| 100% | MAKEAWISH | 9 | Words said over a lit birthday cake, and upon the start of 17-, 26-, or 42-Across |
| 42% | BUTTHEADS | 9 | Disagree ... or a hint to the starts of 17-, 26-, 40- and 49-Across |
| 42% | ILIAD | 5 | Work hinted at by the starts of 17-, 26-, 42- and 56-Across |
| 42% | AFFIX | 5 | Add-on to the start or end of a word stem (as in 17-, 25-, 35-, 49- and 57-Across) |
| 42% | COLDOPEN | 8 | Start of each "S.N.L." episode ... or a hint to the initials of the words in 17-, 24-, 35- and 47-Across |
| 40% | DOUBLEHEADERS | 13 | Baseball rarities nowadays ... or a phonetic hint to the starts of 17-, 26-, 48- and 57-Across |
| 40% | SHORTCUTS | 9 | Timesavers ... or the starts of 17-, 26-, 36- and 51-Across? |
| 39% | GHOST | 5 | Word game ... or a word that can precede the starts of 18-, 26-, 43- and 54-Across |
| 39% | PENCILMEIN | 10 | Tentative "It's a date" ... or a hint to the starts of 17-, 26-, and 48-Across |
| 39% | ONETWOTHREEFOUR | 15 | Start of a count ... or the letter frequencies in 17-, 30-, 46- and 64-Across |
| 37% | PASSABLE | 8 | Barely adequate ... or what the starts of 17-, 26-, 37- and 50-Across are |
| 37% | POT | 3 | Word that may precede the beginning of 17-, 26-, 42- or 56-Across |
| 37% | FAIRYTALE | 9 | What the starts of 17-, 26-, 35- and 50-Across are |
| 37% | THINGSDRAWN | 11 | What the starts of 17-, 26-, 37- and 52-Across are |
| 37% | COUNTERFEITCOIN | 15 | Slug, or a hint to the starts of 17-, 28- and 46-Across |
| 37% | HOPPERS | 7 | What the starts of 17-, 26-, 44- and 58-Across all are |
| 37% | THREERS | 7 | Elementary education ... or feature of the last words punned upon in 17-, 29-, 49- and 66-Across |
| 37% | WORLDSERIES | 11 | Climactic baseball event … or what the starts of 17-, 26-, 44- and 52-Across form? |
| 37% | MUSCLES | 7 | They're subject to the starts of 17-, 26-, 46- and 59-Across |
| 36% | SOMETHINGWICKED | 15 | Start of a Ray Bradbury title ... or a hint to the ends of 17-, 26-, 49- and 62-Across |
| 36% | TONGUETIED | 10 | At a loss for words, and what the starts of 17-, 23-, 38- and 47-Across can literally be? |
| 36% | EIEIO | 5 | Children's song refrain found at the starts of 17-, 26-, 35-, 50- and 57-Across |
| 36% | GENRE | 5 | What the start of 17-, 29-, 45- or 61-Across is, in a bookstore |
| 36% | WATERCYCLE | 10 | Natural process suggested by the starts of 17-, 24-, 26-, 45- and 47-Across |
| 36% | JELLY | 5 | What quivering legs feel like ... or a word that can precede the starts of 17-, 27-, 45- and 60-Across |
| 35% | ACASEOFTHEBLUES | 15 | Out of sorts feeling (and a hint to the starts of 17-, 26-, 49- and 59-Across) |
| 35% | NEWSPAPER | 9 | Answer to an old riddle alluded to by the starts of 17-, 32-, 42- and 64-Across |
| 35% | OHIOPLAYERS | 11 | Chart-topping 1970s R&B/funk band suggested by the starts of 17-, 26-, 39- and 50-Across |
| 35% | CHILDSTOYS | 10 | Bearers of a phrase suggested by saying the starts of 17-, 24-, 38- and 49-Across |
| 35% | CATCHMEIFYOUCAN | 15 | 2002 Spielberg film ... and a hint to the start of 17-, 26- and 48-Across |