| Bit of inspiration | 18 |
| "I had no ___!" | 25 |
| Something that might come to a head? | 36 |
| Prelude to an invention | 23 |
| Mental impression | 17 |
| Asset for an inventor | 21 |
| What's on your mind | 23 |
| It comes to mind | 16 |
| Inventor's need | 19 |
| Invention | 9 |
| Creative inspiration | 20 |
| Clever thought | 14 |
| Birth of a notion? | 18 |
| Bean product? | 13 |
| Awareness | 9 |
| "Hey, what's the big ___?" | 40 |
| Result of cogitating | 20 |
| Potential dilemma solver | 24 |
| Possible solution | 17 |
| Noodle product? | 15 |
| Inventor's flash | 20 |
| Invention impetus | 17 |
| Fanciful notion | 15 |
| Creative input | 14 |
| Cerebral output | 15 |
| Cartoon light bulb | 18 |
| Brilliant thought | 17 |
| Brainstorming session result | 28 |
| Brainstorming result | 20 |
| "It seemed like a good ___ at the time!" | 50 |
| Thinker's output | 20 |
| Think-tank output | 17 |
| Think about it | 14 |
| Piece of mind? | 14 |
| Novel thought | 13 |
| Noodle concoction? | 18 |
| Mental conception | 17 |
| Light bulb, in the comics | 25 |
| It's formed in your head | 28 |
| It precedes an invention | 24 |
| It may come to a head | 21 |
| It may be bright or novel | 25 |
| Fresh thought | 13 |
| Entrepreneur's need | 23 |
| Creative start | 14 |
| Brainwave | 9 |
| Brain output | 12 |
| Basis of an invention | 21 |
| Abstraction | 11 |
| "The very ___!" ("What nerve!") | 51 |
| What comes to mind | 18 |
| Vague impression | 16 |
| Theory's start | 18 |
| Start of a solution | 19 |
| Something to think about | 24 |
| Result of cogitating, perhaps | 29 |
| Object of thought | 17 |
| Object of a brilliant thought | 29 |
| Noggin nugget | 13 |
| Mental image | 12 |
| Light bulb for Wile E. Coyote? | 30 |
| It might come off the top of your head | 38 |
| It may be bright | 16 |
| It may be big or bright | 23 |
| It can be good, bad or bright | 29 |
| It can be big, bright, good or bad | 34 |
| Inventor's start | 20 |
| Inventor's spark | 20 |
| Gray matter creation | 20 |
| Glimmering | 10 |
| Flash of brilliance | 19 |
| Creative starting point | 23 |
| Creative nugget | 15 |
| Creative concept | 16 |
| Content of cognition | 20 |
| Comic-strip light bulb | 22 |
| Cerebral creation | 17 |
| Brain flash | 11 |
| Asset for an entrepreneur | 25 |
| ''It seemed like a good ___ at the time!'' | 58 |
| What may come to mind | 21 |
| Trial balloon, e.g. | 19 |
| Think-tank product | 18 |
| Think of it! | 12 |
| Seed for a plot | 15 |
| Reason to shout "Eureka!" | 35 |
| Prelude to a solution | 21 |
| Possibly half-baked noodle concoction? | 38 |
| Piece of one's mind? | 24 |
| Patent basis | 12 |
| Novel notion | 12 |
| Mind matter | 11 |
| Mental creation | 15 |
| Matter for the gray matter | 26 |
| Light bulb, in cartoons | 23 |
| It might come out of nowhere | 28 |
| It might be bright | 18 |
| It may be bounced off someone | 29 |
| Inventor's forte | 20 |
| Invention inception | 19 |