LA Times Crossword Clue · Across

Faking trendiness?

From the Sunday, May 31, 2026 puzzleAnswer: 15 letters
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Letters
15
Direction
Across
Starts with
A
Ends with
P
Vowels
6
Puzzle date
May 31, 2026

About this clue

The clue “Faking trendiness?” appeared in the LA Times Crossword on Sunday, May 31, 2026, in the across direction. The answer is a 15-letter word or short phrase that starts with A and ends with P.

Crossword editor Patti Varol and her constructor team often use longer themed entries like this one to anchor the grid. With 6 vowels, the answer is unusually vowel-heavy — a hint that it may be a phrase, a name, or a borrowing from another language. Note that the answer contains a double letter.

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.