| 100% | STAFF | 5 | Something held by Moses or Gandalf |
| 48% | GAZE | 4 | Something held by spectators |
| 47% | SEAM | 4 | Something held by a thread? |
| 46% | PHD | 3 | Something held by a lecturer, typically |
| 46% | TABLETS | 7 | Things held by Moses |
| 42% | POMPOM | 6 | Something held and shaken by a cheerleader: Hyph. |
| 41% | TOY | 3 | Something made by Mattel or Playskool |
| 41% | PLAY | 4 | Something written by Shakespeare or Shaw |
| 41% | AUTO | 4 | Something made by Ford or Fiat |
| 40% | CLINGING | 8 | Holding tightly onto something or someone |
| 40% | VESSEL | 6 | Something in water or holding water |
| 39% | VEEP | 4 | Position held by Cheney, Biden, or Pence, for short |
| 39% | KEPT | 4 | Retained or held onto something |
| 38% | LIST | 4 | Something made by Santa labeled "Naughty" or "Nice" |
| 38% | CNEWSHEADLINE | 13 | Something delivered by Jake Tapper or Anderson Cooper |
| 38% | BIB | 3 | Something worn by an infant or marathon runner |
| 38% | POEM | 4 | Something written by John Keats or William Yeats |
| 38% | PULSE | 5 | Something measured by holding fingers on the wrist |
| 38% | INTHEGRIP | 9 | __ of something; dominated or overtaken by |
| 38% | CABINET | 7 | Furniture to hold or display something |
| 38% | RETAIN | 6 | To keep or hold onto something |
| 38% | BARK | 4 | Something produced by a dogwood tree ... or a dog |
| 38% | BATON | 5 | Something wielded by a conductor or relay race runner |
| 37% | CARRIER | 7 | A person who holds someone or something |
| 37% | ADHESIVE | 8 | Glue or stickiness that holds something together |
| 37% | NATURAL | 7 | Something that occurs or grows by itself, like a rainforest |
| 37% | AMORAL | 6 | Unconcerned by whether something is right or wrong |
| 37% | ROB | 3 | To hold up a bank, or steal something |
| 36% | CAPITALOFFENSE | 14 | Something committed by 41-Across ... or by this puzzle's creator? |
| 36% | HANDLE | 6 | The part of something by which it is held |