| 100% | FORMICA | 7 | Hard durable plastic laminate invented by Daniel J O'Conor and Herbert A Faber |
| 27% | FORMICA | 7 | Hard, durable plastic laminate used in buildings |
| 19% | ORC | 3 | One of a race of creatures in works by J R R Tolkien used as soldiers by Sauron and Saruman |
| 19% | CLR | 3 | Big name in household cleaners, founded by Manny Gutterman and advertised on '80s TV as a hard water stain remover |
| 19% | HARMONICA | 9 | Woodwind instrument invented by a Belgian designer |
| 19% | ICEE | 4 | Drink invented by a Dairy Queen owner |
| 19% | ALERS | 5 | A's and O's |
| 19% | HAM | 3 | "Farmer Giles of ___," a comic medieval fable by J.R.R. Tolkien that describes encounters between Farmer Giles and a dragon |
| 19% | SAFETYPIN | 9 | Fastening device invented by both Hunt and Rowley |
| 19% | CRUSOE | 6 | "Robinson ___," novel by Daniel Defoe about a mariner |
| 19% | ERELONG | 7 | By and by, to a bard |
| 19% | POETICJUICE | 11 | O. J. Simpson as a bard? |
| 19% | VOWELS | 6 | A, E, I, O and U |
| 18% | BUY | 3 | A third homonym for by and bye |
| 18% | BETWEEN | 7 | ___ a rock and a hard place |
| 18% | THEFATHER | 9 | "___ Christmas Letters," a collection of letters written by J.R.R. Tolkien that document the adventures of Santa and his helpers: 2 wds. |
| 18% | ICEES | 5 | Drinks mistakenly invented by a Dairy Queen owner in 1958 |
| 18% | LITHIUM | 7 | A chemical element and a song by Nirvana |
| 18% | SEAGULL | 7 | A bird and a play by Anton Chekhov |
| 18% | CLOSER | 6 | A 2016 song by The Chainsmokers and Halsey |
| 18% | TOFFEE | 6 | A confection made by boiling sugar and butter |
| 18% | ITEM | 4 | A-Rod and J-Lo, in 2017 headlines |
| 18% | TYPES | 5 | A, B and O, at the Red Cross |
| 18% | OAKEN | 5 | Strong and durable, in a way |
| 18% | ROCK | 4 | Between a ___ and a hard place |
| 18% | EARNONESSPURS | 13 | Gain a position by hard work |
| 18% | STEELY | 6 | Long and hard, as a stare |
| 18% | ART | 3 | Works by Kahlo and O'Keeffe |
| 18% | KENKEN | 6 | Logic puzzle invented by a math teacher as a teaching tool |