| Invention genesis | 17 |
| Hunch | 5 |
| Future invention | 16 |
| Entrepreneur's start | 24 |
| Creative notion | 15 |
| Cerebral achievement | 20 |
| Brainy output | 13 |
| Brainstorming output | 20 |
| Brainstorming bit | 17 |
| Brain's creation | 20 |
| "The very __!" | 24 |
| ''Hey, what's the big ___?'' | 48 |
| Word with ''big'' or ''good'' | 61 |
| What's the big ____? | 24 |
| What a germ may become | 22 |
| Thinker's reward | 20 |
| The thought that counts? | 24 |
| The start of an invention | 25 |
| The light bulb, to Edison | 25 |
| Supposition | 11 |
| Strip light bulb? | 17 |
| Step one of an invention | 24 |
| Starting point for an invention | 31 |
| Start of something big, usually | 31 |
| Start of a plan | 15 |
| Start of a brilliant scheme | 27 |
| Song thought | 12 |
| Song start | 10 |
| Sneaking suspicion, e.g. | 24 |
| Skull session result | 20 |
| Seed of an invention | 20 |
| Result of cogitating, sometimes | 31 |
| Result of a brilliant thought, perhaps | 38 |
| Result of a brainstorming session | 33 |
| Reason to shout ''Eureka!'' | 43 |
| Product of cerebration | 22 |
| Potential problem-solver | 24 |
| Phrontistery product | 20 |
| Personal view | 13 |
| Personal belief | 15 |
| Patent base | 11 |
| One may be lost in thought | 26 |
| Nearly colorless | 16 |
| Mental spark | 12 |
| Mental concoction | 17 |
| Mental concept | 14 |
| Mental block buster | 19 |
| Lightbulb's meaning, sometimes | 34 |
| Lightbulb, in toons | 19 |
| Light bulb, to Edison and comics | 32 |
| Light bulb, symbolically | 24 |
| Light bulb, in a strip | 22 |
| Light bulb, figuratively | 24 |
| Just a thought | 14 |
| Its icon is a light bulb | 24 |
| It's symbolized by a light bulb | 35 |
| It's just a thought | 23 |
| It starts with a germ | 21 |
| It might make you say "Aha!" | 38 |
| It might be right or bright | 27 |
| It may pop into your head | 25 |
| It may come to mind | 19 |
| It may be seminal | 17 |
| It may be preconceived | 22 |
| It may be fixed or bright | 25 |
| It may be bright or big | 23 |
| It comes before a patent | 24 |
| It can be half-baked | 20 |
| It can be big or harebrained | 28 |
| Inventor's springboard | 26 |
| Inventor's germ | 19 |
| Inventor's basis | 20 |
| Inventor's "step one" | 35 |
| Invention's origin | 22 |
| Invention seed | 14 |
| Invention inspiration | 21 |
| Inspirational flash | 19 |
| Innovator's inspiration | 27 |
| Imagination product | 19 |
| Head light bulb? | 16 |
| Gray matter matter? | 19 |
| Gray matter matter | 18 |
| Germ for an invention | 21 |
| Genesis of many great inventions | 32 |
| Flash, perhaps | 14 |
| Flash of brilliance, perhaps | 28 |
| Embryo of an invention | 22 |
| Creator's sine qua non | 26 |
| Creative suggestion | 19 |
| Creative contribution | 21 |
| Cranial bulb? | 13 |
| Comic lightbulb | 15 |
| Cartoonist's light bulb | 27 |
| Budding plan | 12 |
| Bright thing? | 13 |
| Bright ___ | 10 |
| Brainy creation | 15 |
| Brainstorm result | 17 |
| Brain-picker's pursuit | 26 |
| Brain product | 13 |