| 100% | PASTPERFORMANCE | 15 | With 36-Across and 55-Across, a sales pitch disclaimer |
| 61% | DREAMSARE | 9 | With 36 Across and 61 Across, a quote by Lupita Nyong'o |
| 49% | GODSWAYOF | 9 | With 25-, 42- and 55-Across, a definition of 1-Across, according to Dennis Miller |
| 47% | ITWASTHEBEST | 12 | With 36 and 57 Across, ''A Tale of Two Cities'' beginning |
| 46% | ITALIAN | 7 | With 55-Across, description of 23-, 36- and 44-Across |
| 46% | TIC | 3 | With 50 and 55 Across, the ''central'' theme |
| 46% | TWOHUNDREDTH | 12 | With 41 and 55 Across, what 15 Across is |
| 45% | MOUSE | 5 | With 67-Across, desktop accessories, and a description of 19-, 36-, and 54-Across? |
| 45% | THERES | 6 | With 36-Across, "This has strings attached," and a hint to the ends of the starred answers |
| 45% | PHILLISWHEATLEY | 15 | 18th-century poet (whose name shares a feature with 36- and 56-Across) |
| 44% | ALL | 3 | With 36-Down and 38-Across, Blink-182 hit song, and a description of four long answers in this puzzle |
| 44% | MAIL | 4 | With 37-Across, perform perfunctorily … or a hint to the ends of 16-, 25-, 41- and 55-Across |
| 44% | SWAN | 4 | With 36-Across, Tchaikovsky ballet that was a highlight of 18- and 46-Across's long professional partnership |
| 44% | NOTHINGTO | 9 | With 36 and 56 Across, so-so |
| 44% | YELLOW | 6 | With 25 Across, caution, on a soccer pitch |
| 43% | THANTORECEIVE | 13 | With 2 Down, 36 Across & 43 Across, a Christmas-style maxim |
| 43% | BENJI | 5 | Fictional 36 Across with a sizable filmography |
| 43% | CAPTAIN | 7 | With 63-Across, superhero with "wedgie power" ... and a description of 20-, 36-, or 54-Across |
| 43% | THE | 3 | With 36-Across, TV squad with B.A. Baracus and Hannibal Smith |
| 42% | TAKE | 4 | With "in" and 55-Down, use without proper respect, as a name |
| 42% | HSN | 3 | Cable channel with a lot of sales pitches |
| 42% | SLEEPLESS | 9 | With 36-Across, 1993 Meg Ryan rom-com about a single woman and a widowed dad, written and directed by Nora Ephron |
| 41% | ECCE | 4 | With 36-Across, a depiction of Jesus |
| 41% | THE | 3 | With 36-Across, a Dr. Seuss book |
| 41% | BUTDOCTOR | 9 | With 14 and 19 Across, punchline of a joke about a clown |
| 41% | SCARECROW | 9 | With 36-Across, two things on a farm |
| 40% | THEYLIVED | 9 | With 37-Across, and 59-Across, a familiar finale |
| 40% | LETITSNOW | 9 | With 37-Across and 37-Across, a holiday song |
| 40% | WHATA | 5 | With 15 and 20 Across, a 1967 song sung by Louis Armstrong in "Good Morning, Vietnam" |
| 40% | OOPS | 4 | With 55-Across, version of Cap'n Crunch with no corn squares ... and a hint to this puzzle's theme entries |