| 100% | OPEN | 4 | With 67-Across, doctor's order ... and a hint to 40-, 50- and 58-Across |
| 55% | AHAMOMENT | 9 | Sudden insight ... with a hint to 17-, 24-, 40- and 50-Across |
| 53% | GREEK | 5 | With 58-Across, "Antigone" and others ... or, when reinterpreted, a hint to 17-, 31- and 50-Across |
| 52% | THERESNOTWO | 11 | With 64-Across, words of certainty ... or a hint to 23-, 40- and 56-Across |
| 49% | SCRAMBLEDEGGS | 13 | Breakfast order ... and a hint to the last words of 17-, 26-, 51- and 58-Across |
| 49% | YEAROFTHEOX | 11 | 2021 in the Chinese zodiac, with a hint to 17-, 27- and 40-Across |
| 49% | HEY | 3 | With 61-Down, Jimi Hendrix's first single ... or a hint to the starts of 20-, 28-, 45- and 50-Across |
| 49% | INSIDER | 7 | With 42-Across, white-collar crime ... and a hint to four Across answers |
| 48% | POOLPARTY | 9 | Summertime backyard bash, and a hint to the ends of 17-, 25-, 40-, and 50-Across |
| 48% | LEFTRIGHT | 9 | With 64-Across, the political spectrum, and a hint to this puzzle's theme |
| 48% | LOOSE | 5 | With 62-Across, handyman's assortment, and a hint to what's in each set of circles |
| 47% | TILTA | 5 | With 37-Across, spinning amusement ride, and a hint to this puzzle's design and circled letters |
| 47% | CLUE | 4 | With 67-Across, "I need a hint" and a hint to uncovering four famous detectives |
| 46% | SECRET | 6 | With 37-Across, Election Day practice ... and a hint to this puzzle's theme |
| 46% | STARTUP | 7 | With 40-Across, money required to open a business ... or a hint to 18-, 24-, 47- and 57-Across |
| 46% | HIVE | 4 | With 58-Across, collective consciousness ... or a hint to the ends of 19-, 35- and 52-Across |
| 46% | WINWINSITUATION | 15 | Circumstance that's good for everyone ... with a hint to 17-, 25- and 44-Across |
| 46% | LETSHAVESOMEFUN | 15 | "It's party time!" ... or a hint to 17-, 24- and 40-Across |
| 46% | FLYING | 6 | With 40-Across, what a straight-A student passes with ... or a hint to 17-, 27-, 46- and 62-Across |
| 45% | ROYALFLUSH | 10 | Poker player's dream ... and a hint to the ends of 17-, 25-, 35- and 50-Across |
| 45% | MRINBETWEEN | 11 | "Don't mess with" him, per an old song lyric ... or a hint to 18-, 20-, 55- and 58-Across |
| 45% | FOURWAYSTOP | 11 | Feature of some intersections ... or a five-word hint to 17-, 23-, 40- and 50-Across |
| 44% | ITS | 3 | With 40-Across, a chorus line ... or a hint to this puzzle's theme |
| 44% | CUTTING | 7 | With 56-Across, indifferent student's practice, and a hint to the puzzle theme |
| 44% | FATHERSANDSONS | 14 | Ivan Turgenev novel ... and a hint to 20-, 31- and 40-Across |
| 44% | CUTTINGTHECORD | 14 | Eschewing big cable, and a hint to 20-, 32- and 40-Across |
| 44% | ITSGROWINGONME | 14 | "I'm starting to like this" ... or a hint to the starts of 16-, 24-, 47- and 58-Across, in order |
| 44% | SHIPWRECKS | 10 | Sea disasters, and a hint to what's literally hidden in 18-, 23-, 38- and 50-Across |
| 44% | LEAD | 4 | With 69-Across, Iditarod front-runner ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues |
| 44% | CREW | 4 | With 65-Across, private dos, and a hint to this puzzle's five theme answers |