| 100% | EPITHETS | 8 | "Man's best friend" and "The Terrible" |
| 71% | STAR | 4 | Patrick ___, SpongeBob's best friend and neighbor in the animated TV series, "SpongeBob SquarePants" |
| 66% | VERY | 4 | "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, ___ Bad Day" |
| 66% | BAD | 3 | "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very ___ Day" |
| 65% | KOOMSON | 7 | Dorothy —, author of novels My Best Friend's Girl and The Ice Cream Girls |
| 65% | DOG | 3 | Man's best friend ... who's also the contestant featured in the sports mentioned in 19a, 23a, 35a, 4d, 7d, 40d |
| 64% | SHIRLEY | 7 | Laverne's best friend in the 1970s sitcom starring Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams |
| 64% | DOG | 3 | Man's best friend |
| 64% | DOG | 3 | Man's best friend? |
| 64% | BAD | 3 | "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very __ Day": 2014 film |
| 62% | DOG | 3 | Man's best friend, it's said |
| 62% | DOG | 3 | Man's best friend, it's claimed |
| 61% | DOG | 3 | Man's best friend as per a phrase |
| 61% | DAFFYDUCK | 9 | Best friend and occasional rival of 15-Across, the iconic black duck from "Looney Tunes": 2 wds. |
| 61% | LOYAL | 5 | Like man's best friend |
| 60% | GEORGECOSTANZA | 14 | Character who is Jerry's best friend since high school and is played by Jason Alexander on the show "Seinfeld": 2 wds. |
| 60% | GROOM | 5 | Best man's best friend, often |
| 59% | NALA | 4 | Simba's childhood best friend and eventual wife in "The Lion King" |
| 59% | RHODA | 5 | Mary's best friend on the CBS sitcom "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" starring Mary Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper |
| 59% | JASONROBARDS | 12 | He won two Best Supporting Actor Oscars, for "All the President's Men" and "Julia": 2 wds. |
| 58% | DAVID | 5 | Best Director Oscar nominee for The Elephant Man and Blue Velvet |
| 58% | DAVIDLYNCH | 10 | Best Director Oscar nominee for The Elephant Man and Blue Velvet |
| 58% | NED | 3 | Peter Parker's best friend in the "Spider-Man" franchise |
| 58% | DOGLOVERS | 9 | Friends of man's best friend |
| 57% | BILLYJOEL | 9 | Singer of Only the Good Die Young and Piano Man |
| 57% | ANN | 3 | Leslie's best friend on "Parks and Recreation" |
| 57% | GOLDSMITH | 9 | Oliver —, author of stage plays She Stoops to Conquer and The Good-Natur'd Man |
| 56% | INVISIBLE | 9 | Like the man in H.G. Wells and Ralph Ellison titles |
| 56% | SAMWISE | 7 | Frodo's best friend in Lord of the Rings |
| 56% | DOG | 3 | Man's canine best friend |