-, 40-, 45-, and 57-Across, a quote by Edgar Allan Poe |
| 30% | EDITWHERE | 9 | With 40-Across, good advice for correcting a manuscript? |
| 30% | NATALIE | 7 | With 38-Across, actress who won a Golden Globe, SAG Award, and Oscar for "Black Swan" |
| 29% | SLED | 4 | Vehicle for a 40 Across |
| 29% | ITSGOTAGOODBEAT | 15 | With 38- and 59-Across, typical opinion about a record on 40-/14-Across |
| 29% | FINGERPAINTS | 12 | Materials for a preschool artist … or a hint to 20-, 32- and 40-Across |
| 29% | TARED | 5 | Adjusted to account for a container's weight (and an anagram of 40 Across) |
| 29% | YEAROFTHEOX | 11 | 2021 in the Chinese zodiac, with a hint to 17-, 27- and 40-Across |
| 29% | UPPERLEFTTO | 11 | With 60 Across, the message's slanted place |
| 29% | EMAIL | 5 | Message with a subject line and a body |
| 29% | THEFRIENDSWEMADEALONG | 21 | With 126/127 Across, companions on our life's journey who were more valuable to us than our destination ... and an alternate title for this puzzle |
| 29% | MOREPRECIOUSWAS | 15 | With 26-, 45- and 60-Across, a line by Edna St. Vincent Millay |
| 29% | LIE | 3 | With "in" and 60-Down, prepare for an ambush |
| 29% | STAR | 4 | With 59-Across, 1977 film for which 46-Across won a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Golden Globe |
| 28% | SHOHEI | 6 | With 34-Across, Dodgers pitcher who, in 2024, became the only player to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in a season |
| 28% | ABRAHAM | 7 | With 40 Across, bearded VIP with a February 12th birthday |
| 28% | DEADHEAD | 8 | Fan associated with a red, white and blue skull logo |