LA Times Crossword Clue · Across

"... and other meaningless drivel," or what can be found at the start of 20-, 34-, and 44-Across

From the Monday, June 1, 2026 puzzleAnswer: 12 letters
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Letters
12
Direction
Across
Starts with
B
Ends with
H
Vowels
3
Puzzle date
June 1, 2026

About this clue

The clue “"... and other meaningless drivel," or what can be found at the start of 20-, 34-, and 44-Across” appeared in the LA Times Crossword on Monday, June 1, 2026, in the across direction. The answer is a 12-letter word that starts with B and ends with H.

Crossword editor Patti Varol and her constructor team often use longer themed entries like this one to anchor the grid. With 3 vowels, the answer is unusually vowel-heavy — a hint that it may be a phrase, a name, or a borrowing from another language.

How to solve this clue

If you're stuck on this one, here are a few angles that often help with LA Times clues like this:

  • Watch for misdirection. If the clue ends in a question mark or feels weirdly phrased, the answer is probably a pun, a homophone, or a non-literal interpretation.
  • Match the part of speech. A noun clue takes a noun answer; a verb clue takes a verb in the same tense.
  • Crosscheck with the perpendicular entries. If the Across entry is fighting you, fill in the Down words that cross it.
  • Consider context. Theme entries often relate to the puzzle's overall gimmick.