| 100% | SULA | 4 | 1973 novel set in "the Bottom," a neighborhood slated to be demolished for a golf course |
| 41% | WRATH | 5 | "The Grapes of ___," novel by John Steinbeck, set in the Great Depression, that was a major reason for him winning the Nobel Prize |
| 37% | WARS | 4 | "Star ___," classic arcade game released by Atari in 1983 in which the goal is to survive for a set time from the shots fired by enemies |
| 37% | CHILDREN | 8 | A nanny is hired to care for __ in the family home |
| 36% | TRAP | 4 | It may be set for a mouse in the house |
| 36% | SULA | 4 | Toni Morrison novel set in the Bottom |
| 36% | THEBOSS | 7 | What James Brown “paid the cost to be,” in a 1973 song |
| 35% | ENYA | 4 | Singer for whom a fish native to the Orinoco was named in 2017 |
| 35% | ANGELA | 6 | Bassett who was the first person to be nominated for an Oscar for acting in a Marvel movie |
| 35% | RAMA | 4 | "Rendezvous with ___," 1973 novel by Arthur C. Clarke that is set in the 2130s |
| 35% | MENSDAYWARNING | 14 | "Just a reminder: the golf course is reserved for the guys tomorrow," e.g.? |
| 35% | CHILD | 5 | "The Snow ___," novel by Eowyn Ivey set in the Alaskan wilderness, where a girl made of snow comes to life |
| 35% | EDITHWHARTON | 12 | 13-Across and 25-Across writer who was the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize in Literature, for her 1920 novel "The Age of Innocence" (2 wds.) |
| 34% | NINEDAYS | 8 | Titular length of the interview process for souls waiting to be born, in a 2020 Edson Oda film |
| 34% | BAKER | 5 | "I used to be a ___ until I found out I was in it for the dough!" |
| 34% | HARD | 4 | ___ pass, term for a firm rejection that was added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2021 |
| 34% | ENDZONE | 7 | In American football, the area behind the goals that a ball must cross for a touchdown to be awarded |
| 34% | CARDIO | 6 | Informal name for a hospital department related to the heart that is featured in "Grey's Anatomy" |
| 34% | LAKE | 4 | ___ Wallenpaupack, water body in Scranton that was the setting for a Dunder Mifflin cruise party in "The Office" |
| 34% | FURNITUREASSEMBLY | 17 | Ikea task, and a task that can be applied to the sets of circled letters in this puzzle |
| 34% | ENDZONE | 7 | Area behind the goals in American football that a ball must cross for a touchdown to be awarded |
| 33% | CARTLAND | 8 | English author Barbara, who wrote "The Wicked Marquis", and is referenced in the Guinness World Records for most novels published in a year |
| 33% | TIMDUNCAN | 9 | Spurs power forward for 19 years, who was a top U.S. swimmer in the 400m freestyle before shifting to basketball: 2 wds. |
| 33% | PAR | 3 | A duffer might be excited to break it on a golf course |
| 33% | ABRAHAMLINCOLN | 14 | Historical figure whose son is the central character of a George Saunders novel mostly set in a temporary afterlife |
| 33% | HALLEYSCOMET | 12 | *Celestial sight said to have been a good omen for William the Conqueror in battle |
| 33% | ISHIGURO | 8 | Author Kazuo who wrote “Klara and the Sun,” set in a dystopian future in which children are genetically engineered for academic excellence (March, 2021) |
| 33% | FEE | 3 | The $1000 you shell out for you and your buddy to play a round of golf at Nevada's Shadow Creek Golf Course |
| 32% | GREEN | 5 | Where the hole and flagstick are, on a golf course |
| 32% | TEALEAVES | 9 | Read these in the bottom of a cup, to predict |