| 100% | DREGS | 5 | Last few drops at the bottom of the keg, which by this time you don't mind drinking anyway |
| 29% | ADULTHOOD | 9 | The time of life at which you're a grown-up |
| 28% | KERNEL | 6 | You can always find some popcorn ___s at the bottom of the bag |
| 28% | DREGS | 5 | Stuff settled at the bottom of a drink |
| 28% | TEA | 3 | Leaves at the bottom of a brewed drink |
| 28% | IDONTNEED | 9 | "___ You" a song by Kenny Rogers produced by Lionel Richie, which spent several weeks at the top of various Billboard charts: 3 wds. |
| 27% | BRAD | 4 | With 59-Down, star of the work revealed by the first letters of the Across clues, which hint at this puzzle's theme |
| 27% | ABYSS | 5 | You'll never get to the bottom of this |
| 26% | TULSA | 5 | "___ Time," hit song by country artist Don Williams which is dedicated to the city historically known as the "Oil Capital of the World" |
| 26% | SLOPE | 5 | What a chairlift drops you at the top of |
| 26% | RAGGEDYCANDY | 12 | *What you might find at the bottom of a trick-or-treater's bag? |
| 26% | MORE | 4 | Word you can click on, seen at the bottom of many online news articles |
| 25% | BANDS | 5 | *Elastic loops that you might find snapped or tangled at the bottom of a junk drawer |
| 25% | MARTELLO | 8 | Small circular fort used by Britain for coastal defence at the time of the Napoleonic Wars |
| 25% | RITAMORENO | 10 | EGOT winner who stars in the remake of "One Day at a Time," the original version of which was produced by 55-Across (2 wds.) |
| 25% | GIVEITTIME | 10 | “These things don’t happen at the snap of a finger” |
| 25% | FOOT | 4 | Body part whose parts are aptly found at the bottom of this puzzle's four longest answers |
| 25% | INLAST | 6 | At the bottom of the standings |
| 25% | ANTARCTIC | 9 | At the bottom of the world |
| 25% | SINKS | 5 | Drops to the bottom of the ocean |
| 25% | SANK | 4 | Dropped to the bottom of the ocean |
| 25% | WINLESS | 7 | At the bottom of the standings, perhaps |
| 25% | INKS | 4 | At least seven of these were used by the monks that created the Book of Kells |
| 25% | DANIELDERONDA | 13 | Last novel completed by George Eliot which is the only known novel by her set in the contemporary Victorian society of her time: 2 wds. |
| 25% | SANK | 4 | Dropped to the bottom of the lake, say |
| 24% | DRONE | 5 | Bee formed by the letters heard at the starts of this puzzle's theme answers |
| 24% | DROPDOWNMENU | 12 | Options at the top of a computer window … as seen three times in this puzzle? |
| 24% | COMA | 4 | You can be in it and out of it at the same time |
| 24% | NSFW | 4 | "Don't look at this if you're in the office!": Abbr. |
| 24% | END | 3 | “The Monster at the ___ of This Book” (suspenseful story narrated by Grover) |