| 100% | MACDIARMID | 10 | Hugh —, author of 1926 poem A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle, born Christopher Murray Grieve |
| 27% | DREGS | 5 | Stuff settled at the bottom of a drink |
| 27% | TEA | 3 | Leaves at the bottom of a brewed drink |
| 27% | CPK | 3 | A test to look at the levels of creatinine phosphokinase in the blood |
| 27% | ETAL | 4 | Abbr. at the end of a list of authors |
| 27% | EGAN | 4 | Jennifer —, author of novels The Keep and Look at Me |
| 27% | VERNE | 5 | Author of the quote "I am not what you call a civilized man!" |
| 27% | EGAN | 4 | Jennifer —, author of the novels The Keep and Look at Me |
| 26% | NOR | 3 | Word before "happiness," "majesty" and "fame" at the start of a Shelley poem |
| 26% | GROOM | 5 | Chooser of the best man at a wedding, typically |
| 26% | ANGELOU | 7 | Author of the poetry collection “Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ’fore I Diiie” |
| 26% | BURN | 4 | Gordon —, author of novels Alma Cogan and Born Yesterday: The News as a Novel |
| 25% | KEATS | 5 | John —, author of poems The Eve of St Agnes and Ode on a Grecian Urn |
| 25% | EWOK | 4 | "Return of the Jedi" creature that looks like a teddy bear |
| 25% | NAEL | 4 | Author of a poem that runs "The tiger / He destroyed his cage / Yes / YES / The tiger is out" |
| 25% | ORDE | 4 | Kittrie, Fellow at the FDD and author of "Lawfare: Law as a Weapon of War" (2016) |
| 25% | RINGPULL | 8 | The detachable bit at the top of a drinks can |
| 24% | CORMACMCCARTHY | 14 | Author of the 2005 novel "No Country for Old Men," which was made into a Best Picture-winning movie: 2 wds. |
| 24% | THAYER | 6 | Ernest —, US author of 1888 poem Casey at the Bat |
| 24% | WHITEWATER | 10 | You'll probably be looking at a lot of this if you attempt the Tunnel Rapids on the Colorado |
| 24% | FANNIEFLAGG | 11 | Author of "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" who cameoed as a teacher in the 1991 film adaptation: 2 wds. |
| 24% | PALLADIUMJAMES | 14 | "The Children of Men" author, to a chemist? |
| 24% | NIKKIGIOVANNI | 13 | Author of the poem "Allowables" |
| 24% | HGWELLS | 7 | Author of The Invisible Man |
| 24% | HAT | 3 | At the drop of a ___ |
| 23% | MONA | 4 | “13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl” author Awad |
| 23% | HUGHES | 6 | Langston, author of 1926's The Weary Blues |
| 23% | OOOV | 4 | Wow! Look at the size of this thing! |
| 23% | DROP | 4 | At the ___ of a hat (immediately) |
| 23% | ATOP | 4 | At the peak of a mountain |