LA Times Crossword · 20-Across · 14 letters
Concern that one’s sneakers are hopelessly out of style? LA Times Crossword clue
Editorially reviewed September 5, 2026
Decode the turn
Reveal the answer now—or spot the trick first.
What to notice
Start with the phrase for intense worry and insert the word that completes high-___ sneakers.
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Answer
How the trick resolves
HIGHTOPANXIETY inserts TOP into HIGH ANXIETY to make the worry specifically about high-top shoes. Hopelessly out of style supplies the anxiety, while sneakers identifies the altered phrase. Spaces disappear in the grid.
Continue this puzzleBreaks down →The turn in the clue
The question mark signals a familiar phrase modified with sneaker terminology.
The answer in plain English
High-top anxiety is a punning phrase for worry about high-top sneakers, modeled on high anxiety.
Where this clue appeared
20-Across in LA Times Crossword puzzle for September 4, 2026.
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