| 100% | OUTER | 5 | With 39-Across, region beyond the Kármán line ... or a literal hint to what this puzzle has |
| 49% | TNUT | 4 | Hardware fastener ... or a literal hint to the circled squares in this puzzle |
| 48% | SHORT | 5 | With 39-Across, some Sundance submissions … or a hint to four squares in this puzzle |
| 48% | OCHRISTMASTREE | 14 | Holiday carol … or a literal hint to what can be drawn by connecting nine letters when this puzzle is finished |
| 48% | NBA | 3 | With 39-Across, classic sports video game ... or a hint to four squares in this puzzle |
| 46% | ALLAS | 5 | What a student with a 4.0 G.P.A. has ... or a hint to the vowels in this puzzle |
| 44% | DOUBLEDOWN | 10 | Blackjack bet ... or a hint to applying the five shaded regions in this puzzle |
| 44% | SOANDSO | 7 | Name better left unsaid, or a literal hint to what the starred answers contain |
| 44% | DIVIDEDBY | 9 | ÷ ... or a literal hint to interpreting eight squares in this puzzle |
| 44% | FIRST | 5 | With 5-Across, baby's milestone ... or a hint to the hidden layer in this puzzle's Across clues |
| 44% | SPILLTHEB | 9 | Blab ... or a literal hint to completing five answers in this puzzle |
| 43% | SISTER | 6 | With 64 Across, Audre Lorde book... or a hint to this puzzle's circled letters |
| 43% | BLACKICE | 8 | Winter driving hazard ... or a literal hint to four squares in this puzzle |
| 42% | ITS | 3 | With 40-Across, a chorus line ... or a hint to this puzzle's theme |
| 41% | TOP | 3 | With 39-Across, refill to capacity ... or a hint to interpreting the clues at 17-, 27-, 46- and 61-Across |
| 41% | LEADDETECTIVES | 14 | Ones in charge of a case ... or a literal hint to the eight other longest answers in this puzzle |
| 41% | THATSTHEWAYTHE | 14 | With 42-Across, "C'est la vie," or a hint to the progression seen in the corners of this puzzle |
| 40% | BANANA | 6 | With 37-Across, some ice cream confections … or a hint to the second, fifth, eleventh and fourteenth rows of this puzzle |
| 40% | SECRET | 6 | With 46-Across, some areas in Clue … or a hint to the first, fourth, twelfth and fifteenth rows of this puzzle |
| 40% | MILKSHAKES | 10 | Diner treats ... or a hint to what's happening to the words in the circled squares in this puzzle? |
| 40% | LADIES | 6 | With 63-Across, what some performers saw in Las Vegas? ... or a hint to this puzzle's theme |
| 39% | SWITCHBLADE | 11 | Street weapon ... or a hint to the circled letters in this puzzle |
| 39% | THEREVIEWSAREIN | 15 | "Critics have spoken"... or a hint to what's been added to this puzzle's themed answers |
| 39% | DIVEBAR | 7 | Seedy hangout ... or a hint to finishing four Across answers in this puzzle |
| 39% | PSANDQS | 7 | Good behavior ... or a hint to two lines of letters in this puzzle |
| 39% | NOWYOUSEEITNOWYOUDONT | 21 | Magic words … or a hint to the other long answers in this puzzle |
| 39% | COVERTOPERATION | 15 | Secret military mission ... or a hint to the circled letters in this puzzle? |
| 39% | CROSSROADS | 10 | 1969 Cream hit ... or a hint to the seven "mathematical" clues in this puzzle |
| 39% | BUTTOUT | 7 | "Mind your own business!" ... or a hint to the four sides of this puzzle |
| 39% | SCOOPEDUP | 9 | Eagerly obtained ... or a hint to the contents of this puzzle's shaded squares? |