| 100% | DARLING | 7 | With 84-, 88- and 111-Across, 14-Down's retort |
| 44% | COMIC | 5 | With 84 Across, Gilbert and Sullivan specialty |
| 40% | CROSSWORDS | 10 | Puzzles with across and down clues |
| 40% | ONCE | 4 | With 50-Down and 14-Across, fairy tale opening |
| 38% | IENJOYEDYOURBOOK | 16 | With 43- and 48-Across, a barb to 14-Down |
| 37% | JUNEIS | 6 | With 4 Down, 26 Across, and 18 Down, "Carousel" song famously slaughtered by Leslie Uggams |
| 36% | THOMAS | 6 | With 9 Down and 71 Across, source of quote |
| 36% | FIRST | 5 | With 14-Across, Lou Hoover and others |
| 36% | IPOD | 4 | With 14 Down, jogger's music player |
| 36% | 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" |
| 36% | BUTDOCTOR | 9 | With 14 and 19 Across, punchline of a joke about a clown |
| 35% | STATE | 5 | With 39 Across and 33 Down, what each syllable of the answer to each starred clue is |
| 34% | ODDS | 4 | With 37- Across and 44-Down, miscellany |
| 33% | CROSS | 5 | What this puzzle's across and down answers do |
| 33% | PAYNOATTENTIONTO | 16 | Film quote (with 69 and 84 Across) that's the key to what's being ignored this puzzle |
| 33% | ALAN | 4 | With 84 Down, portrayer of Severus Snape |
| 33% | OPEC | 4 | Bloc concerned with 84 Across |
| 33% | IBEFORE | 7 | With 14- and 64-Across, familiar rule not always followed |
| 32% | HUNT | 4 | With 14 Across, "Twister" star |
| 32% | LPGA | 4 | With 14-Across, Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam have each won this several times |
| 32% | GROWING | 7 | With 41 Across, gradually-apparent problem ... and an explanation of the puzzle's circles? |
| 32% | JOSEPH | 6 | With 14- and 45-Across, "Inception" actor who stars in 49-Across |
| 31% | FRUIT | 5 | With 14 Across, sweet summer beverage |
| 31% | STOCKING | 8 | With 14 Across, some Christmas gifts |
| 31% | AEROSPACE | 9 | With 14 Down, some defense contractors |
| 31% | BALD | 4 | With ''-faced'' and 65 Down, whopper |
| 31% | SET | 3 | With ''to'' and 26 Down, pacify |
| 31% | ILL | 3 | Down with cough and cold, say |
| 31% | DEBT | 4 | With 11 Down, much-debated political limit ... and what the puzzle's circled squares compose? |
| 31% | NETLIKE | 7 | Threaded across and down |