| 100% | SEAT | 4 | With 5- and 8-Across, clothing-related idiom for something that's completely improvised |
| 41% | LEASH | 5 | "On a short ___," dog-related idiom for something that's under strict supervision |
| 39% | FOOT | 4 | With 6- and 8-Across, entry that allows for later success |
| 38% | STYLE | 5 | Something that editors and clothing designers are concerned with |
| 37% | SMOL | 4 | Slang for something that's tiny and adorable |
| 36% | FACE | 4 | With 5 Across, company that the 14 Down is suing for allegedly breaking antitrust laws |
| 34% | 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" |
| 34% | NINE | 4 | With 5- and 10-Across, need for 69-, 70- and 71-Across |
| 34% | WINWINSITUATION | 15 | Circumstance that's good for everyone ... with a hint to 17-, 25- and 44-Across |
| 33% | SIREN | 5 | With 5-Down, something that's alluring but dangerous |
| 33% | GUESS | 5 | With 8-Across, "So much for that theory" |
| 33% | ARENA | 5 | With 8-Across, subgenre for Journey and Foreigner |
| 32% | HEART | 5 | With 5-Down and 16-Across, 1993 Nirvana hit that also describes this puzzle |
| 32% | SPILLEDMILK | 11 | Metaphor for something that can't be changed, and what's found five times in this puzzle? |
| 32% | REAL | 4 | Word with "time" for something that's happening right now |
| 31% | AONE | 4 | Expression for something that is top-notch and perfect: Hyph. |
| 31% | JEER | 4 | Something that rhymes with, and might accompany, a sneer |
| 31% | MEME | 4 | Something that spreads through Twitter and Facebook, for example |
| 30% | GENDER | 6 | With 43-Across, something that escapes certain categories, and a hint to this puzzle's theme |
| 30% | HIDE | 4 | With 6- and 8-Across, game that begins with "Ready or not, here I come!" |
| 30% | TALE | 4 | Something that's related |
| 30% | LAUGHTER | 8 | With 13 and 22 Across, "prescription" for humor |
| 30% | SANTA | 5 | With 8-Across, movie role for Tim Allen, Tom Hanks, Billy Bob Thornton and Ed Asner |
| 30% | RIPE | 4 | ___ for the picking, fall-related idiom for something that is readily available |
| 29% | TRENDING | 8 | Modern expression for something that's gone viral |
| 29% | SUS | 3 | Slang for something that's a bit shady |
| 29% | LIMO | 4 | Something that's long and steep? |
| 29% | DIRTYJOKE | 9 | Something that's cracked and gross |
| 29% | HAY | 3 | Something that's cut and dried |
| 29% | ANTE | 4 | Something that's just for starters? |