Public square that gets really sticky in the heat?

Latest answer — August 09, 2026

22 Across

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

Clue explained

LICORICE supplies the sticky candy, while PIAZZA means a public square; together they make a playful “sticky” square. The question mark signals this fanciful combination rather than a literal location.

Clue type:
Pun or wordplay
Licorice candy shown beside an Italian public square

LA Times Crossword

This clue's Sunday, August 09, 2026 appearance

Tap a square to reveal a letter.

Or reveal one clue at a time with the Hint and Answer buttons below.

Across

  1. 1Some latte orders
  2. 7Enemy of ancient Athens
  3. 13Alpaca kin
  4. 18"Play slowly," in music
  5. 19Peanut butter and jelly
  6. 21Keeps occupied
  7. 22Public square that gets really sticky in the heat?
  8. 24Would rather not
  9. 25Biblical suffix
  10. 26Sp. address
  11. 27Quite the commotion
  12. 28Ski lift
  13. 30Actor Kilmer
  14. 31Chuckle syllable
  15. 33Founded, as a co.
  16. 36"Don't play," in music
  17. 38Phi __ Kappa
  18. 39One who can only rasp quietly?
  19. 44Title for Judi Dench
  20. 46Fox or ox
  21. 47__ monster
  22. 48Spot in a store with toys, water bowls, and leashes?
  23. 51Castle-breaching explosive
  24. 53Sandbox visitor
  25. 54Rapper Dr. __
  26. 55Matar paneer vegetables
  27. 57Cause friction
  28. 60Cookie whose website has recipes for cheesecake and empanadas
  29. 62Derby-sporting Addams
  30. 64Ancient hulled wheat
  31. 66Old Jutland resident
  32. 67"Fiddlesticks"
  33. 68Warning before a particularly scary monster flick?
  34. 71Lysol target
  35. 72Chemist Mendeleev who created the periodic table
  36. 74Castle trenches
  37. 75Hit the slopes
  38. 76Blackthorn berry
  39. 77Beyoncé's "I Am... __ Fierce"
  40. 78In the mail
  41. 79Blunder
  42. 81Liberty Mutual's bus.
  43. 82Hybrid synth instrument
  44. 84R-rated NASA event?
  45. 89Pedal pushers
  46. 90__ roll
  47. 92"What fun!"
  48. 93Oak trees?
  49. 99Golfer McIlroy
  50. 100Broadcast again
  51. 101Hurdle for an aspiring JD
  52. 102Halloween mo.
  53. 105Off-rd. wheels
  54. 106"Stranger Things" actor Wolfhard
  55. 107Hoppy fave
  56. 110Wireless std.
  57. 112"Midsommar" director Aster
  58. 114Minor flaw
  59. 116Glass ceiling-breaking event?
  60. 121Musical weakness
  61. 122Invertebrate found in every ocean
  62. 123Hackers' shout of success
  63. 124Go out for a while?
  64. 125Beguile
  65. 126Jaunty neckwear

Down

  1. 1Broad valley
  2. 2"Ethan Frome" novelist Wharton
  3. 3Browser storage
  4. 4In the past
  5. 5Many Christmas trees
  6. 6Fancy affair
  7. 7NNW reversal
  8. 8"Play very, very softly," in music
  9. 9Met highlight
  10. 10Assessment
  11. 11Lipton division
  12. 12Curved cutting tool
  13. 13"Nothing you say is true!"
  14. 14Tennis do-over
  15. 15Affectionate sign-off
  16. 16Change genetically
  17. 17Like molecules that cannot form permanent bonds
  18. 20Nickname for Louis Armstrong
  19. 21"There isn't anything else!?"
  20. 23Lettuce or cabbage
  21. 29Neutral shades
  22. 32Web design code
  23. 34Warty amphibian
  24. 35Paul of "The Batman"
  25. 37Piercing tool
  26. 38Tight squeezes
  27. 40Listen to
  28. 41Fix badly?
  29. 42Texting tech
  30. 43Put a name to
  31. 44Natural history museum display
  32. 45"M*A*S*H" star?
  33. 48Not on the same page
  34. 49Savanna antelope
  35. 50Glam gala
  36. 51Trails
  37. 52Intro to many a newsreel
  38. 55Calligraphy tools
  39. 56Some city trains
  40. 58As a departure from the norm
  41. 59Snare
  42. 61Without any planning
  43. 63More family-friendly
  44. 64Walks or runs
  45. 65Where some get tired quickly?
  46. 66Movement while asking "How do I look?"
  47. 69Junior
  48. 70Rubber-stamped
  49. 73Like a daisy
  50. 78Shiny fabric
  51. 80Sultry growl
  52. 83Boston University athlete
  53. 84Trivial objection
  54. 85Product of incomplete combustion
  55. 86Ship stabilizer
  56. 87Noted times
  57. 88"Um, think again"
  58. 90Showy carp
  59. 91From Cairo or Cape Town
  60. 93Makes with skill
  61. 94Medium for deep-frying
  62. 95California city near Santa Ana
  63. 96Grams
  64. 97Young hippopotamus
  65. 98Capital west of Montreal
  66. 103Brief appearance
  67. 104Hair texture, e.g.
  68. 106Dust jacket part
  69. 108Ramona, per Beezus
  70. 109Voting against
  71. 111Short-horned bighorns
  72. 113Some Tripadvisor recommendations
  73. 115Buzzer?
  74. 117"Told you!"
  75. 118Washington's Sea-__ Airport
  76. 119Minecraft material
  77. 120Battle of Helm's Deep combatant

The answer to “Public square that gets really sticky in the heat?” in the LA Times crossword is LICORICEPIAZZA — a 14-letter word. It most recently appeared in the LA Times crossword on August 9, 2026, a Sunday puzzle, at 22-Across. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Public square that gets really sticky in the heat?” answer

LICORICEPIAZZA (14 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is LICORICEPIAZZA.

When else has “Public square that gets really sticky in the heat?” appeared?

LA Times reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

August 9, 2026 (most recent) → LICORICEPIAZZA. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Public square that gets really sticky in the heat?”?

The answer is LICORICEPIAZZA, a 14-letter word. It most recently appeared in the LA Times crossword on August 9, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Public square that gets really sticky in the heat?”?

14 letters: LICORICEPIAZZA.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the LA Times crossword on August 9, 2026 (a Sunday puzzle), at 22-Across.

Can “Public square that gets really sticky in the heat?” have a different answer?

Yes — LA Times sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's LA Times answers?

The full grid for August 9, 2026 is on the LA Times answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

LA Times Crossword is published by Los Angeles Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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