| 100% | HANDFUL | 7 | A __ of Dust, Waugh novel on captive Tony Last |
| 49% | LAST | 4 | Tony —, protagonist of 1934 Evelyn Waugh novel A Handful of Dust |
| 38% | FACETPOWDER | 11 | Dusting on the side of a cut gem? |
| 38% | GANTRY | 6 | Last name of Elmer in a Sinclair Lewis novel |
| 37% | CRANE | 5 | Last name of Frasier, Niles, and Martin, on a sitcom |
| 36% | MOHICANS | 8 | The Last of the __, a novel and a film |
| 36% | ZINNIA | 6 | Alphabetically last flower on a list of familiar ones |
| 36% | EDEN | 4 | "East of ___" (movie based on a John Steinbeck novel) |
| 36% | DESK | 4 | Piece of furniture on a late-night talk show |
| 36% | ARBOR | 5 | Subject of a celebration on the last Friday in April |
| 36% | PRIMARYCARET | 12 | Indication of a last-minute candidate on an early ballot? |
| 36% | CLUES | 5 | Parts of a crossword that the constructor works on last |
| 36% | EDEN | 4 | "East of ___" (James Dean film based on a Steinbeck novel) |
| 36% | DISCOVERY | 9 | Aptly named ship on a later voyage of 55-Across |
| 35% | BEST | 4 | "The ___ of Me" (2014 film based on a Nicholas Sparks novel) |
| 35% | GRAPES | 6 | __ of Wrath, Steinbeck novel on the Dust Bowl |
| 35% | KISS | 4 | "___ of the Spider Woman" (Oscar-winning film based on a Manuel Puig novel) |
| 35% | END | 3 | "The ___ of the Affair" (1999 film based on a Graham Greene novel) |
| 35% | SUM | 3 | "The ___ of All Fears" (2002 movie based on a Tom Clancy novel) |
| 35% | BEST | 4 | "The ___ of Me" (James Marsden film based on a Nicholas Sparks novel) |
| 35% | SUM | 3 | "The ___ of All Fears" (spy film based on a Tom Clancy novel) |
| 35% | AMBLER | 6 | Eric —, author of novels Epitaph for a Spy and Judgment on Deltchev |
| 34% | PRECINCT | 8 | "The Last ___," '80s cop show on a group of misfit police academy rejects |
| 34% | SAGE | 4 | "Riders of the Purple ___" (Tom Mix film based on a Zane Grey novel) |
| 34% | SUM | 3 | "The ___ of All Fears" (2002 spy film based on a Tom Clancy novel) |
| 34% | END | 3 | "The ___ of the Affair" (Neil Jordan film based on a Graham Greene novel) |
| 34% | AFFAIR | 6 | "The End of the ___" (Julianne Moore film based on a Graham Greene novel) |
| 34% | END | 3 | "The ___ of the Affair" (Julianne Moore film based on a Graham Greene novel) |
| 34% | LOVE | 4 | "The Pursuit of ___," 2021 period drama series based on a Nancy Mitford novel |