| 100% | THESELLOUT | 10 | 2015 Man Booker Prize-winning novel, which opens, “This may be hard to believe, coming from a black man, but I’ve never stolen anything” |
| 27% | WET | 3 | It might be hard to get this in a desert |
| 26% | FORTUNE | 7 | ___ Cookies, a treat that is believed to have been invented in China, but actually came from California |
| 25% | PASS | 4 | Mana, which you might use if driving to Tibet from Ghastoli, is a pretty impressive one of these |
| 24% | OFTHEDAY | 8 | "The Remains ___," 1989 novel by Kazuo Ishiguro (birthday today) for which he won the Booker Prize and which was also adapted into a film: 3 wds. |
| 24% | NERD | 4 | This may be hard to date |
| 24% | ORFEO | 5 | Novel by Richard Powers which was on the longlist for the 2014 Man Booker Prize |
| 23% | ROSY | 4 | (3/4) You might miss his beard from 16a, but his pink-tinted ___ cheeks are hard to miss |
| 23% | CHARLENE | 8 | Singer with a one hit wonder I've Never Been to Me |
| 23% | OAR | 3 | It may be used to get away from a bank |
| 23% | GREENJACKET | 11 | Prize that may need to be altered if a player wins it again |
| 23% | ALEC | 4 | Baldwin who tweeted on November 7, 2020, “I don’t believe I’ve ever been this overjoyed to lose a job before!” |
| 23% | GIFTBOX | 7 | To which a "To/From" label might be attached |
| 23% | ATALLORDER | 10 | That which may be hard to accomplish |
| 23% | DORITOS | 7 | Brand of tortilla chips believed to have been invented in Mexico, but actually came from California |
| 22% | GANDHI | 6 | Leader who was nominated for, but never won, a Nobel Peace Prize |
| 22% | IVANLENDL | 9 | Which of these men never won Wimbledon? A) Bjorn Borg; B) Ivan Lendl; C) Yvon Petra; D) Fred Perry |
| 22% | BLOOD | 5 | "At Night All ___ is Black," book by David Diop which won the International Booker Prize in 2021 |
| 22% | AGEGAP | 6 | A big one may be hard to overcome in a relationship |
| 22% | DRYEYES | 7 | They may be hard to find at a tearjerker |
| 22% | CIDERS | 6 | Drinks that may be hard to find at a bar? |
| 22% | RUNWITHTHEHERD | 14 | "But I've never been one to ___ ..." |
| 22% | GROUCHO | 7 | Who once quipped “I never forget a face, but in your case I’ll be glad to make an exception" |
| 21% | WHUP | 4 | A can of this might be opened in an argument |
| 21% | STY | 3 | A messy, filthy room might be referred to as this |
| 21% | MILLIONAIRE | 11 | "Who Wants to Be a ___?," TV quiz show in which contestants answer multiple-choice questions to win cash prizes |
| 21% | REHAB | 5 | Amy Winehouse's song from "Back to Black" which won a Grammy for Song of the Year |
| 21% | AHAB | 4 | Literary captain who says, "I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to it laughing" |
| 21% | RIDGEMONTHIGH | 13 | "Fast Times at ___," coming-of-age comedy film featuring Sean Penn as Jeff Spicoli which was adapted from a novel: 2 wds. |
| 21% | JACK | 4 | "Before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of ___ ...," lyrics from Kesha's "TiK ToK" which may be her preferred drink order |