| 100% | COURTTOTRYBEATINGVICTIM | 23 | Ambiguous headline about a man charged with killing his attacker? |
| 40% | HER | 3 | 2013 movie about a man who falls in love with the voice on his smartphone |
| 39% | MARCHPLANNEDFORAUGUST | 21 | Ambiguous headline about a protest? |
| 39% | COPSHELPDOGBITEVICTIM | 21 | Ambiguous headline about a police action |
| 39% | MANGETSYEARINVIOLINCASE | 23 | Ambiguous headline about a stolen Stradivarius? |
| 39% | CITYSHOMELESSCUTINHALF | 22 | Ambiguous headline about a vagrancy statistic? |
| 39% | FEDSDISCOVERCRACKINLA | 21 | Ambiguous headline about a California drug bust? |
| 38% | FRACTURE | 8 | 2007 film starring Anthony Hopkins about a man who tries to kill his wife, and then defends himself in court |
| 35% | MEMENTO | 7 | 2000 Guy Pearce movie about a man with amnesia |
| 34% | LIVINGWITH | 10 | With 28-Across, Netflix series about a man and his clone: 2 wds. |
| 34% | DOA | 3 | 1949 film noir about a man investigating his own murder |
| 34% | DELILAH | 7 | Tom Jones hit about a man who murders his lover |
| 34% | DOA | 3 | Classic film noir about a man investigating his own murder |
| 34% | INSOMNIA | 8 | Stephen King novel about a man with a sleep disorder |
| 34% | HER | 3 | 2013 rom-com about a man and his computer operating system |
| 33% | IDIOT | 5 | Dostoyevsky novel about a "positively beautiful man," with "The" |
| 32% | METERS | 6 | "100 ___," 2016 Spanish film about a man with multiple sclerosis who competes in a triathlon |
| 31% | IWILLFINDYOU | 12 | 2023 novel by 40-Across about a man wrongly accused of murdering his son (4 wds.) |
| 31% | WITHOUTATRACE | 13 | 2023 Danielle Steel novel about a man possibly walking away from his old life: 3 wds. |
| 31% | ERA | 3 | The man took a picture with his cam___ |
| 31% | ERNIE | 5 | Puppet with a song about his rubber duckie |
| 31% | DALI | 4 | Surrealist painter with a book about his mustache |
| 31% | CHEF | 4 | 2014 film starring Jon Favreau about a man operating a food truck after losing his restaurant job |
| 30% | SILVERSPOONS | 12 | 1980s Ricky Schroder sitcom about a wealthy businessman reunited with his son: 2 wds. |
| 30% | BIGFISH | 7 | 2003 Jessica Lange film about a son who reconciles with his dying father: 2 wds. |
| 30% | NICHOLAS | 8 | With 62 Across, Charles Dickens novel about a man trying to support his sister and widowed mother, featuring a Maine college |
| 30% | PASSENGER | 9 | With 89 Across, a headline about a surly frequent flyer? |
| 29% | THERESIDENT | 11 | Fox medical drama about a young doctor at odds with his hospital's bureaucracy: 2 wds. |
| 29% | RICKANDMORTY | 12 | Animated sitcom on Adult Swim about a mad scientist's escapades with his grandson: 3 wds. |
| 29% | REDTAPEHOLDSUPBRIDGE | 20 | Ambiguous headline about construction delay |