| Disappoint one's fans | 25 |
| Come up a second short | 22 |
| Come out second best | 20 |
| Come in second? | 15 |
| Come in second, e.g. | 20 |
| Bring up the field | 18 |
| Blow a game | 11 |
| Be the also-ran | 15 |
| Be outmatched | 13 |
| Be on the short end | 19 |
| Be checkmated | 13 |
| Be an unsuccessful gambler | 26 |
| Be a runner-up | 14 |
| Back the wrong horse | 20 |
| Alternative to draw | 19 |
| "Tails, you ___" | 26 |
| "Born to ___" Social Distortion | 41 |
| ___ one's shirt | 19 |
| ___ ground (regress) | 20 |
| Go postal | 9 |
| Go completely nuts | 18 |
| Blow up, maybe | 14 |
| Fly into a rage | 15 |
| Blow one's top | 19 |
| Grow dull | 9 |
| Misplace a channel-making machine? | 34 |
| Miss the boat | 13 |
| Get the short end of the stick | 30 |
| Miss one's opportunity | 26 |
| Miss one's chance | 21 |
| Miss an opportunity | 19 |
| Draw the short straw | 20 |
| Come up empty | 13 |
| "The Biggest ___" | 27 |
| Also-ran | 8 |
| Strip poker player in the buff, e.g. | 36 |
| Nobody | 6 |
| Sad sack | 8 |
| Short-straw drawer | 18 |
| Successful dieter | 17 |
| Defeated one | 12 |
| Schlimazel | 10 |
| He may be sore | 14 |
| Unlucky one | 11 |
| Short straw drawer, e.g. | 24 |
| One who weeps, in a saying | 26 |
| Luckless one | 12 |
| Last-place finisher | 19 |
| Typical Las Vegas gambler | 25 |
| Taunting word | 13 |
| Short straw drawer | 18 |
| Pathetic person | 15 |
| Consistent failure | 18 |
| Weeper, proverbially | 20 |
| Vanquished one | 14 |
| Unfortunate fellow | 18 |
| Second best | 11 |
| Place or show horse | 19 |
| Perennial last-place finisher | 29 |
| Not a medalist | 14 |
| McGovern, in 1972 | 17 |
| His wager should have been sager | 32 |
| He can't get a break | 24 |
| Hardly one of the in crowd | 26 |
| Bottom dog | 10 |
| Beck hit of 1993 | 16 |
| A weeper, according to a saying | 31 |
| Word with sore | 14 |
| Winner's victim | 19 |
| Willy Loman, classically | 24 |
| Who the jury voted against | 26 |
| What Bryan was to Taft | 22 |
| Weeper, in saying | 17 |
| Weeper, in adage | 16 |
| Unsuccessful trophy seeker | 26 |
| Unsuccessful participant | 24 |
| Traditional weeper | 18 |
| The one with 0 in 7-0 | 21 |
| The one in last place, e.g. | 27 |
| The Beatles' "I'm a ____" | 43 |
| Terse putdown | 13 |
| T.K.O. victim, e.g. | 19 |
| Sore one, maybe | 15 |
| Sore ___ | 8 |
| Sometimes a dieter is one | 25 |
| Runner-up, essentially | 22 |
| Runner-up in a race | 19 |
| Proverbial weeper | 17 |
| Pointless player, perhaps | 25 |
| Person trying to smile at an awards show | 40 |
| Person faking a smile at an awards show | 39 |
| One-day "Jeopardy!" contestant, e.g. | 46 |
| One with sour grapes? | 21 |
| One who finishes last | 21 |
| One who doesn't go past a semi? | 35 |
| One who can't catch a break | 31 |
| One not allowed in the winners' circle | 42 |
| One might be sore | 17 |
| One back in the pack | 20 |
| Naked strip poker player, e.g. | 30 |